See, I am not what you'd call a "good" shopper. I have friends who glide through stores caressing fabrics, joking with the salesgirls, admiring and setting down accessories like they're Ming Dynasty antiques, just really enjoying themselves and then leaving with unexpected items they love and wear for years. And I know people who are eagle-eyed in any type of shop: They have a goal and a budget. They get in, get out. They declare victory. I admire both of these styles so much, but it is NOT what it's like for me. Instead, I'm never sure what I want, I get clammy and dizzy, I make awkward-dorky conversation, I've been known to cry in the dressing room over a mound of ill-fitting jeans, I consistently wear the wrong underwear to sample sales and I worry constantly and irrationally that I am going to get lipstick on a $400 blouse, or worse, B.O.
Check out our denim guide to help avoid hitting the dressing room and realizing that the jeans you're dying for are one foot too long and don't pull over your knees.
Part of the reason I love shopping on eBay, Etsy, and, heck, near any space online, is to compensate for this in-store shopping handicap. Risky or not, I'd so much rather deal with the awkwardness of something not being right (including my underwear) in the privacy of my own apartment. And lately, when those kind strangers ask me for tips on amazing, out-in-the world shopping, I lean in conspiratorially and whisper, "I don't know about that, but I can help you find some incredible deals on eBay." Like Dolce Vita sandals, which I am currently buying by the armful, at deeply discounted, non-bricks-and-mortar store prices.
I'm curious, readers: What's your shopping style?
If you prefer actually setting foot in the store- check out our city guides for where to shop in your area.
More from Lucky's eBay, Etsy, et al.:
