The Thrifty Beatnik Handbook To Buying Vintage & Retro Clothes

Tired of the same old mass production fashions? Did Charles Bukowski buy his clothing from a snotty Camden boutique? Take a hint from the Beat Generation and use their hipster values to a fight the disarming static of the commercialized world at Thrifty Beatnik.

You must battle to own your own unique fashion instead of being spoon-fed style with the wonder that is our vintage clothing collection. From a stylish mod jacket to a nostalgic skinny fit t-shirt via a snazzy psychedelic shirt, going vintage is a only way to escape the mainstream. Styles are circular but, like fishing in a whirlpool, our items remain the perfect way for true individuals to catch something entirely different from what everyone else is buying from the sweatshop employing high street.

The Thrifty Beatnik Condition Guide

Vintage clothing is not new, it’s essential that our winners understand the condition of a garment. We depend upon on a condition system that will help you assess what you can expect when you buy vintage clothing and accessories from us. Please note that the Thrifty Beatnik Retro Range of striped t-shirts and hooded jumpers are absolutely brand new.

     · Mint: An item is as pristine as when it was originally made and shows no sign of wear.

     · 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. Any significant & minor signs of wear will be made explicit in the auction. Although condition ranks as a main buying consideration for vintage clothing, a correlation should be made for age and condition.

Don't buy something that you consider inferior just because it has a well known brand name. True vintage fans should not care about brands as it makes them as labelled as the garment. If in doubt ask The Thrifty Beatnik to specifically specify any damage or irregularities a garment may have. The essence of collecting a wardrobe is to pick up an original, different and one off vintage item  so let us help you make the right choice.

How To Empower A Thrifty Beatnik: What Size Is It?

As for size, it’s always a good idea to either A] buy a tape measure or B] buy just an half an inch or an inch bigger. Vintage clothing is, by its nature older and, as we know from the elderly geezer down the road, can’t withstand particularly heavy stretching. What’s more, don’t rely on modern sizing. Because vintage clothing is from past eras, sizes and different interpretations of sizing will vary from decade to decade and from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Our Revolutionary 'Buy-One-Pay-No-Extra-Postage-On-Further-Items' Deal

Our postage is 100% accurate. We would rather lose out on postage than misquote you on price. Just say no to sellers who profit from postage. To combat this we have a groundbreaking offer of pay the highest postage and then pay no more for additional items in the UK. International buyers get generous combined postage discounts too though.  We highly recommend adding the mere 70p UK or £3.50 World for piece of mind especially with larger items if you're not in on the morning because if mail can't fit through your letterbox, its unfortunately not the 1950's anymore, Royal Mail do not leave a note for you.

And, If For Some Reason You Are Not Happy With Your Purchase

We have a quibble free return policy but items must be sent back recorded so that we can collect them from the postal depot. No returned item means no refund as PayPal require this tracking information also. The best thing to do is to get in contact. We loathe to leave negative feedback but for some reason some buyers think this is the best why to resolve issues which, though intially cathartic, just leaves bad vibes for all concerned.

Thank you for reading our guide. It's not quite a short Chekov but neither is it a Pynchon : )

Now let the fun begin! The Creme de Menthe is on us!

-The Thrifty Beatnik x