Part 2: My Most Beloved eBay Searches

My Saved Search list is about 35+ rare + awesome things long, but these are the ones I check almost daily—they're THAT good.

In last week’s Part 1 of my deep dive into the Countless Treasures of eBay, the lovely Hey Mrs. Solomon left a comment that made me smile: “What’s the opposite of gatekeeping? Oh, it’s this. GIFT.” It made me happy because I suppose I should be more secretive about my eBay watch/saved lists…keeping all the keywords/phrases/names on deep background or scrupulously doling maybe one or two out to only my nearest and dearest. Perhaps in an attempt not to drive the prices up or to ensure I get a first crack at every little exceptional thing that comes on the market. Maybe?

Assorted glorious things I search for regularly on eBay (and often buy, ie: that green Prada bag). Including Old Céline eyewear (still have not found these shades bottom row, but I’m never giving up).

But that’s not how I roll. And CRIPES…I cannot buy everything. None of us can. And the best part is, we don’t have to. Because I think about eBay a lot the way I do about things like success, love, ABUNDANCE…there’s really enough to go around for all of us. Often more than enough. Which is why sharpening your eye AND searching for exactly the thing you pine for is so important. So you don’t accidentally buy a vintage metallic pleated skirt that really is meant for someone else (which I’m craving with a beat-up, oversized sweatshirt).

To recap, that’s the heart of what we covered in last week’s A Tiny Apt.—how I search and shop for things on eBay, the filters I use, and the extra steps I take to unlock loads of unexpected, incredibly cool treasures I wasn’t even searching for ⬇️.

Because vintage and secondhand means there is only one of that particular thing, faith and patience are critical tools in going after the rare items that were destined to end up in YOUR possession. So, even though this started out as a How To + Inside Look at my eBay Secrets, it’s doubling as a wee universal reminder that we are always in the Right Place At the Right Time. Say it with me now ❤️…and, having a color, size, price, location ALL be in line with what you’ve been longing for. Because everything needs to come together in the right way. Otherwise….it’s a No. And that’s sound advice for any shopping expedition…not just the promised land eBay.

So, before we get into it, here’s a tiny assignment to get you thinking about/zooming in your own eBay Saved Searches list as well as honing whatever it is you love and need Right Now.

1. The Names—What are your top three favorite designers, full stop? Include a Saved search for each, including vintage or a special era you favor (i.e: Prada and ‘90s Prada, Old Céline and vintage Phoebe Philo, which might include rare wears from her stint at Chloé, etc…and then Vintage Chloé will likely turn up some old Karl Lagerfeld gems…and on and on.🎶

2. The Pieces—What core “pieces” do you wear the most? For me, it’s vintage wide-leg trousers, duster coats, vintage silk mid and maxi dresses, wonderfully broken-in carpenter jeans, menswear button-down shirts like old Charvet, etc. Keep tabs on all your core wardrobe staples both to fill in any outfit holes and to also upgrade pieces you already have but maybe aren’t/or never were quite right, by adding your specific wardrobe basics to your Saved list. It’s honestly like having your own private stylist sending you ideas every few days.💰

3. The Styles—Describing our own style is never easy, especially when we’re going through big changes in our lives (which is like, ALL the damn time). But the more I search and scan, the more I seem to piece together who I am and what I love to wear or look at/spend time with in my home. So adding those terms, even if it’s just Vintage French Workwear can get you moving in some cool new directions.💡

4. The Wild Cards—Last week, I mentioned that I love to go super broad with a search occasionally, like Vintage Made In Italy (OMG, somebody get that!!…or THIS) or Vintage Canvas, just to see what surfaces. Coincidentally, this almost always yields a wild card piece, something I never would have known to search for, like this vintage charmeuse slip dress (below) with heavy rhinestone trim (on the straps, too). You wouldn’t think someone could find a million ways to wear this but I always do.🦄

   

Four of my fave ever vintage eBay finds together: Vintage Givenchy eyeglasses, a vintage wool-cashmere blend Romeo Gigli blazer over a vintage rhinestone-trimmed silk slip and a vintage hella beat-up vintage YSL t-shirt that I literally wear three times a week. Thank you, eBay❤️.

And, here’s the best thing about today’s Part 2 of ALL the reasons I love/use/extol the many virtues of eBay—because it’s also an exercise in thinking about what we LOVE. What we WANT. What we look at that literally makes us tingly in our perfect vintage white sweatshirt. Think of today’s edition as not just a tight roundup of wildly cool things to look for but also things to gain more knowledge and reverence for—like maybe a tiny history of Scandinavian textiles, a shoe brand that has indirectly inspired every GREAT new shoe alive, the fashion icon who was really an artist and created objects + accessories + jewels like enthralling museum displays.

What follows are 13 out of the 35+ or so things I keep on my Saved eBay searches list. I chose the ones that maybe create the most interesting diorama of my style, if that makes any sense at all 🙃. And also the ones that offered some intriguing micro history lessons. Above all HAVE FUN…because there really is no wrong way to do this. Every search somehow leads to something wonderful…xxCb

1. Vintage Matégot. I’m still learning about the many materials/mediums that the Hungarian-French artist/designer Mathieu Matégot was known for, but mostly, I’m drawn to his work with perforated sheet metal and how he managed to always make super practical pieces infused with a whimsical/theatrical quality, too. Case in point, these colorful nesting tables below….perfect for smaller/versatile spaces, too.

