There are definite trade-offs between vintage shopping online and vintage shopping in person, especially when it comes to assessing a vintage item’s condition.

For example, when you shop for vintage clothes in person, you usually won’t receive a clear-cut written description of any flaws in the garment. While most brick-and-mortar vintage stores carefully select pieces with minimal damage, they still expect you to use your own eagle eyes to do a full-fledged inspection of any piece you plan to purchase.

Of course when you’re as picky as I am, that means always asking the sales associate if she’s aware of any damage on a piece, asking to inspect the garment in daylight to better assess any fading or staining, and going over every inch of the item with a fine-toothed comb.

It’s a completely different situation, however, when you shop for vintage clothes online. Here it’s often the pictures of items that can trip you up.

Have you ever noticed that many vintage items look waaaaaaay better in their online pictures than they do in real life?

Unless you’re diligent about carefully reading item descriptions, it’s easy to get all excited by a really great picture, place your order (or bid, if it’s an auction) and then be unpleasantly surprised when the item arrives at your doorstep. That why you absolutely MUST read every word of an item’s description to ensure you’ll be satisfied.

Fortunately, in cyberspace, it’s expected that sellers will disclose any significant flaws in their item descriptions. And while what I consider significant and what a seller considers significant can often be worlds apart, at least you can expect a synopsis of all major areas of concern.

Unfortunately, many items that look beautiful in their online pictures show flaws that will be glaringly evident in your living room. So, if it’s an option, always enlarge each provided picture and use that nifty magnifying feature if it’s available.

Here’s another great tip that’s protected me from many a bad purchase:

If an auction or merchandise picture is not well lit, take a screenshot or download the picture to your computer so you can use your photo-enhancement software to lighten the shadows. Often that stain, fading, snag or break in the lace that was almost unnoticeable in the original picture will stand out like a sore thumb in the enhanced photo—just the way it will when you hold the garment in your own hands.

Today’s VPOD is a fine example of why you need to read descriptions carefully before purchasing items online.

This Edwardian cape is a fantastic find because it’s in pristine condition—on the outside. A quick glance at the first pics and it’s easy to see that the beading, the needlework and the fringed trim are all in extraordinary shape which is very unusual for a piece of this age. You have to look at all the pictures in the listing and read the description to the very end for a clear disclosure that the lining is shredded.

Of course, when you’re buying a beauty like this to wear as a contemporary piece this shredding is not a deterrent. After all, replacing the lining is an easy fix and this piece is truly extraordinary! But you do want to expect the lining damage and not have it take you by surprise when you open your package.

That why I firmly believe that being a satisfied online vintage customer requires responsibility on the part of both the seller AND the buyer.

And when you do your part, and the seller does their part, you’ll end up as one very satisfied vintage fashionista!

Cape available at Simplicity Is Bliss.

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