/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

>>8494179
>So why sell them for so little?
They probably don't care. They probably could afford to buy new stuff without reselling period, but this is some nice side cash. These are usually the people that don't buy with the intent to resell, so when they do resell, it's a garage sale. I don't usually see it happen with J-Fashion, but it's really common in mainstream fashion. That's why sites like Poshmark exist.

IW chiffon JSK for 2500 yen, and recently a VM skirt and bustier for 2600. Also got an old BTSSB pink pleated skirt for $4.

>>8494179
My best bargain thus far has been a $50 AATP skirt. It sells regularly on LM for ~$150.

$30 men's sized Moitie wide leg pants on eBay. 30 fucking dollars.

>>8494179
I've sold things very cheap before, mostly because I wanted very quick sales to make space in my closet. It worked both times I've done it and I ended up making a nice amount money anyway.

>>8494179
It costs them time and money to keep stuff up on auction longer. Sure, they could make a profit, but the time they spend researching markets (including foreign ones) and how to maximize profit eats into their time, and time is money.

Also, international shipping and customs are expensive. If you ship abroad, no amount of insurance may cover proper tracking or require a signature upon receipt. What are you going to do if after you send out an item your sold, the buyer claims to PayPal that the package had never arrived to them? Then you're both out of the item as well as the cash for it. Thus most of these auction postings state that all foreign inquiries will be ignored. Thus they price according to the Japanese market.

Also, what is scarce in one country may not be as scarce in another.

The best deals I've found:

Lacemarket:
$20 Meta lucky pack blouse
$40 Meta sailor OP (stained, but I was able to remove them)

Convention Swap Meet:
$60 Baby tartan jsk and headbow

I don't browse the Japanese auctions very much at all and I could probably find good bargains. It just gives me headaches going through pages upon pages trying to find things. Eventually I'll get to this.

>>8494179
You may have gotten replicas, OP. There are very convincing fakes of both Melty Cream Donut and Misty Sky out there and there was a Taobao shop selling AP tags for a while.

On the subject of good deals, I love buying secondhand from Japan because they tend to be much more willing to discount a piece for very minor condition issues (like wrinkles or stains that come out with a tide pen). The biggest majority of my wardrobe is composed of things I got for a steal, overall I've probably paid about 1/4th of the retail value of my wardrobe.

Velvet BTSSB OP originally almost $400 for $60. Wonderful condition too. Some Boz pieces in a lot of 'goth' clothes that worked out to about $15 each piece.

Mostly my 'luck' runs more to finding older pieces in near new condition than finding things for super cheap prices though, which suits me fine. I still have a few older pieces on my list and I need them to be in good shape.

A slightly stained IW jsk for 3000 yen, the stain came out with a stain stick so worth the price.

A Baby velvet jsk for 5000 yen, later found it sold on LM for about $150 so I got a really good deal there.

A VM OP for 6000 yen.

My best deals:
AP's Cotton candy sallopette (with bow and socks) for ¥5750
AP's Dramatic Rose skirt for ¥2100
Meta's Happy Bell for ¥5000
Meta's Swan Embroidered JSK (NWT) for ¥2600

I think I make out okay

Meta LP JSK+barette+bag+random kidsyoyo hairbow for $30

Moderately fancy Baby JSK for $68

>>8494179
Once I got an Iron Gate skirt for free. It was a total steal

best deals:
group lot of a handmade capelet and skirt and a not-well-known Japanese brand (sells for around 30000 yen a dress though) jsk for 26 usd.


>>8494259
topkek

I got a ETC Foret Gobelin for ¥8,820 off CC.
Original price was ¥58,800 and I always see it being sold for about ¥30,000.

>>8494235
Anon teach me your ways. I'll be your humble disciple.

>>8494259

So, anons, I'm assuming most of this is off of Y!J or CC. What's a good guide for using Y!J? I've never even attempted to try it.

a black AP jewel ribbon boston bag for $12
mmm's divine cross jsk for $250 (usually see it selling for higher)
meta night carnival jsk for $150
lapin agil capelet for $80

>>8494340
I'm super jealous, I've been searching and searching.

I stole a bunch of brand from my then best friend. When she noticed all the stuff missing I helped her "look" for it and we ended up blaming another chick from our comm.

I don't regret it. :)

>>8494359
A lot of it is manually searching through brand names. I personally use this for search terms
http://frozen-yjapan.livejournal.com/567.html

My favourite SS is FJ, they have an in depth guide on their site about how to use it.

I found pic related for about 80 USD at Ikebukuro closet child it still had tags, even. My mbok and Y!JA finds include the AP cosmic blouse for $60, an AP chiffon blouse for $40 and an Aatp blouse for $30. On some western secondhand site I got the AP cosmic bag in sax brand new for $60. Not too much of a steal, but a while back when it was still hyped I managed to grab AP gloria in wine for a little less than retail, Dream Sky JSK in navy for 25,000 yen, and Vampire Requiem short JSK in lavender for 21,000 yen.

Got the Edward Skull Skirt/Highlander Skirt for either 4200 or 4500yen. The seller didn't know what it was, typed the brand wrong in auction (I check typo tags), and hag it sideways on the dress form in photos.

Arrived in perfect condition. Had been considering paying up to $200 for that particular colourway, so it was a serious deal.

>>8494225
That's exactly what I was going to say. I'm fairly certain OP got ahold of fakes. She's basically describing a scam shop.

Under 30,000 yen shipped for a dress that sells for $800..

Got this brand new from Btssb's sale for $80 I know it's not hat good a deal compared to some but considering on my country I couldn't get a normalfag dress for less than that I'm pretty proud of it.

>>8494403
You sound like a sad person

>>8494417
I mean, what about IDs, and buying things off of it? (Real new to Y!J)

>AATP Night Fairy Fantasia for under $150 after being release by 1 month or two
>AATP Versaille collab $90
> JetJ 2014 OP regular price ¥35,700 got it for $150
> Two BTSSB JSK for $60

Japanese Auction are the best place to get deal. I never buy from Lace Market and that crap.

Cheapest I've ever gotten anything was about $90 for Royal Poodle set in pinkxgold.

Bought a lot of 4 plaid jsks(1 ap, the others were btssb/aatp) for $180.
Sold two that I didn't like for $180.
Still have one I want to sell but it's more of a fall/winter item because it has some faux fur detailing. But hey can't complain about technically having free dresses now.

>>8494479
This anon knows what's up!

>>8494470
FromJapan is a shopping service, you'd have to use them or another shopping service (japonica, buyee etc) to purchase from Y!J.

http://www.fromjapan.co.jp/title/service

>>8494520
Sorry, I wasn't aware of what "FJ" was-- I've never used a JP SS, only ones for TB, so I only know of those. But, thanks.

>>8494529
I find From Japan to be the most user friendly, it's pretty similar to most TB SS's with a shopping cart system. If you use the search term guide and you're prepared to trawl through a lot of pages you should get some good finds.

>>8494535
Thank you, anon! The sniper bid auction seems especially useful.

>>8494550
Yeah it is! There's also a watch list feature so you can keep track of multiple items. I like that they offer 30 days of storage too so I slowly build up a bulk order to offset the shipping cost.

I recently got this Fantastic Dolly OP for 5000 yen. Reason it was cheap was because it was stained, but the stains weren't unfixable, so.

Got this BNWT for 13K yen. Couldn't believe no one else bid on it for that price.

>>8494434
>>8494225
I'm pretty confident that they weren't- especially the MD one since I can always tell the difference by the bust area. Besides, I got a ton of other things that don't have existing replicas so I can't be too mad.

>>8494661
IIRC some store sold Melty Cream Doughnut replicas that were virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Are the tags still intact and do they have serial numbers and everything?

The best deal for me was when my friend sold me her Honey Picnic full shirring jsk in mint for $200 ,never worn at all or tried on and even dried cleaned it at a local shop and let me pick it up locally and gave me some sweets included! I would of loved to of gotten the headbow as well but it was my dream dress and the price was worth it for it being brand new and clean with a nice lavender scent.

>>8494259
Good one

I don't think anyone's deal probably beats that girl on LM nabbing Fragrant Rose Memories JSK and bonnet for $200.

>>8494179
I think the best deal I ever got is a tie between
>Meta old school jsk with capelet for 3000 yen
or
>Angelic pretty blouse, Shirley Temple skirt, Bodyline blouse, and Liz Lisa Mini skirt altogether for 500 yen
God Bless Mbok

>>8494661
That's how they get you though. They sell some authentic items that are very easy to get a hold of (like pieces from Milk, Liz Lisa, non-print brand items, etc)...and then the great deals will be fakes.

>>8494668
This. The specific MCD replica we're talking about was extremely difficult to tell, there were no variances or cut corners in construction, not even in the bodice.

I got pic related for $30 shipped. It had a couple of small stains, but they came right out with just a rinse because they were only dust. eBay sometimes is incredible for deals, but it's only every now and then.

