Buying a suit on Ebay

[BSAGuy]

I am 2 for 2 buying suits on eBay. Got two $1,000 suits for $45 each. Both were second hand (that doesn't bother me) and fit me right out of the box.

Know your size and with a handy wife, you'll be good to go.

 

[SpaceCadet1]

I am 2 for 2 buying suits on eBay. Got two $1,000 suits for $45 each. Both were second hand (that doesn't bother me) and fit me right out of the box.

Know your size and with a handy wife, you'll be good to go.

Something like that is too good to pass up. After re-assessing, I will have to get some measurements and shop.

 

[NastyPirate]

I don't understand what you are saying here. Every suit someone buys needs to be tailored. Thats going to be true of a suit brand new from a store as well.

What I am saying is that a suit twice-altered is not going to look particularly good on you. Those who have had exceptional experiences are outliers, not the norm. A new, inexpensive suit tailored to YOUR body is far better than a brand name suit that someone had tailored to THEIR body and now to yours. There is only so much that can be done the second time around. Good seamstress or not, somethings got to give.....

 

[ZJ68]

Sellers give measurements. You can get something that's already been tailored to your body.

 

[August West]

I found a terrific vintage tweed sport coat at The Salvation Army Store and had it tailored. I see suits there often, and if you have a seamstress at home you are in business.

 

[BigJ]

I suggest you go to a good bricks and mortar store to purchase your suit. Take your wife (whose opinion will prove valuable).

Because this is something you will likely use for some time it is important to do this in person IMO.

 

[gegarrenton]

What I am saying is that a suit twice-altered is not going to look particularly good on you. Those who have had exceptional experiences are outliers, not the norm. A new, inexpensive suit tailored to YOUR body is far better than a brand name suit that someone had tailored to THEIR body and now to yours. There is only so much that can be done the second time around. Good seamstress or not, somethings got to give.....

From a technical perspective, whether a suit has been altered once or not doesn't really mean anything one way or another. It depends more on the alterations done. And there's nothing saying that an eBay suit has been altered in the first place, plenty of people never have it done, and plenty of eBay suits are completely unworn anyway. As to the assertion that people having good experiences are an outlier, there is no way to state that with any firm foundation without taking mass surveys of buyer experiences.

The main thing is whether someone is comfortable with the online experience of shipping and trying on and possible returns or not. Whatever their comfort zone is should dictate.

 

[Edcculus]

Just to give an update on this, since there seem to be 2 vastly divided camps.

I did purchase a suit on Ebay. I paid $100 after the shipping charges. The suit is at the tailor, so I don't remember the brand. The listing said it was a $3000 MSRP suit, so probably more like $1000 range in retail.

I paid close attention to the measurements they gave. The one I purchased was very close to my measurements. Shoulders and arm length were actually perfect, as well as the length of the jacket. I'm having them take in the waist of the jacket a bit since I'm fairly skinny. As far as the pants, I'm having them take in the waist, take up the crotch, taper the legs more and take out the cuff. All of that is going to cost me about $60.

So we can add another one to the ebay suit buying experience. I'm sure if I looked harder, I might have found one for even cheaper. This one was the right color, and all of the measurements were the closest to mine, so thats where I went. All in all, I'm getting a nice suit for a fraction of the cost. If you are willing to put in a bit of time, I'm sure you can have the same experience.

The caveat is that I'm really going to rarely need to wear this suit. I do not need one for my job, or any job interviews in my field in the foreseeable future. I don't go to church. I'm 30, and all of my friends are getting married, so thats pretty much all I wear it to. If you wear a suit for your job, I'd probably just go the route of buying a new one.

I'm wearing the suit this weekend to a wedding, so I'll be sure to get some pictures of me in it to share.

 

[BigJ]

Glad things worked out for you!

 

[santamariasteve]

I haven't bough a suit, but I've bought new and near new blazers and other clothing at the Good Will store with surprisingly good results. Washing machines and dry cleaning cure hygienic concerns.