Quote Originally Posted by Catdad View Post
Be careful about buying kilts on ebay. <snip>
Aye, caveat emptor.

I've been having some good success with eBay lately, so perhaps I should share my method. There are some amazing deals on that site but you can't be in a rush... if they don't have what you want this week, then content yourself to wait and see about next.

Here's a list of tips and tricks that have been working for me:

- Search by as many different combinations of keywords as possible. Sometimes you might find something under "scottish jacket" that doesn't come up under "tweed Argyll."

- Try the different sites ebay.ca, ebay.com, ebay.co.uk They sometimes have different stuff listed! Even if a seller doesn't show in the listing that they ship to your location, it's worth asking.

- Ask questions. When you find something you like, it's worth messaging the seller to get as much detail as you can. For example, tagged sizes can vary, so it's worth asking for the measurements of clothing. On a kilt, is the waist size measured with the straps all the way tight, somewhere in the middle, or on the last hole? For jackets, this guide is
handy.

- Buy brand names for less. In some cases, this gives you the opportunity to see the item somewhere else first. For example, I recently bought a pair of brand new John Fluevog brogues on eBay for half of what they cost retail. I was able to bid with confidence because I had already tried them on at a store

- Know how eBay works. There are various different ways to buy including: auctions, buy-it-now, best offer, and hidden reserve. Understand the differences between them and bid accordingly. A Google search will bring up plenty of info about any of them.

- Watch out for shady vendors. Always check the seller's rating and number of transactions. Be leery of sending a few hundred dollars to someone who isn't well ranked and experienced. PayPal gives you some insurance on purchases, so I feel safer going that way. Beware of jacked up shipping fees that unscrupulous sellers will use to hedge against the cost of a low auction price.

- Insist on national mail services for international transactions. Couriers (Fedex, UPS, ParcelForce, etc) tend to charge an extra "customs handling fee" on top of shipping and they make sure to collect any and all possible taxes/duty. National mail carriers tend to leave it up to a Customs Officer as to whether or not any tax/duty is owed and only charge a nominal "handling fee" if there is is tax/duty owing. So far, all of my eBay packages have arrived in the mail without paying tax/duty.