>Why do some girls sell their stuff for so cheap?

I bought a IW op for fairly cheap ($50) and sold it for around the same price because it was too big for me despite that my measurements were supposedly smack dab in the middle of the bust and waist measurement range given by IW.
It was also an unpopular piece (non-print, unshirred, strange shade of brown) so I'm glad it sold at all.

AP's Rose Princess Doll OP in pink for $52
BTSSB's Rococo Floria JSK in ivory for $36
BTSSB's La Traviata JSK II in ivory for $80, as pictured (I preferred JSK I in mint, but this was so cheap I figured I could trade or sell it if I didn't like it. now I love this cut + colorway)

Good deals excite me. The cost of using an SS and shipping from Japan-not so much, but lolitas in the US try to make back very close to what they spent or get more.

>>8494743
Different anon and slightly off topic, but I'm working on a project making a list of all replicas and details on spotting them. Do you happen to have any links or more information about some of these replicas?

>>8495444
that would be such a stupid idea, you know replica manufacturers trawl these sites looking for tips on how to upgrade their fakes?
that would basically be a manual for them on how to replicate brand better

I bought two h.Naoto OPs for ¥2500 each. Both are super casual, low-poof pieces that are nice for doing errands in.
>one step closer to lifestyle status

Definitely the best deal I've gotten was AP's Pastel a la Mode skirt and headdress for $30. It was in great condition too. I also picked up BtSSB's hem scalloped JSK for $25 once.

>>8494495
My tricks:
> you need to constantly be on the lookout especially with odd word search choices
> I almost exclusively use search terms to find items and rely less on brands or categories
> Have a limit and don't go over
> Stop looking for new releases. Older items are cheaper
> Keep a list of low price sellers in your bookmarks

Replicunts and Bodyline whiners need to get in here are read these. You can find very bad nice things if you follow 2 rules.

Trawl the sales (patiently)
Don't be a whale

This should be in Lolita 101.

Infanta snow white for 30$ , new

>>8495469
These are great tips, thank you.
How did you narrow down which search terms to use? Any tips on shipping costs?

watched a video of that cathycat chick where she got brand Angelic Pretty print jsks from Closet Child for like 30 bucks, I'm crying, I'm so jealous and mad, my friend is going to Japan soon and Imma beg her to get shit for me, because Japanese chicks just throw away their brand like it's nothing

>>8494440
The florals and plain dresses on the sales ARE good deals, for sure. This is what we keep trying to tell the Bodyline-chans paying a similar price for shitty unicorn vomit, not that they listen.

>>8495488
Just watch closet child and act fast. If you know what you want and have the cash ready, you can grab deals from there all the time, it's not rocket science.

Got two AP cutsews for $10 once, which is the cheapest I've ever gotten brand. But if we're counting best bargain on an item, I got a French Cafe JSK set (including socks and headbow) for $160 because there were a few minor stains on the JSK, which came out after a good soak in Oxyclean.

I've gotten some great deals, almost all of my clothes I have gotten at great prices.
>two AP dresses, one with a print for ¥5000 and a plain one for ¥3000 on mbok
>one a really simple nice design that probably just went cheap because it was plain
>one with print had a terrible stock photo but came in amazing condition, there was the exact same dress up with a nicer picture that sold for ¥10000 more at the time
>A liz lisa unopened fukubukuro for ¥4900 and a set of liz lisa three skirt shorts for ¥1500 on mbok

Of course that was all before shipping and service fees.

Then in Japan earlier this year
>two ap cutsews for ¥1500 and ¥2000
>two ap skirts from 2008 (probably my favourite year for ap releases) for ¥3000 each
>this cute milk clutch thing for ¥150
Also got meta's tales of the forest op in white new with tags for ¥9000 in cc harajuku too.

Got big baby bag for 3e + shipping. Also got babys boots for free.

AP fantasy theater gilet JSK NWOT in ivory for 130$

I keep seeing a few IW pieces on Mbok and Y!J for around 5,000 yen, but scared to buy in case its a replica, scam etc?

How do you guys know if its the real deal?

I got a MAM OP for £15, although it was about £30 for shipping on top of that

>>8494179
IW embroidered JSK for 2900 yen. I was so proud.

>>8495546
They're most likely not. IW drops a lot in value, especially if it's older or non-print.

