Black wool dress, bought many years ago in what used to be my favourite Røde Kors/Red Cross charity shop in Copenhagen (must remember to revisit it when I go back in December). Here’s a link to something I wrote about the shop when I worked at the city guide AOK.dk.
I paid around DKK 50 for the dress (£6).
The shape is simple and it’s not too short or dressy, which means I can wear it both in the evening or as a casual winter day dress, paired with a cardigan. I love the brocade bit on the top as it adds that necessary bit of X-mas sparkle.
Mette Bassett 
And it’s a perfect fit! A lot of the stuff I have stockpiled needs to be taken in to fit me. I keep telling myself I should sell it on etsy or alter it. But all I do is stare at the pile and think…”one day, one day”.
I know, I used to buy stuff that didn’t fit and then I’d alter it, but somehow I can’t be bothered to do that anymore.
By the way have you used Etsy to sell clothes before? If so, can you recommend it? I seriously need to get rid of some things, but Ebay’s fees are crazy.
I loathe ebay, and wouldn’t use it if I was paid to use it. Everything about it, the graphics etc, ugh. I’ve met too many sweethearted vintage sellers who have been seriously burnt by exchanges on ebay. The whole enterprise has some sort of jinxy vibe to it. I’m not sure if etsy fees are crazy or not, but last I looked they were okay?
I’ve used etsy in the past, and it is worlds apart from ebay. A mostly honest crowd I think. Plus you have your own page and you can really go to town with the presentation of your pieces. It’s best to think in terms of what would be reasonably priced out of DK though. I’ve seen some sellers out of Denmark try and sell stuff at Danish prices, with the whole ‘double the price of England, then a 25% extra on top, and then a bit more so I make a profit’ mindset. They have big problems shifting their stuff. Selling stuff at reasonable prices appears to be the way to go, unless it’s a seriously one off or high quality pristine piece, in which case, it’s worth aiming a little higher and waiting and having the cheaper stuff as ‘bread and butter’.
You have a great eye for style, and your photographs on this blog suggest you’d be able to make a lovely page on etsy. Perhaps it’s worth trying for a couple of months and enjoying the whole set up process (setting up an etsy site can be fun), and seeing how it goes? I know some sellers have really made good money out of it, and it is a great way to circulate nice pieces and make money to buy new pieces!
thanks for your recommendations! and actually the Etsy fees are still reasonable, at least compared to Ebay. I might try it out just for fun. I’m not in it for the big money, just to clear a bit of space in my closet while making a small profit (which will probably end up in the charity shops again).
my only concern is that you’re not allowed to sell used clothing on Etsy unless it’s vintage = more than 20 years old. I wonder how strict they are as it can sometimes be hard to date the clothes.
hmm, they are not that strict, I think if you act in good faith and you believe a garment to be ‘vintage’, it’s okay. Plus I know some sellers get creative and just customize slightly less vintage stuff so it is technically home made? I think the high standard on etsy is due to keeping the riff raff of the recent years out 😉 But I’ve seen loads of things for sale on etsy that are circa 1984-87.
I first started buying ’50s, ’60s and 70s vintage for myself in the ’80s (technically in the late 70’s when I’d seek out the best 40’s and 50’s stuff from jumble sales as a kid), so it still feels weird to hear the ’80s era stuff to be described as vintage. I lost most of what was a lovely little collection during a theft quite some time ago, modest but irreplaceable pieces gone forever.
It is interesting how the term vintage has been used. Vintage doesn’t necessarily mean quality or taste does it? Plus, I distinctly remember, in the early 90’s, late ’70s clothing was termed vintage too. Etsy probably just need to say 20 years to cope with the leeway on either side.
LOL, just thought, I wonder if there is a ‘report’ button on etsy for if you suspect a seller is selling recently manufactured clothes.
I wouldn’t suggest you email etsy to ask though, as it’s a bit like the taxes, small discrepancies are forgivable, unless we draw attention to the edges.
Trendsales.dk is booming here, and there is a lot of exchange of modern stuff on that.
ahhh, so the reason why you can only sell vintage on Etsy is too keep the quality high? I thought it maybe had something to do w. legal stuff concerning brand new goods (sales tax etc).
and yes, people seem to be using the term vintage liberally. to me vintage denotes something “older” of high quality. just because something is old, doesn’t necessarily make it vintage. but that’s just my opinion 🙂
will prob. give Etsy a try at one point. when I lived in Denmark I used Trendsales quite a bit for buying and selling (no fees if you don’t pay via their site, woohoo) but as you said, it’s best for the modern stuff.