Shopportunistic

It all started with my new dress for the holidays. I'd been scouring the internet, searching for the perfect dress to wear to the usual parties and get-togethers. And, of course, it had to be something I liked and wanted to wear other times. So I was pretty excited when I found Angelic Pretty's Bloom Onepiece - especially at a price of roughly 18,000 yen. I got even more excited when, upon thumbing through an old Lolita Bible, that the dress in question was originally priced at 29,000 yen! I had saved quite a bundle - about a $100. I was so pleased with myself that I showed my mom - who said that a 'used dress' was a poor purchase, no matter the price, because it was used.

I'll admit it. I'm very 'shopportunistic'. This means I'm up for a deal, viciously so. This is mostly true for Lolita. Anything else, I'm pretty lax about - probably because it's not as expensive as Lolita. When a single purchase can obliterate your entire budget, you had better be careful. And I learned to be careful. Stretching a dollar is an art I enjoy practicing. I like to do it. Which is how I started buying secondhand.

In the regular world, our typical Walmart culture, secondhand is considered a Bad Thing. Why not just buy a new one? people say when you buy things secondhand. It's very much a 'new things are good' and 'old, used things are bad' mentality. And when the things you buy are discount and made in China, they are both cheap and deteriorate quickly. Why not get a new one? When people think of the word 'used' there's a lot of stigma attached to it. Used sounds like: it's stained, maybe mildewing, possibly rescued from a raggedy cardboard box at a tag sale. Or perhaps it reminds you of questionable car sales. Either way, it's not a good word. That's why car dealers have switched to 'pre-used'.

But! Before you start grimacing at the thought of blouses with tea stains, consider the truth about used Lolita items.

As soon as you buy Lolita clothes, they do decrease in value slightly. Even if they're unworn, with tags. Not because there is anything wrong with them, but because you already spent on shipping and fees and customs, so you'll never fully recoup your losses (generally). They are an investment and they do have a value for quite a while, in case you ever need to turn them into chunks of change. But generally, if you buy secondhand, you do get a small discount.

If they're from an older season, then the discount could be larger. Or, if the seller is having a hard time moving it, the drop could be higher. Small, almost imperceptible flaws lower the price too. I won't touch anything with stains, however.

So, not only has the price of the item dropped from its original, just by time and other external factors, you also have to count in shipping. Paying to get things out of Japan can be a hassle, and hard on your wallet. If it happens to be in a nearby state of country, you can save money right there. Something that comes from Poughkeepsie is a lot easier for me to stomach than the hardship it is to move things from the other side of the world. It also takes less time.

And! Even better! If you missed an item during the season, or you want something from a few seasons ago, there is a chance you can find it.

My wardrobe is about 90% brand, and it's probably 85% secondhand. I have bought skirts for $80 that retailed at $180; I have JSKs that cost the same a skirt. I buy knockoffs; I have no problem with dresses somebody else had worn and then washed. And that's how I buy my brand. The proof is in the pudding - er, closet. Or checkbook. I had fun doing a running tally of my outfit yesterday:

BABY skirt: retailed $160, bought for $100
BABY socks: bought new, $35
Angelic Pretty knockoff shoes: retailed authentics, $150, bought for $65
BABY cutsew, jacket: bought with my Anniversary set secondhand, unworn for $120 altogether (JSK, jacket, cutsew) - so on average, let's say $80 for both pieces; bought new, jacket: $220, cutsew: $60

Projected price at retail value: $625
Actual price: $280

Impressive, isn't it?

Moral: don't be afraid to buy secondhand. The numbers don't lie. Secondhand is not only cheaper, the definition of secondhand varies wildly. It could be 'I tried it on and it didn't look good/fit' to 'I wore it once' to 'I wore it for years with such care it's still in mint condition' to 'guess the stain!' And most of them are in the first three groups. I don't have a single thing that looks used. You can't tell by looking.

You can tell that it's all gorgeous, original brand.

And I got it without paying top dollar. I feel pleased to do it - it's crafty. Foxy. I beat the system - got the same item without shelling out outlandish prices. And line me up next to a girl in the same piece, bought new?

Well, who's won then?

Labels: budget-loli, discussion, shopping

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 10:56 PM