Since its launch in 1995, Ebay single-handedly revolutionised the way we shop - whether buying or selling, the world's wares were suddenly opened up to us.
No matter where you lived, you were now able to purchase anything and everything, from a fabulous IKAT print from Kazakhstan, to a new addition to your vintage Chanel purse collection, to finding another pair of those fab few-seasons-old sunnies you lost... all purchased from the comfort of your lounge room.
Ebay has enabled us to participate in the world's largest marketplace, a fabulous bazaar of goods and tresures, and a domain of happiness for the discerning Shopista.
Fashion website Refinery29.com recently profiled an entrepreneurial Ebay-er, Linda Lightman, who started her Ebay career selling her kid's video games for $20, and is now projected to earn $12 million revenue this year with her fashion consignment business, Linda's Stuff.
The secret? For one, obviously a lot of hard work. But another is seeing the potential in pre-loved fashion goods and making the Ebay marketplace work for you.

All Shopistas are guilting of a bit of hoarding. Whether it be for sentimental value, or the fact we spent a fortune on a fashion item, don't wear it, but can't bring ourselves to throw it away - to 'goal' garments that either never fit or are unlikely to fit again.
We often keep hundreds if not thousands of dollars worth of clothing and accessories that could easily help us fund a fab new purchase that would certainly see the light of day a lot more than the stash of redundant clothing we keep hidden away.
Think of these pieces as shares waiting to be cashed in, and unlike most shares you sit on for a decade or two, the sooner you shift your clothing collateral, the sooner the money will come in and you can re-invest, perhaps in that quilted Chanel Caviar tote you've had your eye on (Sleuth's secret obsession revealed!)

Ebay is also not just for the second-hand, with new fashion & products abundantly available, and most often selling for much less than the RRP you'll find in stores. The powers that be over at Ebay have also cottoned on to the immense power the website has on the fashion industry, and to compete with the many sales sites that have popped up in the last few years, who sell off designer ranges at well below original asking price, Ebay have created FASHION VAULT, an online service which provides labels such as Betsey Johnson, Karen Millen and Max Azria to name a few!
Fashion Vault has even had exclusive lines designed for it by the likes of Derek Lam, and are in such high demand they have been known to sell out lines within minutes of launching.

Unfortunately for those not living in the continental US, there are still a few shipping restrictions found online. While most of the big US carriers now ship internationally, Fashion Vault for one does not, leaving Shopistas wondering what they're to do if they fall in love with a piece online that doesn't ship to their shores?

The answer is easy - utilise one of the amazing new international shipping services that have launched to bridge this exact gap. Hopshopgo.com and myus.com are two of the biggest so far, with hopshopgo being the brainchild of the Paypal crew, who saw there were obviously over 200 countries vying to purchase from the US without having to pay for a plane ticket.
Now it's easy - you simply create a hopshopgo account and they'll give you a US shipping address to use on sites that don't offer shipping to your front door.
What's even better is the fact that they will consolidate your purchases for you, so if you find yourself in the midst of an international shopping spree - your parcels will be re-packed as one (or more if neccessary!) saving you on shipping costs (and saving the environment at the same time!)

So make sure you sign up to Fashion Vault and a shipping carrier to get fab designer gear at a fraction of the normal price, and check out some of Sleuth's picks from the current Fashion Vault online offering!

p.s. if you happen to fall in love with any of the below, be quick as they have a limited sale time!

Happy Shopping! x