"I'm certainly the last person to give advice on, well, anything." -- George Clooney
Shopping on eBay is probably the quickest and cheapest way to get an extremely high quality suit (or suits) at low low prices. Here are a number of tricks and pitfalls to keep in mind:
Factory Sizes: Don't make any assumptions about sizes, since most suits are altered at some point, and each company makes different sizes. Read the actual measurements closely and compare them with your own.
Personal Measurements: You already know your measurements, right? Chest. Shoulders. Arm. Waist. Legs. Have you measured the distance from the base of your neck to the floor? Cut that distance in half and you'll approximately know the length of the jacket you should look for. Measure the distance from your waist to the floor and that's the total length of pants, or outseam. Not all sellers give this measurement, but since the inseam (distance from the crotch to the floor) varies significantly based on the length of the rise (the distance from the waist to the crotch), the outseam measurement is actually more useful. Ask the seller for any additional measurements you need.
Listed Sizes: Many suits on eBay are listed with the incorrect size. Look closely at the chest measurement. The actual chest measurements should be about 2-4 inches bigger than the size, so a size 40 jacket should actually have a 42-44 inch chest. If the suit is being listed as a 42, but the chest measures 42 inches (this is a common error) then it will be too small for you.
Rounding Up a Size: You've probably noticed that odd numbered sizes are much less common than even numbered sizes. If you are a size 39, you can eventually find jackets in that size, but you will increase your choices by rounding up to size 40 and having a tailor take in the jacket a bit, if necessary.
Tailoring: A common bit of advice on eBay guides is to buy a suit that is near your size and have it altered to fit perfectly. This is only partly good advice. Tailoring can get expensive very quickly, and will easily end up costing more than the suit. Watch out for this. The best thing to do is to wait until a suit comes up that will need no (or very few alterations). If it doesn't fit perfectly, a tailor can be your plan B. But you shouldn't buy a suit knowing that it won't fit well unless you are handy with a needle and thread or you don't mind shelling money out to your tailor. Wait for the right suit. It will come along.
Counterfeits: Watch out for counterfeits. This is really only a problem if you are shopping for very fashionable brands like Armani, Dolce & Gabbanna or Gucci, which you probably shouldn't be doing anyhow. But if you really want an Armani, than keep this issue in mind. The labels have changed over the years, so some labels that might look fake are actually real. There are eBay guides on eBay that could prove helpful. Links for these guides will appear when you type words like "mens armaini suit" into the search bar.
In general the things to know are: Armanis practically never have pocket flaps, nor do the buttons have any printing on them. The fabric will always be all natural, as will the lining. The lining will not have any printing, logos or patterns. The tag will be over the inside right pocket and sewn by machine with an even zigzag stitch. The tag should be black and read "Giorgio Armani" or be white and read "Armani Collezioni" or "Armani Collezioni by Giorgio Armani." The eagle logo is never used in conjunction with any of the above labels (but is used in some of the lower end suits such as Emporio Armani). So, in conclusion, when you see the photos for an Armani suit, with pocket flaps, and buttons with Armani printed on them, and a black label with an eagle between the words Giorgio and Armani, and eagles all over the lining; you have just stumbled on a textbook counterfeit. These suits generally come with a garment bag adorned with the eagle logo (of course they do).
Some fakes are slightly better, and might even have real Armani tags glued or handstitched in place. Look for the genuine zigzag machine stitches (go to an upscale shop and look at the labels in the real ones). Avoid purchasing from countries well known for counterfeit production; Mexico and China to name only two. And watch out for inflated prices. A hundred dollars or less could get you into an Armani Collezioni suit in great condition. But, remember, there are even better choices available to you.
Search Tools: Use the ebay search tools to help you. Search for "mens suits" which will take you to the men's clothing options. Then, under "refine your search" select, "men's clothing" then "mens suits" and then "choose more." Next, you can select every preference from size to brand. Allow some flex with the inseam as these can usually be easily altered. Read the description to find out if extra material is available to let out in the waist and cuffs.
Bidding: Generally, it's considered best to wait until the last minute or two of an auction and enter the highest bid you'd be happy to pay. Avoid a bidding war. Enter a fair price and leave it. Usually, you'll get if for significantly less than your high bid, or you won't get it at all. Either way, you're still doing fine. Something else always comes along.
Labels: If the photos don't show the label, you should probably not bid on the item. Too much hassle can come of that, and most reputable sellers photograph the labels. Once or twice, I've seen nice suits that seemed very genuine but the labels weren't shown. In those cases, message the seller for some assurance of what the tags looked like (of course, these were brands that are never counterfeited). Some amateur sellers don't even think to show the tags, even though their suits are entirely legitimate. Be cautious, but you can also get very good deals this way.
New With Tags: Try to avoid suits that are listed as New With Original Tags. These are often counterfeits, or low quality suits, and always more expensive than a nice used suit would cost.
Have fun: Be patient and good luck.
No comments:
Post a Comment