• Discover Vintage: Clothing for the Ages

• Explore Vintage Clothing & Accessories

• Know Your History: Vintage Clothing Periods

• Know Your Vintage Clothing Condition

• Value Vintage Clothing

• Find Vintage Clothing on eBay

• Buy Vintage Clothing With Confidence

Discover Vintage: Clothing for the Ages

Discover Vintage: Clothing for the Ages

What’s considered “vintage” can be partly a matter of personal taste. However, certain agreed-upon qualities define clothing as vintage:

The age

First and foremost, vintage clothing is clothing from another era, usually classified by decade. It represents a time period, serving as a cultural expression of that time.

Vintage includes garments from the Victorian era and earlier, but generally encompasses anything from the Victorian period through the 1960s. Clothing from the past 15 years is considered contemporary clothing, and some vintage purists contend that any clothing made after the ’60s should be classified as retro as opposed to vintage.

The look

Just because an item is old, however, doesn’t necessarily mean it can be labeled vintage. A piece of vintage clothing also possesses an aesthetic quality that makes it stand out.

In short, vintage clothing can consist of unusual examples of an era’s fashion or, more often than not, typical clothing from a particular time period that possesses a style and design that appeals to collectors and buyers.

Explore Vintage Clothing & Accessories

Explore Vintage Clothing & Accessories

Vintage clothing offers a number of options for both women and men. Remember: Shopping for vintage is not only about style and price; it’s also fun to track down those fashion blasts from the past.

• For women: You’ll come across an array of vintage dresses, blouses, sweaters, jackets, pants, skirts, suits, coats, and lingerie. Moreover, you can purchase couture/designer garments from top designers.

• For men: Choose from an assortment of vintage shirts, sweaters, jackets, pants, suits, coats, and more. Popular vintage brands for guys include Polo, Levi’s, Izod, and Lacoste.    

• Shoes: Everything from cowboy boots and go-go boots to pumps and platform shoes fall under the category of vintage shoes. You can also pick up vintage Nike and Adidas tennis shoes.     

• Accessories: Don’t forget about vintage accessories such as handbags (beaded bags, for example) and scarves (such as Pucci scarves), as well as purses, shawls, fans, gloves, hats, sunglasses, belts, ties, and handkerchiefs.

Know Your History: Vintage Clothing Periods

Know Your History: Vintage Clothing Periods

Although there is some occasional crossover, connoisseurs generally group periods for vintage clothing as follows:

• Pre–1901: This broad category includes everything from the high-waisted dresses of the early part of the 19th century to the bustle gowns and lace tea dresses of the Victorian era. If you like your vintage clothing from way back, look for items described as Renaissance, Regency, Romantic, Victorian, antique, or 1800s.

• 1901–1919: Designated primarily as Edwardian or WWI, this era reflected the influence of Eastern fashion and the designer Paul Poiret. Examples include embroidered Edwardian blouses and corsets, and garments made of linen and lace.     

• 1920–1938: A time when fashion radically changed, these two decades transitioned from the extravagancies and excesses of the Roaring ’20s (the flapper dress and cloche hat) to the more reserved clothing of the Depression era and ’30s.   

• 1939–1946: During World War II, fashion ran the gamut from chiffon dresses and fitted jackets to taffeta and lace eveningwear. Also popular: hats and the Hollywood high style of the 1940s. Track down items listed as WWII, ’40s, and glamour.     

• 1947–1964: Clothing style changed once again, as women took their fashion cues from Jackie O: one- and two-piece dresses and the boxy jacket and skirt suit. Knee-length pleated skirts eventually gave way to miniskirts, mini dresses, and hot pants. If you’re a fan of this era, seek out clothing that’s labeled new look, rockabilly, swing, ’50s, early ’60s, and ’60s.    

• 1965–1976: Natural/ethnic styles, bright colors, floral and psychedelic patterns, denim, and bell-bottoms were all the rage during this time frame. Look for clothing from Gunne Sax, or that’s described as mod, boho, Renaissance, hippie, or disco.     

• 1977–1989: This most recent period exhibits the punk rock and new wave influence—leather jackets and leather skirts, ripped jeans and T-shirts, and so on. If you like to walk on the wild side of fashion, look for items marked as punk, New Wave, or ’80s.

