Cheapo eBay Kilts

[JamieKerr]

It would seem 99% of them are "girls" kilts. Is the only diff between the mens and womens the waist size and length? Because they both say genuine kilt. The darn girl's ones are the only ones in my size lol.

[gilmore]

It would seem 99% of them are "girls" kilts. Is the only diff between the mens and womens the waist size and length? Because they both say genuine kilt. The darn girl's ones are the only ones in my size lol.

Men's kilts open on the right. Women's kilted skirts (not called kilts) open on the left.

[sharpdressedscot]

It would seem 99% of them are "girls" kilts. Is the only diff between the mens and womens the waist size and length? Because they both say genuine kilt. The darn girl's ones are the only ones in my size lol.

It's OK you're not alone, I feel ya!

[Scratchy's Lass]

The overall conscensus seems to fall where my own thoughts were - so I also feel wonderfully validated (being a kilt newbie lass of a kilted newbie, especially)

Mr. Scratchy send me word of his interest in and curiosity about a "New Deluxe Honour Of Scotland Tartan Scottish Kilt" by the ebay seller Fredonline - and I came here today specifically to see about starting a thread to solicit opinions.

He was looking at the "Honour of Scotland Tartan Scottish Kilt" here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Deluxe-Honou...ayphotohosting

I had a few thoughts after looking into the auction itself and the seller's feedback and such, and was hoping it wouldn't be a violation of TOS to post about the auction - and TA DA! There's already a recent thread covering exactly some of my concerns.

I wasn't impressed, I didn't think, upon looking closely at the enlarged pictures in the auction..... quality-wise was my main concern. But, then again, what do I know as a mere Newbie Lass?

I was also kicking around some numbers, looking for dollar/value correlations. It does appear the seller has quite a volume biz.

I thought to myself, "Self.......

As of a couple days ago, the British Pound to USD exchange rate was about 2 of theirs to one of ours. If we apply that info to the kilt at hand, using their $65 Buy It Now price, that means that the MOST they value it at on their side of the pond is is $33 GPB... and they MUST have marked it up SOME for a profit (although many Ebay sellers these days just hike up the shipping costs since they don't have to pay Ebay commission on the shipping part of a sale/auction).

Using their Buy It Now of $65 USD, and adding ~$30 for shipping = $95 USD converted into GPB is just under 48 GPB that they value it at in THEIR currency. Would be slightly less if one won the auction at the current required min. bid of $59.99. ($95 USD = ~ 63 Euros) Interesting that the included "insurance" has a $55 USD limit.

Not to knock the seller or his kilt products, which surely have their place in the market.... but I didn't think this particular auction's pictures were of a kilt that showed the degree of quality/workmanship that I usually see in the pictures of kilts which are posted in threads here, for example. I did wonder whether perhaps the kilt in the auction just didn't show up well in the photographs.

Since Mr. Scratchy doesn't garden (hard to do in an apartment ) I'm thinking he'd be better served by feeding his kilt addiction through different selections and vendors. And "hot" wearing wouldn't do at all, especially while I'm stuck down here in the Valley of The Dust
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[Dukeof Kircaldy]

I thinkthere are better choices. And you can always make your own if you are at all creative in that way. There are books out there on the topic of kiltmaking.

While I like to know how things are made, from what I understand kiltmaking is a bot too labour intensive for my tastes. It's worth it to pay for a decent kilt whether handmade or hand finished.