I love vintage costume jewelry. These pieces can be scored at price points similar to F21 and H&M;, but are much more unique and have more character. Also, buying pre-owned means you don’t have to wonder about the quality and whether or not the jewelry will oxidize, turn green, or fall apart after a few wears. I realize not everyone has a fun Savers thrift store nearby (where I found much of my loot), but eBay can be just as fruitful. Here is my shopping /browsing method (tips are at the end of this post):
1. Go on eBay and type in your search. Here I used “gold chain necklace,” but the options are endless. Other things on my wish list include “collar necklace,” “locket,” “cuff bracelet,” “stone ring,” “pierced earrings” (tons of clip options too), etc.
46,786 results? No thank you, not tonight…
2. Next, I select the category “Vintage & Antique Jewelry.” Unfortunately, this may filter out a lot of nice vintage pieces that were just not categorized under here. I accept this in exchange for having to weed through 40,000 less listings. And unless I am searching with specific keywords like brand names, I keep the “include description” box unchecked so eBay only searches listing titles. Otherwise, you may get numerous irrelevant results.
3. If you’re under a budget, put in a max price (you may have to scroll down to find this field), then hit enter. Now I’m left with 542 listings. At this point, patient scrolling is key. Add potential items to your “watchlist,” and check back in a day or two to see if you’re still in love with it.
Some more online jewelry-shopping tips:
– Be sure to wash pre-owned purchases thoroughly. I clean thrifted jewelry with rubbing alcohol from CVS.
That is so cute, I would of never thought of that. I am definitely making me one or maybe a few! Lol
Love your collection. Thanks for the tips!
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Thanks for this post. I really learned a lot since I'm not familiar with eBay. It really helped boost my confidence level buying jewellery online. Thank you again for your tips.
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Really great tips for finding jewelry on Ebay.
A must read article for every one who wants to shop jewelry in ebay. Great Stuff!!! Very informative tips.
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Just found your blog via Pinterest! Great find! I, too, like the look of vintage as well as the "green" aspect, but it's also good to keep in mind that some older and/or inexpensively-made pieces have lead in them unfortunately. 🙁
Now a day easy way to purchase online jewelery. So we can given order vintage costume jewelery in site like as eBay. We can many product jewelery image available in site. So we can easily purchase this collection and less time taken in manually shopping.
Great tips yeah. Can you recommend an alternative to rubbing alcohol for cleaning jewellery?
Thanks:)
Thanks so much for this! I've always been a little wary buying pre-owned jewelry because of the somewhat "creepy" history of wearing someone else's valuables but I'll definitely give it a shot again. There's just so many unique pieces out there waiting to be worn!
I love your thoughtful and useful posts as well as the links to current sale items. You are one of the best bloggers out there!
Love vintage jewelry. Always nervous about purchasing from eBay, but will definitely look into it now 🙂
thank you for this article jean – the step by step guide is super helpful. as an regular eBay lover – i have been looking for the perfect sleek gold chains for months … but all my searches end up with ghetto jewelry. this is very very very helpful. will let you know if i find that perfect piece =)
Jean, can I pay you to hunt down these beautiful pieces for me LOL =) Shopping for jewelry on eBay is so overwhelming. Thank you so much for the tips, I'll definitely give it a try.
Thanks for sharing these tips! It really helps an ebay newbie! 🙂
And here I thought my eBay rampage was over. Going back again to check for some new pieces!
Thank you for this! I love vintage jewelry that I see on other bloggers, but have never been sure how you all go about buying quality pieces. I'm definitely going to keep this in mind when hunting for my own. 🙂
Thank You for sharing!!! I too am an Ebay advocate! I am always telling people that Ebay is amazing! Please stop by and read what I have to say about ebay too 🙂
http://www.mythriftychic.com/2011/11/fear-no-ebay.html
Wow love these tips!! I have to start looking around ebay!
fashionqueen294.blogspot.com
This is one of the reasons I loveeee ebay. No need to waste gas & time walking through thrift stores. I absolutely love finding unique vintage jewelry pieces! I have a gold Monet one that I ALWAYS wear! So fun 😀
great tips. thanks for sharing! 🙂
Love these tips! I have never purchased from ebay, but will be referring back to this post if I ever do! 🙂
I would also like to add that antique stores are phenomenal places to find vintage jewelry. One of the local antique stores I frequent always has a large table of random costume jewelry for $1. Its so fun to dig through the piles and I've found so many treasures there!
I've always loved your jewlery – Ebay is something I've usually stayed away from for some reason but I'll try it again.
Not to self-promote my blog, but I think it's a pretty relevant post and I'd like to share it with you! I wrote a tutorial blog on cleaning silver jewelry that has been oxidized using baking soda, water, and aluminum foil. It's actually really fun to do and watch as the science behind the cleaning works to remove the oxidation before your eyes. Seriously!
I'll post the direct link here so it's easier to find: http://1to24.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/bling-bling/
shannon
I like how organized your posts are! Etsy is another good source for vintage finds – and very easy to get sucked into for hours and hours… My favorite pieces come from my late Grandma; she was a single mom who raised three kids, but would treat herself once a year to a special pair of earrings or a necklace. I love wearing her black oval drop earrings with diamond flecks because she was an amazing lady with fabulous taste! When you buy lovely vintage pieces, you're also gaining the story of the woman who wore this jewelry before you 🙂
Ooh great tips! Thanks much!:)
Oh no…I am going to be doing this for hours at work, I love the chain link pieces you found.
Nice tips. eBay is definitely a different arena.
http://www.thegirlieblog.com
Wow, what a great post. I know what I'll spend the rest of my night doing…
Sarah
Great tips esp. on the cleaning! When looking for vintage pieces on eBay, I find it's also helpful to know the era of the type of style you're interested in. I've scored some great inexpensive pieces at my local Salvation Army store 🙂
Thank you so much! this post is extremely helpful. I love buying costume jewelry on eBay.