This was one of my best bargains, $81 Phillip Lim dress which originally retailed for $650

But my best bargains were a Body Amr dress that was originally UK950 (sorry my keyboard is fucked up) for 90euro and a 1500euro Louise Kennedy skirt for 90euro, both were at the Dublin Billion Dollar Babes event on separate occasions (BDB everything was either unsold last season or older or sample sales)

>>8496316
Those are good deals for sure but the one thing I love about lolita over designer stuff is that last season or even older is just as great this season, sometimes better where some fashionistas in regular fashion look down on last season or older things until they become vintage or rare.

I have enormous tits, and once got a sweet deal on a Meta jsk that fit me like a glove for like 30 bucks. My ex's friend stole it.

If anyone has the fully-shirred Metamorphose white polka-dot JSK from a lucky pack, I'd be interested.

My entire wardrobe is full of weird bargains.

Best one would have to be the honey cake bag that I got for $70 dollars.

I felt kind of bad, like the girl had priced it wrong.

>>8495499
i have the same milk iphone case clutch. it was actually a milk novelty fair item

30 bucks for an 2007 AP dress

>>8495469
If I were to leave a throwaway, would you send me some keywords and low-priced sellers? Since I imagine you'd prefer not to post them on here.

>>8496331
Is there a further story on this?

Girl from my university's anime club sold all her lolita stuff to me for $100.

It was 1 OP, 2 JSKs, 3 blouses, 2 skirts, 2 petticoats, and accessories. It was mostly F+F and Infanta, but still an amazing deal for lightly used frills.

>>8496417
No. Do your own research.

>>8496450
The only time I've gotten to use this.

>>8496450
I have done lots, I just wanted to share some info with another seagull. Never mind then.

>>8496423
I was dying everyone's hair at my ex's place, and we were packed for a con. When I hopped in the shower to rinse my hair, a mutual friend came in and was like "Did you know C is wearing one of your dresses?" I was infuriated, it was a replica so no biggie to try it on, but when I got in the room after rinsing my hair, she was gone with literally all of my lolita. Including my few brand pieces I had purchased with money I got from my inheritance.

C if you're out there, you owe me like 200 dollars in custom dresses and 500 in brand. Also you have disgusting pancake tits and your boyfriend salivates around me every time I come near. Maybe if you didn't fuck everyone like a whore and weren't such a fucking weeaboo casual, you wouldn't have ended up alone.

>>8495541
damn anon I'm jelly, that's my dream dress.

My best deal was probably the full set of Melty Chocolate for ~150.

>>8496525
I would have filed a police report.

>>8496525
Why didn't you file a police report, and why aren't you naming and shaming?

>>8496576
Because the story is fake, that's why

$25 for Angelic Pretty tea parties.

>>8496977
How? Were they extremely damaged? Or just an unpopular color?

My best deals were a Honey Cake Round jSK set in pink with the bag for $250 I bought off Tumblr from some random Japanese seller, or a blue French Cafe OP and Headbow set from mbok for $130, because one side of the now was unstitched.

>>8496525
>200 dollars in custom dresses and 500 in brand
so what's that, 4 dresses?

¥4000, has been my best bargain so far

I got a large pink AP satchel for £5 at a swap meet
A fairly popular old school tartan baby dress for £30
and I managed to get a velvet baby op,halloween alice in ivory,btssb rose gingham op and two pairs of socks for £100 shipped from Australia

$250 for Cinema Doll in ivory just this year (which I realize doesn't sound amazing) but when it arrived the girl had also sent me an AP petticoat and some random AP jewelry.

Just won this for 3,000 yen at auction. Anyone know what print it is? It is a Baby dress.

>>8498264
Found it! The stock image makes it look awful...
But the yahoo photo makes it look lovely.
Huh.
http://lolibrary.org/apparel/polkadot-ribbon-jsk-0

>>8498266
That's a weird thing about brands like baby. Their stock photos look awful in person they look amazing.

Polite sage for OT

>>8496988
Eh, they weren't too bad. There was a fairly large mark on one of the ankle straps, some small scratches, a place where the pink part had rubbed off (pic related), and overall just a feeling of wear. Nothing that noticeable when they're worn, though.

Slightly scuffed AP shoes for 1yen

My best deal was an mbok listing for 3 usakumya items for 50usd. The pink pochette, the pink mini one, and the water bottle holder.

My first brand dress was around ¥6000 on mbok. It was an AP OP and little older (2008 maybe?) but was in pristine condition. The seller threw in a little handmade headpiece too.

