Sunday, November 24, 2013

A UK boot seller does well with Gaborit thigh boots

UK boot seller "br0nn1e" is back with more fine modeling and successful boot sales.  She seems to have a direct line to bootmaker Jean Gaborit these days as she's been featuring a lot of his boots in her recent auctions.  I'm not sure what these would cost ordered directly from the Jean Gaborit website, but I am impressed at how well these boots sell on eBay, especially because "br0nn1e" seems to have become the best way to get these sought-after boots on eBay.

These size 39 (US 8.5/9) new-with-box black leather thigh-high boots received 32 bids and sold for an impressive $414.39.  These same boots in a size 40 (US 9.5/10) received 35 bids and sold for $323.74.  As usual, she's paired them nicely with a short, short skirt for maximum effect.





Saturday, November 23, 2013

More nice vintage leather pieces

Seller "newlookvintage" is back with some great, unusual leather pieces, most of which have sold for impressive prices.

This vintage 1970s brown leather cape / cloak sold for an impressive $255.00.  The draping on this is gorgeous and the seller indicated the leather was buttery soft and in pristine condition.  There is a lot of leather in this piece!  This would have been very tempting in classic black!  This would look stunning paired with a beret and long leather gloves.



Someone got a deal on this very nice red leather pantsuit, which surprisingly sold for only $56.00.  I especially like the high collar and belted detail, which definitely gives it a military feel.  Red leather is sexy, but hard to pull off in this volume, at least here in the States.  I can see looking chic in this walking the streets of Florence or Paris. Again, this would have been very tempting in classic black.



In contrast, she sold this gorgeous vintage 1980s red leather blazer-style jacket in a size 8 by Vakko for $122.50.  Definitely more versatile and timeless than the red leather piece above, and the leather looks buttery soft.  The cut on this is stunning and I especially like the notched, pointed collar.  This piece is very structured and would look great paired with a turtleneck, skinny jeans, and riding boots.



Speaking of structured, this vintage 1980s leather peplum jacket by Marc Laurent Paris sold for $71.25.  I really like the exaggerated collar on this piece as well as the padded shoulders and the super-tailored waist.  However, I do think this look is hard to pull off unless you are tall and super thin.  Another piece that would look great with a turtleneck, skinny jeans, and riding boots.


Dolce & Gabbana OTK boots make a rare appearance and sell really well


These stunning vintage black leather over-the-knee boots by Dolce & Gabbana received 25 bids and sold for an impressive $460!  What was interesting was that the seller started this auction at $199.99 with a Buy It Now price of $399.99, so the final price of these actually surpassed the Buy It Now price!  From what I could tell from the obscured eBay user IDs, it looks like three bidders decided they really wanted these boots and got into a bidding war which really drove up the price.

I also think it helped that 1) these boots in this style rarely appear on eBay, 2) the size was a popular size 40 (US 9.5/10), 3) the boots were new-without-box but came with D and G dustbags, and 4) the boots were nicely photographed and modeled.

It was really nice to see these boots appear on eBay again and sell well!




Monday, November 18, 2013

Dsquared2 smooth black leather gauntlet gloves make a rare appearance on eBay

Although I'd hoped these wouldn't sell and would be relisted at a lower price, these Dsquared2 black lamb leather cashmere-lined gauntlet gloves sold for $241.37.  A seller in Edinburgh, United Kingdom offered these size Medium gloves for sale.


There is another pair currently listed on eBay in a size large, but they're black suede with a smooth black leather cuff.  The seller just dropped the Buy It Now price from $190 to $145.  While it's tempting, I'd really like to have these in the all smooth black leather.


Apparently, it's hard to get a photo of these modeled in black, although the brown look very nice, too!


Sexy Italian black leather stiletto-heeled boots sell well

These sexy Rosa Italian black leather stiletto heel boots in a size 40 (US 9.5-10) sold for an impressive $170.38.  The pointy toes and pencil-thin 5" stiletto heels remind me of Dolce & Gabbana boots, inly these have zippers and a little more stitching detail.  I've never heard of the Rosa brand, but I like these boots!  Unfortunately, I think the 5" stiletto heels might be a bit too tall for me.


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Stuart Weitzman "Hilo" OTK boots - some real deals on my new favorite style!

With boot season officially here, there have been several pairs of my current favorite boots listed on eBay - the Stuart Weitzman "Hilo" OTK style.  As you'll read, prices have been all over the map, including some real deals!  I was even fortunate to snag a pair for myself at much less than original retail.  I've listed recent sales below, with prices from high to low.

This pair was a size 8.5 and "new with box."  The seller said she bought them from Nordstrom and never got a chance to wear them.  They were listed with a Buy It Now price of $700, but sold for a Best Offer.  Can't say that I've ever seen the professionally modeled photo before.  Love that classy blue Stuart Weitzman box, too!




