searching is: using a query to capture results. you can use boolean expressions to add constraints to your search. the problem is, sellers on secondhand e-commerce websites are not consistent in their listing title, descriptions, use of hard categories, and on e-commerce platforms ran by teenagers: knowledge. in order to see as much clothes as possible, you need to maximize how many listings you capture.

you should be using multiple websites and multiple queries.

in my case, i can capture vintage by the literal categories built into ebay— but sellers can be lazy. i can observe fashion history and search by style of garment and see if the tag indicates it is indeed old. (check out vintage fashion guild!) i can type out 1990s or 90s or 1990's, or 90's, or 90年... i can type out vintage, or vtg. i can search for brands that only existed in the 90s. i can learn what a particular brand's clothing labels looked like in the 90's. i can learn about the garment via seller anecdotes in their descriptions: "I wore this bunny shirt 30 years ago!"

anne hero does not aimlessly peruse all 30 year old garments though. there are further constraints that are informed by the gaps in MY wardrobe (miniskirts! leopard print! a lowcut blouse in a new color!) or brands that I like (gaultier! hysteric glamour! save the queen!) in sizes that fit ME (US 7.5 / UK 5 / EU 38! does this brand run small or true to size? does this garment stretch?).

if you have the time, stay limber. rotate through and combine these strategies. that's how you maximize your captures.

casting wide queries with brand constraints will help you discover all sorts of spin-off brands and collections that you wouldn't have thought of researching. it's magical.

these tips are largely true for all e-commerce websites.

i recommend observing how garments are described by every-day people. if you like a particular cut of a t-shirt, find out what it's called. start being precise about what you're looking for; you'll make more meaningful purchases this way. the japanese sites require a few extra steps: merely translating an english word to japanese will never capture enough. instead, figure out how they describe (and all of the ways they might spell) something in their own language.

search by brand or search by type of garment. try WITH hard categories and WITHOUT. but NEVER rely on bullshit pinterest keywords. that stuff is made up. if you spend 30 seconds on any secondhand e-commerce site, the majority of society describes garments using basic descriptive words. you are seriously shooting yourself in the foot if you use words like "scenecore" on a regular person website like ebay. I am so convinced that any sort of "-core" labels are just markers for algorithms to try and cateogorize people in order to sell them products better. since the dawn of e-commerce, subcultures have never needed to be marketed to by "everything websites" (amazon, alibaba, shein, etc.). we had vampirefreaks. we had diy. we had the emily the strange mail order catalog.

regarding the condition of deadstock, vintage, and secondhand clothing: learn the shorthand.

deadstock means it's old, unsold inventory that was inherited by the seller somehow.. perhaps an old warehouse was exhumed nearby.

vintage means it's at least 20 years old from today. or 40, depending on which curmudgeonly old bastard you ask.

secondhand means you are not the first owner.

these three categories are not mutually exclusive OR inclusive.

you can buy a girlfriend collective sports bra from someone who wore it a few times and decided to size up— that's secondhand, but not vintage or deadstock. you can have a 1980's garfield phone, new in box from old department store inventory. that's vintage deadstock but it's not secondhand because you're the first owner. you can buy a 1950's cocktail dress with the price tag ripped off (but included) directly from the closet of the dame who was stood up that night— that's vintage secondhand deadstock, Brand New With Out Tags.

if you have gender dysphoria or any extenuating physical limitations, go head and take most of what i say with a grain of salt. be comfortable and try your best okay.

advice in no particular order—

• learn how to measure your body. knowing your measurements will help in buying clothes online..
• "dressing for your body type" is an evil myth. just have fun and be comfortable.
• take the garments in your closet that fit you the best, and measure it FLAT. use this to cross reference similar garments online.
• maybe this is just me... but perhaps you're having a bad day because you're wearing underwear you don't like.
• if you hate the way something feels on your skin, figure out what type of fabric that is and stay away from it!
• if your relationship with your boobs is strained, try a weird vintage bra. bullet bras have saved so many of my outfits..
• recognize that body types and features are constantly going in and out of style— and then stay away from anyone that subscribes to that bullshit. it's not productive.

everyone, especially poor people, deserves well-made, long-lasting garments. i was homeless for many years and if you are sincerely poor, there are resources out there. ideas: the LGBT center, clothing swaps with friends, learning how to mend, college food pantries with donated clothes, homeless shelters with donations and thrift store vouchers, the goodwill bins, family members' hand-me-downs... get creative! i've done many of these things and i have never compromised my comfort or sense of style.

after a certain point, you do not NEED to own anything in particular. you WANT things. there is an order of magnitude between the two.

access to certain clothing styles is not a right, especially at the behest of dubious overseas labor practices. there is literally nothing "alternative" about ordering black clothes from the biggest everything e-commerce websites on the planet.. you ARE the status quo!

sometimes, i want something special so i save my money, even if it takes years. sometimes, i NEED to try something on that i WANT before buying it online. sometimes, i pull up eBay in the store to compare prices in order to prevent impulsive purchases. sometimes, my online order doesn't mesh with my wardrobe like i envisioned and i have to return it to the e-commerce stream. sometimes, clothes need to be altered or repaired.

what i DON'T do is: buy an inferior placeholder product. it's a waste of money. demonias fall apart! stick with sneakers or secondhand docs while you save up for new rocks. they are seriously comfortable and well-made enough to wear daily.

