eBay Saved Searches and Buy It Now or "The Early Bird Truly Does Get The Worm!"

I've been a fan of eBay's "Saved Searches" for years.  You can save search criteria for your favorite items and have the items which meet that criteria e-mailed to you on a daily basis. eBay recently changed this feature to "follow" searches and sellers.  This allows you to receive e-mail alerts when new items are posted which meet your criteria.  However, it also creates a "feed" which now appears on the eBay front page if you are currently signed in which shows big photos of the items you're following.  If I'm using a shared computer or checking eBay at work, I don't necessarily want others to know what items I'm following.  At least the e-mails allowed for some privacy when it comes to saved searches.

For years now, part of my morning routine is to check my inbox for what has come through overnight.  My eBay "saved search" e-mails tend to come through around 1am-2am, so unless I'm up fairly late, I don't see them until morning. However, I've managed to snag a few good deals when these items appear with a Buy It Now option.

Regular readers of this blog will know that the Stuart Weitzman "Hilo" OTK riding boots have been some of my favorites for a few years now.  They're, without a doubt, some of the most comfortable boots I've ever tried on.  And while I would never pay the original $650 retail, several pairs sold during the holiday season for anywhere from $200 to more than $400.  However, I rarely see pairs in my size (9.5).  Since the boots haven't been made for a few years, they're still highly sought after on eBay, especially when a pair shows up in a popular size at a great price.

So when I opened my eBay "saved search" e-mails this morning, I was excited to see a pair listed with a starting bid of $50.00 and a low Buy It Now price of $250.00 (with reasonable $10.40 shipping).

I can't say that I was surprised that when I went to the auction page, they'd already been snapped up using Buy It Now.  When I looked at the size and saw it was a 9.5, my jaw dropped.  When I saw that the seller said they'd literally been worn once, I was even more disappointed.  Plus, they came in that beautiful blue Stuart Weitzman box!  The seller said she'd bought them at Saks Fifth Avenue for $588.00.

Some very lucky person caught this auction early and snapped up an amazing pair of boots, in my size, with the original box for $260.40!  To say I'm envious would be an understatement!

An assortment of recent Leather Dress sales on eBay

Over the holiday season, there were a variety of North Beach Leather dresses for sale on eBay.  As you'll see below, the military style continues to fetch the highest dollar for NBL leather dresses.

This nicely modeled classic North Beach Leather dress (size PS) sold for $125.95.  This has always been my favorite North Beach Leather dress style with the two-way zipper, high collar, and padded shoulders.

Actually, I've always preferred this dress in basic black, and someone got a real deal on this classic North Beach Leather two-way zipper dress (size M) for $81.00!

This North Beach Leather military style dress (size S) from "leatherbill" sold for a deserving $309.00.  This leather seller from Canada always features very nicely modeled leather apparel!

 

This unmodeled North Beach Leather military-style dress (size M) in royal blue sold for an impressive $242.50.  I'm a little surprised that it fetched such a good price considering it looks fairly wrinkled.  However, it does appear to be in excellent condition.  Great details on this dress!

For a totally different style, eBay leather seller "shoesandglasses" formerly "showbidness" sold this black strapless bustier dress (size M) by North Beach Leather for $127.50.  Is it just me or do the black leather opera gloves really make the outfit?!

Wild Pair black leather crotch-high boots are plentiful on eBay this season

There's been a flurry of vintage Wild Pair black leather crotch-high boots appearing on eBay throughout the holidays.  What's especially interesting is the range of prices these super-tall boots are selling for.

eBay leather seller "rocannalea" sold this size 8.5 pair, which came with the original box, for an impressive $227.50.  As usual, nice modeling and photos from this seller.  I especially like how the boots are the perfect height for wearing with a blazer, in this case a quilted leather blazer.  I've often thought it would be fun to wear these with a black leather blazer as part of a very sexy Halloween costume!

UPDATE 1/20/14: Apparently, the first sale of these boots didn't go through, as "rocannalea" listed them again and sold them for an even more impressive $415.00!

These size 9 boots, which were listed at 35" tall, sold for their starting bid of $199.99.  These appeared to be in very good condition, although with the usual disintegrating heel tips.  The interesting placement of toe taps makes me wonder if these would sound even sexier walking down the sidewalk?!

This size 8.5 pair, which came with the original box, sold for $168.09.

This size 8.5 pair in good condition sold for their Buy It Now price of $150.

Finally, this size 7 pair sold for their starting bid of $100.  Interesting, as the seller pointed out, it appears these boots were re-dyed as red boots, then re-dyed again to the original black color.  Even more interesting is the addition of zippers where the cuff opens at the back of the boot.  As the seller indicated, these modified boots probably have an interesting history to them.

Why don't more eBay sellers use YouTube in their listings?

I've often wondered why more eBay sellers don't include YouTube videos modeling their items.  I recently came across this seller featuring Tom Ford over-the-knee boots, very nicely modeled in a YouTube video.  Although I would have preferred a little more walking, I suspect the seller didn't want to put too much wear on these brand new boots, which by the way, were listed for $3,200!

A deal on a stunning black leather trench coat

Someone got a deal on a beautiful black leather trench coat for the Buy It Now price of $53.00.  Although this Maxima for Saks Fifth Avenue coat was tagged a size XS, the seller said it ran big and would fit a S or M.  The leather looks gorgeous and buttery soft.  Definitely one of the nicest leather trench coats I've seen on eBay in awhile.  This would look stunning paired with matching boots and gloves and topped off with a beret.

As for the styling, I especially like the clean lines, long lapels, and padded shoulders.   At 47", the length is perfect for wearing with tall black leather boots.  I also like the fact that it is just a wrap closure with no buttons, which allows more flexibility when cinching it with the included 65" tie belt.

If there's anything I don't like, it's the cuffed sleeves, which from past experience can be kind of bulky and tend to show more wear.

 
 As for flaws, the seller indicated that the lining was frayed at the bottom.

The seller said this coat originally retailed for $1,200!