This Week’s Vintage & Secondhand Finds: eBay, Poshmark, The RealReal & More
Links that will guide you to affordable treasure.
How many filled carts do you have waiting for you online? One? Ten? Twenty, forgotten in the digital abyss, quietly holding all the things we once thought we needed. It’s funny to think of everything I could own if I had unlimited funds. Did I need any of it? Do I need anything now? Not really. But a girl’s got to get her kicks somewhere, and mine come from secondhand scores.
Lately, my carts are stacked across Etsy, Poshmark, eBay, Chairish, and The RealReal. Each one of these digital stops is a treasure trove of vintage magic. I’m currently obsessed with costume jewelry that lives somewhere between Florida geriatric and 1970’s glam. I do live in Tampa Bay after all. Think layered bangles—lucite, bakelite, wood. I’m invested in silk scarves tied at the waist over linen trousers. Unexpected handbags made of beads or carved wood. All secondhand. All one-of-a-kind.
After months of curating vintage for my home, this summer I’m shifting the focus to my closet. I’m craving more color, more texture, just more. More is more is the motto, and I’m here to play. That’s the intention: to infuse joy and play into my everyday. To let fun take the lead.
So, my usual? It’s getting an unexpected upgrade. My handbag? Beaded. My necklace? Bedazzled with a golden horse charm. My top? I’m hitting you with an embroidered swan and a fringe. I mean, why not?
Scroll through the vintage finds that lit me up - they might just do the same for you. There’s so much beauty waiting out there in secondhand corners. I urge you to go take a look.
Etsy, Ebay & Poshmark
The RealReal
Now, a moment to single out The RealReal. I’ll be honest and say that I don’t love the shopping experience. The site’s UX feels clunky and uninspired, and the immense amount of stock can be overwhelming. But when I stumble across something truly rare? Oh boy, I’m hitting that heart icon like it’s my job.
Admittedly, there’s an undeniable sense of posh on The RealReal. You just know some of these gems are coming from the closets of discerning women with serious style. That kind of community? I’m all in. Recently, I’m having fun imagining myself in full color and texture, all courtesy of TRR.
(If you’re also intimidated by the site, check out How To Beat The RealReal (From A Former Employee) by Taylor Barnett at Driving Shoes.)
+ what I’m reading:
Substack articles dissecting how quiet luxury brands present themselves in a saturated world
I’m in the process of building my own boutique - a curated collection of vintage and antique pieces that you won’t find anywhere else. The intention is to create a world where individuality is woven into the everyday, where your body, your home, and your spaces reflect your unique taste.
As I prepare and set the tone (personal, unique, luxurious), I’ve become incredibly interested in how brands build their identities. These articles all come to the same conclusion: you can do the most, by saying the least.
Selling Without Showing from Why You Should Care: Certain iconic brands are communicating on a deeper level by saying less, and showing more. Building luxurious worlds are about showing the consumer what they can be, by entering their world through visual pleasures. It’s about restraint and taste. In an oversaturated market, that kind of filter feels rare, and magnetic.
The Quiet Science of Cult Brands by The Business of Luxury: Amazing piece echoing a similar point, that the allure of these quiet luxury brands is their incredible ability to filter and cancel out surrounding noise. The right person should be putting in the work to find them and their work, not to be widely accessible for any and everyone to consume. Virality is the enemy, and the antithesis of identity. The bigger the reach, the less likely you’re penetrating into a person’s deep sense of identity.
+ what I’m doing:
Going back in time! Through newspaper and catalogues subscriptions.
Do yourself a favor: subscribe to your local newspaper, then add the big ones like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal. And while you're at it, sign up for catalogues from your favorite brands that still take pride in the printed page. I just got J.Crew and Williams Sonoma, and I’m on the hunt for more. Brands that still produce beautifully designed, tactile catalogues. There’s something grounding about holding images in your hands, flipping pages instead of scrolling.
Also taking recommendations for cool, niche magazines! Anything with great visuals, thoughtful writing, or unique points of view. Open to any favorites.