i think people would benefit from working towards a dream outfit over the course of a few years. you seriously do not need to buy an entire outfit at once. even if you have a specific outfit-vision in mind, i sincerely urge you to BUY ONE GARMENT AT A TIME IN ORDER TO FIND CREATIVE WAYS TO INCORPORATE NEW THINGS INTO YOUR EXISTING WARDROBE. you don't have to "match" right away. practicing restraint will help you learn more about your sense of style and it'll prevent you from locking up sections of your wardrobe. you do not have "eras." you are not the pepsi logo. you cannot rebrand. you are a person who wears stuff and you get boba with your friends.

if you are still grappling with superficial labels for "your" "style" don't even THINK about trying to overhaul your wardrobe. if you try to become someone you aren't yet, your outfits are going to look un-lived in and that's kind of embarassing. your style is the outfit you don't have to think about when you're running late to get boba with your friend. it's not something that needs to have a name. it is natural for an outfit to have an "out"— something that is not pinterest perfect, but sentimental and well-used. the necklace you love, your mom's purse, the coat you've had for 10 years. whether or not it's a "perfect match" for your outfit that day, it makes you happy and it feels natural to wear.

but back to clothes which are agnostic to music genre—

if you find a seller with similar taste as you, hold them dear to your heart and go through their listings carefully. pay attention to any new brands you may discover. inherit their sauce.

..but don't let yourself feel jealous— it's unbecoming. there is not a finite amount of good taste in this world. figure yourself out without wishing you were someone else.

read. reviews. sellers can be lazy and uninformed, so the buyers will provide insight that you may not glean from the listing alone.

there are people who are trying to get rid of their clothes, and there are people who are trying to turn a profit from their fashion excavation. sending offers requires a bit of discretion: how eager are they to sell? is this seller providing valuable care and attention and knowledge about the clothes they are selling? beware the sellers who cannot identify the nature of an imperfection. i remember seeing a heavily mildewed suede skechers jammer being described as "water damaged.." yes mija the water DID damage it! go put it in the sun or something! damn!

for what it's worth, i love resellers because i hate the bins. the bins = the last stop before landfill for thrift stores, usually sold by the pound, unsorted. i grabbed a sneaker filled with i'll-let-you-guess-which-bodily-fluid when i was 13 and i've been back maybe 5 times since then. it overwhelms me! the only digging anne hero does is in the jungle CD bin at the record shop. i appreciate those who put the hours in to find the cool clothes for me.

when i sell my clothes, it's usually stuff that i found incompatible with my closet. anne hero will always be honest with the reasoning— "if you have above a 32DD, keep scrolling," and so on. i will always put faith in other sellers on closet-based e-commerce sites (mercari, poshmark, depop) who explain where they bought the garment, how many previous owners there were, and if there were any accidents to note.. show me the car fax.. these sellers need to earn your trust!

it has taken YEARS and YEARS for me to calibrate my own unique sense for the value of secondhand fashion labor and garments, and these prices shift around depending on a number of factors— condition, designer, age, MY budget, etc. ... it's pretty overwhelming and i'm not sure i can summarize it in a blog post. all i know is, $35 is the univerisal perfect price for an EUC (excellent used condition) 1960's mini dress. there are some things eBay will be cheapest for (almost all clothes). and there are some things it is wildly inaccurate for (famously, video games).

i saw a nice pair of boots on twitter a while back, so i researched the brand online and read reviews about the quality and fit from multiple websites. i also checked to make sure this brand is real and has a traceable history. italian-made boots, real leather, at least 50 years old. the reviews say they're the most comfortable shoes they've ever worn and they have come back for another style. perfect. find a secondhand pair on eBay for $300 cheaper than retail. read the description and other reviews to made sure the seller has a plausible story to verify it's not a dupe. check the seller's other listings to see how cohesive their style is. wait days for a seller offer. counter it. and so on.

if you're never heard of a brand before, research it. see if they have a website or wikipedia page. find their about page. does this have a year in which it was founded? can you find where the brand started their operations and where their garments are sourced? anne hero considers this mandatory for adding new brands to your query rotation. these brands need to earn your trust.

if you think buying from a japanese website (mercari JP) will guarantee authenticity, you're an incredibly irresponsible shopper. japanese sellers will use words like "parallel import" and "bought overseas" (without naming the store or city) and "if you are particular about this product, please find another listing." you NEED to read descriptions. unlike eBay and depop, yahoo auctions and mercari JP usually have pretty straightforward descriptions. if you like designer, LEARN designer. check reddit for information about genuine hardware and tags.

i don't use depop much these days, but it's great for finding clusters of similar brands. my depop algoritm is mostly the italy-spain-90s-00s-hot-girl-weird-colorful-graphics camp of clothing (custo barcelona, desigual, miss sixty, etc.)... it's usually a bit expensive, so soak up as many brand names as you can from depop and move to eBay. due to depop's finite preset brands (if you've ever had to list an item, ykwim) sellers will just choose the most similar, popular brand.

i get a particular kind of high finding a unique graphic on an unbranded bella blank, and depop usually delivers this affordably. the secret to finding these is usually just going through ALL of the listings for your queries. don't give up! eBay feels like a perpetual garage sale from entire families, but depop is like shopping through a cool person's closet. and what's more you can see people's likes on depop— you can shop with your favorite cool girl's favorite cool girl!