Know Your Vintage Clothing Condition

Know Your Vintage Clothing Condition

Because vintage clothing is not new, it’s important that you properly understand the condition of a garment. Some sellers rely on a naming system that will help you assess what you can expect when you buy vintage clothing and accessories on eBay. Here’s a listing of terms from the Fashion-Era Web site.

• Mint: An item is as perfect and pristine as when it was originally made and shows no sign of wear (mint condition is rare for vintage clothing).

• Near mint: An item shows only the slightest signs of wear.

• Excellent: An item shows typical signs of wear due to occasional use.

• Very good: An item is considered wearable but has some surface flaws (staining or soiling, for example).

• Good: An item is wearable but cannot be returned to excellent condition even if repairs are made.

Of course, the older a piece of clothing is, the more likely it will display indications of its age. Signs of wear should be expected. Although condition ranks as a main buying consideration for vintage clothing, it’s not as crucial for older items.

Don't buy something that you consider inferior just because it has a well known brand name. Ask the seller to specify any damage or irregularities a garment may have. And don’t rely solely on a condition term if you are unsure of the quality of a garment.

As for size, it’s always a good idea to buy a little big. If a piece of vintage clothing is particularly old, it might not withstand stretching. What’s more, don’t rely on modern sizing. Because vintage clothing is from past eras, sizes will vary from decade to decade and from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Value Vintage Clothing

Value Vintage Clothing

Vintage clothing can be both a fashion statement and an investment. Highly collectible items, such as high-end designer gowns, Hawaiian print shirts, and bowling shirts from the 1950s, can be quite valuable—and will continue to grow in value.

Value tips

It’s one thing if you like to pick up a fun, funky vintage item every now and then. If, on the other hand, you’re more serious about vintage clothing, you need to know about value.

The best way to ascertain the value of vintage clothing is to do your homework. Take the time to educate yourself by reading articles or buying vintage clothing books. Many resources are available, especially online.

Get to know the particular clothing styles and characteristics of the era to which you’re drawn. This way, you’ll know what to look for—and, perhaps most importantly, what to avoid, such as reproductions.

For many serious vintage clothing collectors, a piece must have a label (although a lot of vintage clothing won’t have labels). Also, condition and quality count when buying for investment or resale purposes. You might fall in love with a dress or purse, but if there are too many flaws, the value may be lost.

Maintaining value

Once you purchase a collector piece of vintage clothing, you’ll want to ensure its value does not diminish. Here are some tips for keeping your vintage clothing in top shape:

• Clean your vintage clothing properly. Be sure to follow any instructions listed on the care tag. Fabrics such as cottons, acrylics, and polyesters should be hand washed with mild cleansers. To avoid shrinkage and fading, air or drip-dry your vintage clothing instead of using a dryer.    

• Wools, silks, delicate or embroidered pieces, suits, and gowns should only be cleaned by trusted professionals. Always remove your garments from the plastic dry cleaning bags before storing.

• Never hang knits or delicate fabrics and never use metal hangers for any type of vintage clothing. Hang clothing on padded hangers only.

• Store your vintage clothing properly. Keep clothes away from light, smoke, and animal hair. If the items are heavy and older, keep them in acid-free paper and boxes. 

• Wools and furs should always be cleaned before storing. In addition to cleaning, many cleaners offer free summer storage in ideal conditions for furs.

• For home storage of wool items, place them in a cool, dry place with mothballs and cedar.

Find Vintage Clothing on eBay

Find Vintage Clothing on eBay

Once you know what type of vintage clothing you want, go to the Clothing, Shoes & Accessories portal, click Vintage, and start searching for item listings on eBay.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Men’s Clothing, Women’s Clothing, Men’s Shoes, Women’s Shoes, Men’s & Women’s Accessories, and more. As you dig deeper into the site, you'll also be able to narrow down your choice by era.

• Keyword search: Search eBay title listings for specific words. For example, if you want to find a vintage dress, type "vintage dress" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping at eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Vintage Clothing With Confidence

Buy Vintage Clothing With Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to $1,000.

• eBay Security & Resolution Center: Visit the Security & Resolution Center to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.