   

2. Vintage J. Peterman. I mean…it isn’t just the random pieces (!!) of exquisite fashion and basics that show up from the legendary brand created by John Peterman in 1987, but the magical “Owner’s Manuals,” the elaborate accessories, the menswear. It’s so good…and the whole business of searching for vintage J. Peterman is like a cottage industry unto itself…may it never, ever change…

   

   

3. Vintage Romeo Gigli. One of my all-time favorite designers for men’s and womenswear (and also a fixture at Studio 54)…something about the way he always merged the technical with the sensual that really appeals to me. And over time you can really see how many contemporary designers drew influence from his out-there ideas. I feel like this nylon bomber could be something I’d find at Bergdorf’s or No. 6 today.

   

4. Vintage Aldo Londi for Bitossi (and vintage 1960s Italian Pottery). There’s something about all the hand detail, color, textured finishes that make me want to build a tiny collection of these precious pieces mostly created in the ‘60s and ‘70s. I’ve also heard of people stumbling upon Londi/Bitossi signed and inspired pieces at random thrift stores…hence, I am always on the lookout and you should be, too.

   

5. Vintage Maud Frizon 🇫🇷. My most favorite pair of vintage heavy rhinestone sandals are by Maud Frizon, and on the rare occasion that I wear them, literally nearly every person that sees them asks me about them. I honestly don’t buy a lot of vintage shoes, but I obsessively track MF as well as vintage Charles Jourdan, and vintage Stephane Kélian because it is UNBELIEVABLE how much of their 40-year-old designs look refreshingly new and remind us how excellent shoes are actually made/designed for the long haul.

   

6. Vintage Gabbianelli (specifically ‘70s Italian tile). Just so I can discover more heart-stoppingly beautiful stuff like these and start thinking about the tiniest home improvement opportunity as a mini art project.

   

7. Vintage Benetton. The graphics, patterns, and colors still make me lose my mind and always crack open a new way of seeing visual geometry, color contrasts, etc. I see this typography and it’s all I ever want a modern logo to be.

   

8. Vintage Bonwit Teller and other vintage or defunct department stores like vintage Saks Fifth Avenue, vintage Barneys New York, etc.. Embark on any one of these searches and it’s like virtually going back in time to the best department store you might imagine…where everything is vintage and all these wonderful designer label pieces secretly show up (for some reason, lots of sellers will list something under the name of the department store and not necessarily the designer, so there are loads of surprises to be had, like this piece that looks like Courréges or Prada or this. Also old promo sweatshirts for department stores are pretty cool, too.

   

   

9. Vintage Anni Albers. Truth be told, much of what surfaces from this search dedicated to one of my favorite textiles/art visionaries and key members of the Bauhaus, are books and vintage advertisements. However, occasionally unusual things will surface, like this rare 1976 brochure or this wonderful lot of pre-loved books that allow me to learn a little bit more about her then I knew before I started. Also this FONT…🥹

   

   

10. Vintage IKEA (OR vintage Niels Gammelgaard). We all know how deep my ❤️ goes for vintage IKEA, specifically ‘80s-‘90s pieces, like the vintage rattan ottoman I rescued recently from a nearby trash heap. I’m also a mega fan of many of the heavy-duty collaboration pieces IKEA made with the GREAT Ilse Crawford or Danish designer Niels Gammelgaard. Many of them, like this shelving unit and the “Moment” table I thrifted below at a local Salvation Army (for $50!!), are heavy AF and not ideal for shipping—but it is wonderful to learn more about the eras and designer pieces that came out of that period, which is why I check this search often even if I’m not always making a purchase.
    

    

11. Vintage Tiffany & Co. Retired. I think I watched these hoops below for a good year before I finally FULL-ON panicked that I would miss out and never, ever find them again. I think it’s the most I ever spent on something on eBay, but I’ve never regretted it. Whenever I travel I bring them with me…and someday they will be one of the exceptionally special and rare things I can pass on to Raffi. I just love them, and in general, any Vintage Retired Tiffany & Co. pieces are a study in timeless, investment-worthy jewelry design.

    

12. Vintage Signe Persson-Melin (OR vintage folk art, vintage Swedish textile/vintage Danish textile, vintage Finnish textile tapestry wall hanging fabric remnant blanket bedspread…!!). I’m new to discovering this Swedish designer who passed away in 2022, but after seeing the building mosaic she created in Sweden, I started hunting/exploring to learn more. So far, I’m intrigued by this as a beautiful kitchen object (or gift!), this carafe, and this cork piece, which is like everyday sculpture.

    

    

    A gorgeous mosaic relief at the former Skogsindustrihuset at Karlavägen 31 in Stockholm by designers Signe Persson-Melin and Anders Liljefors. Photo by Bengt Oberger

13. Vintage Miu Miu (and Prada and Dries Van Noten, too). Before I buy a new piece that might be prohibitively expensive, I always check eBay for what’s new in the vintage or gently used category. I found the vintage plaid Miu Miu coat (below) trimmed in black lace on eBay about 10 years (or so) ago. It is likely the most worn and loved thing in my closet (I’m seriously considering buying this Prada dress/gown, too, but I’m just not sure if it will fit me:/). Since both Prada and Miu Miu are known for their high-contrast jacquards, I always look for new patterns, too.

    

    

    

    Okay, signing off, friends. I love you all so much….see you back here this Friday for two or three new summer outfits AND a new summer playlist…until soon! xxCb

---

🪩 And…all the very best/worth it things for home/closet/face you may need (or just REALLY want) are right here in our fancy lovingly-edited A Tiny Shop (+ if you love something we may earn a tiny commission). See you there:)🦄.