Sourcing cheap retro clothing from UK stores online is fun!
October 8, 2018Don’t be afraid to enjoy the shopping experience when buying cheap retro clothing at UK retail outlets online. And in the process, you may get some real deals too!
Searching for vintage clothing can be fun, but only if you try to enjoy the shopping experience along the way. Here’s how to make the best of finding cheap retro clothing from UK retailers online
Zollinger – Harned Department Store – 24 Dec MC – Allentown PA. By Unknown author Self-scanned (Morning Call Newspaper, Allentown PA) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Finding cheap retro clothing on UK stores online
When it comes to shopping for vintage clothing online, it can be a bit stressful for some people. For instance, if you have an important fancy dress party with office colleagues, it’s hard to focus on the shopping experience, when all you can think of is buying the right dress or outfit!
And while some of us stress over what to buy and from where, there are many amongst us that make shopping for cheap retro clothing at UK retailer websites a pastime! In fact, some of them even use their shopping time as great stress-relievers. So, what gives?
The secret to finding and buying cheap retro clothing from UK stores online is really simple: Rather than stressing out about the ultimate goal – which is to buy – concentrate instead on the shopping experience. At the end of it all, you’ll not only find better vintage pieces, but you’ll also end up having loads of fun. It works every time!
The art of online vintage clothing shopping
When looking for the right vintage pieces online, there is an art to making your entire shopping experience as pleasurable as possible. And a lot of the “secret sauce” isn’t really a secret. In fact, shopping experts advise us to take that approach when shopping for everything – from groceries to home décor, and everything in-between.
Before you go online to look for cheap retro clothing from UK websites, make sure you have a plan. Without a plan in place, your stress levels will increase each time you don’t find something you really like; or even when you find something you can’t really afford!
Photo of Japanese American grocery on 13th and Franklin streets, March, 1942.
The owner, an American of Japanese decent had been moved to a wartime relocation centre the day after Pearl Harbor. Dorothea Lange [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Plan your Shopping
So, in order to make your shopping experience less stressful, here’s what your vintage clothing shopping plan should look like:
- Decide in advance what vintage pieces you are looking for. Is it a dress, a skirt or a summery top that you are looking for? Or are you just shopping for add-on pieces – like belts or scarves – to go with your contemporary wardrobe?
The whole idea is to give direction to your shopping experience, so that you know exactly what to look for once you get online and start shopping. And you don’t have to be very specific either. Even if it’s one sentence “Long flowy full-length dress” – that should be enough to give your vintage clothing search direction and purpose.
MAZDA Lamps advert, The Saturday Evening Post , 1920. By Internet Archive Book Images [No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons
Narrow the Search
- The next step in the plan to look for cheap retro clothing from UK sites online, is to narrow down the vintage era from which you wish to source your items. For instance, if it’s a boho chic outfit you are in search of, you’ll have a much better and rewarding shopping experience on websites specialising in 1960s and 1970s clothing.
Without taking this second step, you are likely to wander across the vast portals of the internet, looking for cheap retro clothing at UK websites that don’t really carry the clothing you want. It’s highly unlikely, for instance, that your search for a Maxi dress will be fruitful if you look on websites selling 1980s style vintage clothing.
- Next, you need to set yourself a budget. The reason most experts advise us to do this is so we won’t buy vintage clothing that’s too expensive for our wallets, and nor will we feel too bad about spending just a bit extra if we do end up finding the perfect piece.
Cover of Issue 19 of OZ magazine in the UK, early 1969, featuring Germaine Greer and Vivian Stanshall of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. Date: 1969.
Martin Sharp, co-editor of OZ., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Budget
Without a budget to keep us “honest”, we could spend hours looking for cheap retro clothing on UK sites online, wondering if could afford one that looks good. Budgets also help us narrow down our search criteria, resulting in a much better shopping experience overall. Knowing what your spending limit is will also save you time – you won’t bother evaluating clothes that are priced significantly over your price-point.
- It’s now time to have some fun! Remember, shopping for clothes – whether contemporary or vintage clothing – is a process of trial and error. So, when you start out on your journey of vintage discovery, don’t stop after evaluating one or two sites – even if you think you’ve found what you are looking for!
Variety adds spice to life, and the same is true about searching for cheap retro clothing on UK sites from multiple retailers. When you feel you’ve got several options bookmarked, you’ll be able to make your final choice with greater sense of choice. And that choice means you end up having a much more pleasant shopping experience!
Plaid shirts. By Ewan Munro from London, UK (Too Much Plaid) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Comparing cheap retro clothing from UK retailers
The biggest mistake that online shoppers often make, is that they don’t price-shop! If you’ve followed our four tips above – especially tip#4 – you’ll have a short-list of items from multiple online vintage clothing retailers. It’s important to evaluate each of them, not just on the type of items they sell, but also on their price.
Two ways to get a better deal are, firstly check out if the prices are comparable across various online sites. Then, to have a more fruitful shopping experience, factor in the shipping and handling charges. Sometimes, even if you pay separate shipping costs when buying cheap retro clothing from multiple UK sites, you could end up paying a lot less. That’s because some sites might offer free shipping for a limited number of items, and others may offer special discounts during holidays and special events.
When you comparison-shop when making your vintage clothing purchase decisions, you’ll not only have a great shopping experience, but you might be surprised at how much you’ve saved too!
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