Most of my clothes have been bought in lots and I always end up selling the pieces that didn't look that great on me. I don't pay much for the lots so the items I sell usually cover the cost of the items I keep or more. I occasionally do buy items that aren't in lots so I feel like my wardrobe probably only cost me like 20%-30% of market value. I don't do it on purpose, I just have a hard time determining what will fit me nicely and fit in with my wardrobe from photos. I usually end up saying "all those items are perfect" then when they arrive i'm disappointed. Even though I have the money to buy pieces individually for some reason I am obsessed with the idea of buying items in lots...i'm not sure if it's because i'm getting more value per dollar or what but I wish I could stop and just focus on the single pieces I really love.

A VM JSK for 30 Euros in perfect condition

I think the best deal I got was a meta bag and bolero for ¥500. Now I'm on the hunt for some cheap chiffon blouse.

I got a sweet cream house jsk for around 10,000 yen recently.
also got a beautiful old shool 2007 Ap jsk for 4,500 yen

>>8498838
Where do you buy in lots?

>>8498916
not that anon but look on y!j and mbok, that's where I see the most lots

>>8496340
Oh is that what's it for. Weird that you have to take the phone out of it completely to use it.

I got the bordeaux Twinkle Journey op nwt tags for $140. I find brand blouses and cutsews on Japanese auctions regularly for 1,000 to 3,000 yen . I just bought a really nice boater hat from Meta for about 1,000 yen. I got a Meta velvet jsk for 5,000 yen. I've found a few really good deals on EGL Comm Sales (since it's so dead).

I've completely stopped using LaceMarket. I have had so many issues with sellers on there that I gave up.

My actual dream dresses since forever:
Beth Stand Collar Blouse OP, 3800 yen
IW Satin Walnut JSK, 3100 yen

>>8496977
nice!

My best finds:
Angelic Pretty Royal Ribbon Jacket in black (BNWT) - 4500 yen
Alice and the Pirates Awilda Corset Shirt in black, was missing the front ribbon, replaced it - 1500 yen
Btssb Antique Lace Doll Bonnet - 2500 yen
AP Etoile Feather Ring and Ribbon of Tears Ring - both together for 1000 yen

Friend just got Promenade de Paris JSK in good condition for free

>>8501320
Tell us her secret.

Marionette in my closet JSK - $200
BNWT Tartan Baby JSK - $35
2 AP Bags - $10

>>8494743
I know the replica is reaaaaly close to the original, but I think you can still tell the difference between them if you look closely at how the lace is gathered. Also, the replica lace seems to be a bit whiter and broader and the overall colors are a tiny bit more saturated.

>>8501320
tfw dream dress
tell us how?

>>8501404
I ordered one of their replicas a while back idc they look good and im a poorfag

>>8501465
Is it actually as good as the photo? I'm curious.

>>8501473
Hasn't arrived yet as they take a while to make it, my whole order is held up because of it.
Also all the measurements are the same as the original.

>>8501465
I'm >>8501404 and I have to admit, I was pretty tempted. I'm a classic and gothic lolita, but for some reason I'm madly in love with MCD. I know it wouldn't suit me very well and I wouldn't wear it outside, so the original would be very expensive roomwear. In the end, I decided against it, cause I myself work in an artistic field and I know how much it hurts seeing your work getting stolen. But I had a hard fight with myself and my principles, that's for sure. I just wanted to show that OP still might be able to tell if her dress is a replica or not.

>>8501321
>>8501461
It was from a friend, who said it wasn't her style

I have a few from this year, i'm not counting gifts or deals from friends:

ap chiffon jsk - free
baby hem frill skirt (nwot) - $10
sweet jam jsk - $50
innocent berry jsk - $60

i've overpaid for loads of shit in the past but i've also scored some massive deals. does anyone else feel awkward talking about the amount you spent on a piece if it's particularly above or below the market rate? >tfw judged

>>8503825
I feel super awkward about that too. One time at a meet this girl ran up to me and just blurted out "Is it true your dress is like $800 online?!" It was super uncomfortable and I didn't really know what to say
>especially since she was a definite bargain-chan who always talked about how she'd never spend more than $120 on brand
>as a result she had a lot of nonprint old school pieces
>which is whatever but damn don't go around asking people the prices of their stuff

>>8503825
>does anyone else feel awkward talking about the amount you spent on a piece if it's particularly above or below the market rate?

It only makes me uncomfortable because it makes me feel ashamed that I spent that amount. Not necessarily that I'm telling the truth about how much I spent. In general it's just inappropriate to have coffee talk over prices of things.

Just paid 8210 yen for this shipped! Normally goes for 40000 yen. About 1cm of stitching needs fixing, but that should be easy.