Like gifts from Santa!

Lately I've been doing some serious shopping on eBay, and I'm officially hooked.

The flirtation started off innocently enough. A couple of years ago, I just happened to be browsing (typical work avoidance technique which I have mastered) and I caught sight of a pair of Camper "twins" shoes. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I threw in a bid and, to my surprise, I won them. A snazzy pair of "Cat/Dog" shoes were waiting in New Jersey, anxious to be delivered to me. I set up a PayPal account, paid for my shoes, and waited.

When they arrived, the shipper had marked them as a "gift", so I didn't even have to pay duty. Happy day!

I went a little eBay happy after that, but I wasn't really savvy. I bought a great pair of Kenneth Cole boots only to discover that UPS charges insane Duty/Customs fees. Lesson learned.

I found lots of sellers of Benefit Cosmetics, and ordered lots of cheap makeup. Who doesn't like cheap makeup?

Later, I felt the true sting of Duty when I bought a pair of UGG knockoffs... Another lesson, don't purchase expensive items. The government is a dirty pimp.

The bloom was off the eBay rose for me. At the time, the exchange rate coupled with the dirty, dirty, moneygrubbing duty fees made me hesitant to trust online auctions again.

Until I lost some weight.

In a frenzy of enthusiasm, I donated all my "fat clothes" to the Salvation Army. Somewhere there is a chubby poor person sporting a lot of Gap. This closet purge left me with the same distress that being fat did - "I have nothing to wear". Used to be "nothing looks good" (aka: nothing fits).

Now even my skinny clothes are starting to fall off me. I have nothing to wear. Nothing looks good. (aka: nothing fits)

If I'd been planning this properly, I'd have waited until I was rich to lose weight. Or set aside a certain amount of money every month to buy new clothes. But I didn't. I guess I thought I'd lose weight, but still stay the same size. I'm retarded.

I had already decided that when I achieved my goal, I would buy myself a ridiculously expensive pair of jeans - Seven for all Mankind. Then I saw the price tag and hiccuped. See, the thing is, I have no trouble spending "theoretical money", but when it comes to actually forking over $200 or more. Well, that's harder.

And so I turned back to my old friend/foe, eBay. But this time I was smarter. I didn't want to be shelling out for a pair of knockoffs, so I scoured the listings until I found a pair in my size from a reputable seller whose goods were authentic.
And when she shipped them, she sent me an email that she had sent them as a "gift", in the hopes that I wouldn't get stung by the duty fees.

I was back.

After that, I searched for, and found a t-shirt for the ex-boyfriend to replace the one that was stolen from a commercial shoot set... my way of saying "thanks" for driving me to Buffalo. Seller marked the value as "$5.00". Duty-free. Sweet!

I found a favourite seller, and I got hooked. Now I'm cruising the listings daily, and have been purchasing my new wardrobe in chunks. I've got designer/brand name shirts and sweaters that cost anywhere between $1.75 - $20 (for a Ben Sherman shirt that I really wanted). Most items land at about $4.00 to $6.00. Anything above that and it stops being a thrilling bargain, and turns into a "pretty good" deal. And sorry, bub, but "pretty good" ain't near good enough!

And frankly, it really is like Christmas when the package arrives. The money has already been spent and forgotten, so there is nothing left but the joy of opening the package to reveal the shiny new clothes. My most recent shipment was sent out yesterday, I should have it in a couple of weeks. By then, I'll have forgotten exactly what's in the package, and will be giddy with surprise. If a single gal can't surprise herself with pretty new things, then what's the point?

It may not be a perfect relationship, but for now eBay and I are happy together. Occasionally a piece will get away from me because I'm not home to monitor the end of an auction. But that's probably a good thing. If I turn into a person who doesn't want to leave the house, and shops online instead of going out with friends, that's only a short bus ride to being the lady with a hundred cats and a house full of bundled newspapers.

Unless it's for a really, really great piece. Then it's probably worth it.