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With all the interest  at the moment with the 'retro look', I am often asked 'where can I buy vintage clothes to wear or sell on e bay?' Professional dealers are usually very reticent about where they acquire their stock but here are some of their secret sources... 

• CAR BOOT SALES (hence my highly rated guide to car boot sales which I do hope you get a chance to read and rate! Pretty please?). If you can target a 'good' area, so well and good - meaning - a wealthy retirement area may bear more fruit than a run down housing estate. If someone has a few vintage clothing items for sale, ask if they have any more at home and if so, get their number to arrange viewing. Wait for a nice day though - only the hardened old pros come out wind or shine!

• CHARITY SHOPS ( why not get a voluntary job in a small one and you might just get the chance to have a rummage before anyone else?) Sometimes you can chance on a gem, but in honesty most of the stuff to reach the shop floor is pretty s**t. Ditto with the area thing - e.g. the Hampstead Gerbil Rescue Society Shop may have better stuff than, say, their Tower Hamlets branch.

• JUMBLE SALES, but frankly I have found these a waste of time and usually on a Saturday when there are far more interesting things to do! An advantage is they are very cheap, however. Having sharp elbows is a positive advantage!

• OTHER VINTAGE CLOTHING SHOPS AND FAIRS -  Expect quality items. Can be expensive but occasionally a dealer will show pity on you if you say you are 'trade'!  Always ask for a 'best price' like you might do at a car boot sale, or suggest what you are willing to pay. The London ones in Hammersmith, Earls Court and Battersea will have you drooling and your credit card reeling. Check on the internet for dates. Parking at these is usually a nightmare, so beware! Local antique fairs sometimes provide some good finds.

• PRIVATE ADS- in shop windows or Loot (never worked for me, but  hey, no reason why it shouldn't for you!)

• FRIENDS, FRIENDS OF FRIENDS, RELATIVES AND ACQUAINTANCES - put the word out that you are interested in '2nd hand clothing'. Old dears, bless 'em, don't always know what 'vintage' clothing means but they know about 'jumble sale clothing' or 'old furs coats' so phrase it in a way they can understand. But remember pensioners watch daytime t.v. a lot and some are pretty savvy thanks to programmes like Boot Sale Challenge, Cash in the Attic, so don't think you'll be able to rip 'em off, even if you were of a mind to! Which brings me to ...

• ATTICS. Yes I know they are unpleasant, dark, dusty, cold and full of cobwebs but it may be that there are trunk loads of forgotten clothes in yours and in peoples that you know, so it's worth getting a ladder and a torch! You never know what else you might find!

• AUCTIONS - dealers get to know about specialist auctions estate sales and the like and travel all over the country for them. I have a feeling they keep their knowledge a well guarded secret so don't expect them to tell you where and when they are on. Your local auction house might be able to help you out.

• E BAY ! - look under vintage clothing (obviously),  and use key words to identify the items in the era you want to buy from. Look also under 'lots', and on the worldwide site (left hand side of the screen) to broaden the search (but check on the p and p costs which can be prohibitive.)

Be prepared to do a few needle and thread repairs. Dry clean if appropriate or launder to ensure everything you sell is in as pristine condition as possible unless this might damage the item. Examine everything well before you buy it. Get to know your eras and some popular labels. If you have a shop, sell according to season and don't pack the rails too tightly. Use padded coat hangers for display. Good lighting really helps to show clothing displays to advantage.

Vintage fashion sellers, in my experience, fall into two groups - those who are down to earth, helpful and encouraging and those who are, sadly, completely up their own a**es! (Perhaps this is because the latter are competing with each other for the best items or feel they are somehow better than everyone else because they are very knowledgeable about period clothes.) Don't be put off if you meet with nastiness along the way in your quest for vintage goodies. Not everyone in the vintage fashion world falls into the last category.

Handy tip - have some cards printed (use one of those machines you find in shopping malls if you don't want to waste time and money), with your e bay log-on name, and any other relevent details. Hand them out to anyone who you contact. It looks far more professional than scrawling your details on an empty fag packet. 

P.S. There are vintage fashion organisations you can join. Attempting to join the Vintage Fashion Guild is as hard as getting a private audience with  Bin Laden, so don't even bother! But do look on their website which is quite good.

Do have a look at my other guides - one is on how to do those glamourous movie star hairstyles like the one above, another lists very useful car boot sale tips, SO please click on my other reviews and guides link at the top of the page. I need you to vote YES for each one please.

Thanks for reading this. Please PLEASE give it a postive rating by click the yes button below if you are feeling generous! Every vote counts in promoting me up the ratings board!

from Derssing-2-Kill

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