The Cost of Vintage

So every person with a pair of eyes and/or ears knows that I love vintage clothes. They've become a huge part of who I am, and I love that. They've also been causing a draining whirlpool of money from my bank account. Most of the items that I buy are from as far back as the 1930's, so I can't really blame sellers for pricing things ridiculously high. But what are some of the price factors at work here?

The Jenny Skirt in Orange Border Print. Made by Pinup Girl Clothing.

Take this adorable skirt, for example. It's an American made product with a high price, for a market that most people would think of as small. In the retro-loving world, or even the body positive sector of Instagram, this company is incredibly popular. With sizes running from an XS all the way up to a 4X, their goal is to make "couture for every body" (every BODY/everybody) which I & many other customers love. However, it depends on what the person who's buying the skirt values it at. It's listed at $98, and many other sensible women (like me) could never conceive of spending that much for a piece of clothing. But for some women, it's less of a logical decision, and is made in a split second and goes a little something like this:

One of my favorite gifs.

The company knows how much the customers adore their clothing, so they cater to women who are still willing to spend a large amount on clothing but spend just a little less (aka me) by having both online and in person "yard sales". This leads to items like the Oranges skirt (remember, originally $98) to being a steal at just $60!! Woohoo!! I only own 4 items from the company, and 2 of them I got for free. So for me, the cost sometimes overshadows the benefits. But for a lot of ladies all over the world, the cuteness can be distracting.