This pair sold for a respectable $360, a little surprising considering that they were a mismatched pair of size 7.5 and 8.  Another auction where the bidding started at a low $9.99 and received 37 bids!


A smart buyer snapped up this size 9.5 gently worn pair for the Buy It Now price of $350.  The starting bid was $250.  This size seems to rarely appear on eBay.



This size 8 pair sold for $330.


This size 8.5 pair appeared in my "saved searches" e-mail from eBay and was already snapped up for the Buy It Now price of $275 by the time I viewed the listing.  Not bad considering this was the only photo and the buyer's description consisted of "Stuart Weitzman Hilo black leather thigh high OTK boots in size 8.5. Excellent condition."


Even this very small size 5.5 pair was snapped up for $250 using Buy It Now.


Another decent deal on this pair, a size 10, for $232.50.  I think it helped that the seller misidentified these boots as "Hammer" style when they are clearly "Hilo."  These look extra tall!



Someone got a decent deal on this size 7.5 pair for $206.50.  Even better if you wanted the original blue box!  The seller said she bought these at the Stuart Weitzman store on Rodeo Drive for $765.


I'm pleased to say that I snagged this size 8.5 pair for just $170!  The seller didn't identify these as "Hilo" either, which I think helped me get a better deal.  Also, they look much nicer in person than the photos.  I was really pleased with this purchase!




Quite possibly the best deal I've ever seen on a pair of "Hilo" boots, these size 6.5 boots sold for $149.99.  They appear to be in great condition and even include the original blue box!


Tuesday, November 12, 2013

North Beach Leather military-style dress in rare black sells for $600!

With bidding starting at one cent, this North Beach Leather military-style dress in classic black received 46 bids and sold for a whopping $598.88.  This is quite possibly the most I've ever seen a vintage NBL dress sell for on eBay!  Especially impressive since this dress is a size Small.

Great photography by the seller to show off the exquisite detailing and craftsmanship on this piece.

The seller knows their North Beach Leather: For your consideration from the fall 1987 collection, the Military Dress by Michael Hoban for North Beach Leather.  One of the most desired and collectable dresses in the history of the company.  Here in the most desirable black version...




Friday, November 8, 2013

I discover Poshmark.com, and some nice leather finds!

Although this site will primarily be devoted to interesting leather sales on eBay, I do have to give Poshmark a mention as I just discovered it yesterday.  Poshmark is another selling site geared exclusively mainly towards women's clothing.  They promote it as "shop the closets of women across America - and sell yours, too."  It reminds me a little of Etsy, but with more features.

It seems easier than selling on eBay, although I notice a lot of haggling going on, as in "would you take $... for this?" and it's usually a lot less than the listed price.  I'm not a fan of that, which is probably why I've never used eBay's "Best Offer" feature.  For example, this very nice Vakko black leather pencil skirt was listed for $100 (overpriced, I admit) and the seller dropped it to $25 on request.  However, it still hasn't sold!


 Also, Poshmark's fee structure is definitely simpler than eBay, although a hefty 20 percent.  It also looks like they encourage modeling, which might be a drawback for more self-conscious sellers.  However, it looks like some sellers really get into the modeling, which is a definite plus for us buyers!  You even have to post a photo to sign up...hmmm.

Fortunately, the site has a decent search function, so of course, I was curious if there were any leather deals to be found.  Also, hard-to-find items are sometimes more available on lesser-known sites.

Take this very nicely-modeled vintage black leather jumpsuit, which even in a size 2, sold for $85, down from the seller's original listing price of $300.  The jumpsuit was apparently popular as another buyer reposted the photo asking where she could get something like that.  Of course, the seller responded, eBay!!!






There were also these size 9.5 Stuart Weitzman "Hilo" OTK boots in a rare dark brown.  Someone got a real deal on these for $65!  And if this photo is any indication, there are lots of "selfies" on Poshmark!


So while eBay is still my preferred leather retailer of choice, it's nice to know there are options such as Poshmark and Etsy, especially for those harder-to-find leather items!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Classic style Wild Pair thigh-high boots fetch a nice Buy It Now price

These classic-style Wild Pair black leather thigh-high boots sold for their Buy It Now price of $139.99.  These size 8 boots feature a full-length zipper and are identical to the very first pair of Wild Pair boots I've ever owned.  I bought mine over 20 years ago and this pair is still a personal favorite in my collection!



Tiffany long black leather gloves sell well

eBay glove seller "junkonsale" sold these Tiffany long Italian black leather gloves for a deserving $127.50.  These size 7 gloves are lined in Tiffany blue silk and measure 18" long.  These designer gloves also feature a Tiffany button in each corner and come with a Tiffany dust bag.

What's interesting is that I thought Tiffany only sold jewelry.  I can see these beautiful gloves pairing very nicely with one of their diamond bracelets!