The last two days I spent revamping the F.A.Q. section so that it was easier to navigate and information was more accessible. I removed a lot of the "site embellishments" so it was straight to the point but also looked pretty.

I also changed the link colors and the banner colors to this pretty peachy/orange color (picked from the Vargas girl illustration). I'm hoping it's just as pretty on other people's monitors as it is on mine. *hehe* It would be awful if it looked lovely on my screen but horrendously orange on other peoples' screens!

It took awhile, I had to redesign new banners, new graphics, and create all the new pages and change the stylesheets. *phew* But it was worth it! I love the Adorevintage.com F.A.Q. section, it's so clean!

I will be very quick and to the point with this book.

If you ALREADY SELL vintage clothing online and have been selling for about a year or more, or even for a few months, then this book is a waste of money. Move on.

I have been selling vintage for a few years now and I thought this book would be full of expert knowledge about running an online business store.

It isn't.

HOWEVER, if you JUST started selling vintage clothing online or want to start selling, then by all means this book will be most helpful! If you have never listed anything on Ebay, don't own a digital camera, and have very little knowledge of vintage clothing itself, then this book will be a God send.

I sort of wish I had this book back when I started selling vintage. Back then, very few people were selling vintage on Ebay and Etsy didn't even exist. So, everything I've learned has been through trial and error and extensive research on my part.

The book is divided into 6 sections all lightly touching up on different aspects of selling vintage clothing but mostly focusing on Auction sites (Ebay). There are tips on how to photograph vintage clothes (not on wire hangers!), how to ship off your packages (don't just throw it in a bag!), and also a "Supply List" of things you will need for running a vintage business.

That all sounds wonderful and dandy and one of the reasons I was so excited for this book. But then when I read the actual advice, I was sorely disappointed.

As a "must have" for running an online vintage store you must have a good digital camera... hmmm...kind of a no brainer, don't you think? Another must have is a garment rack, a place to put your clothes. Again... obvious.

The book is very text heavy with the rare black and white photo of something vintage related. It is very easy to read however and it is well organized. So points for that. The books also highlights on different styles of vintage clothing, such as types of skirts, coats, and costume jewelry. But each subject has about a paragraph worth of information.

Bottom line, if you are just starting out, this book will be of great service to you as it will let you get your feet wet. If however you've already learned a few tricks and tips (perhaps from reading my blog *hehe*) then this book won't teach you anything you don't already know.

You can purchase the book on Amazon. *Note* There are 8 other reviews for this book which are all 5 STAR. Their opinion obviously differs from mine, but do realize I reviewed this book as someone who has been selling and running a successful vintage store for years.

Here are 5 vintage clothing, jewelry, and accessory books that I think every collector, seller, and buyer should either own or be familiar with.

As a vintage seller, collector, and buyer, I am still learning so much every day about the wonderful world of vintage. I first spotted these books at B&N (Barnes & Noble) and I've been back a few times now to browse through them and decided I might as well just purchase them because they are great for reference and great just to look through.



Antique & Vintage Fashions, 1745 to 1979: A Collector's Guide by Barbara Johnson


The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping: Insider Tips, Helpful Hints, Hip Shops by Melodie Fortier


Virtual Vintage: The Insider's Guide to Buying and Selling Fashion Online by Linda Lindroth


Collecting Costume Jewelry 101: The Basics of Starting, Building and Upgrading by Julia C. Carroll


Vintage Fashion Accessories by Stacy LoAlbo


Once I get these in the mail I will offer thorough reviews and some snippets so you can decide for yourself if they are worth getting :)

Here are some quick tips and some sound advice from yours truly on "How to Start an Online Vintage Clothing Store"

I don't claim to be an expert at this, but I have been running an online vintage shop for a little over 5 years now and it has been trial and error for me along the way as I discovered new things and made quite a few mistakes.

A couple times a year I receive emails on how to start up an online vintage clothing store. I always respond with a few quick tips and some advice, but never spell everything out for anyone (as I don't think that would be fair for me to do your homework) ^_^. Below is some advice and pointers for opening up your own e-commerce vintage shop. I am assuming of course you already have vintage inventory, know a thing or two about photography, HTML, and can navigate the web.

#1.] WRITE IT DOWN
What should you write down exactly? Anything and everything related to your vintage clothing business! It could be just ideas for colors combinations, or maybe write down URLS of other websites you like and get inspiration from. Write down what categories you want to use for your shop. Do you want to divide everything from the get go and have separate sections for each type of jewelry and clothing or just lump it all together under "jewelry" and "apparel"?

The reason why it is so important to "get it in writing" is that your brain will better remember ideas and thoughts this way. Remember in grade school when the teacher made you write vocabulary words over and over again? This is kind of the same thing. You don't even have to write down business-y stuff, you could write words of inspiration, or your goals. Bottom line, get it on pen and paper and go from there.

#2.] TEACH YOURSELF SOME GEEK CODE
If you don't know anything about web design or HTML, then get cracking! You do not need to be a CSS, Java, PHP expert by any means, but you NEED TO KNOW SOME BASIC HTML! You can visit Getting started with HTML to get the very basics or visit this site: Basic HTML. If you are going to be using Etsy or Ebay, you don't need to know much more than the basics. If you're going to be designing your own site and do not know was a cascading style sheet is...then best to leave it to the pros. ^_^

#3.] KNOW YOUR VINTAGE!
This one should be pretty self explanatory. I shouldn't even have to touch on this but I will, just a little. Learn the basics of vintage clothing such as dating vintage dresses. What makes a dress a 1970s dress instead of a 1980s dress? Why is this blouse from the 50s and not the 60s? Learn different types of sleeves, collars, skirt styles, pant styles, etc etc. This will help you in accurately describing your products and also help you date them.

#4.] KEEP A FOLDER FOR ALL YOUR STUFF
I have a folder on my comp for all my work stuff as well as a physical folder in a file cabinet for other things. The most important thing when starting up your own vintage clothing store business is to STAY ORGANIZED. Unless you have plenty of other gals to keep everything in order for you, it's best to start organized and keep organized. Keep folders for site images, product images, ideas, inspirations, rough drafts of html pages or even text you are writing for your website. Just keep it all in one, easy to find place.

#5.] PRCING YOUR VINTAGE WARES
Ok, so running an online vintage clothing store means you need to know some business stuff. What kind of stuff? Well, you need to know how to price your items. You need to do some research on other stores to see how much everyone else is charging and most importantly WHY or even HOW? I see a bunch of vintage stores selling a-dime-a-dozen 80s and 90s "vintage" at steep prices and wonder "WHY are they selling it for this much?" and "HOW are they able to sell it for that much?" Ask yourself the same thing.

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All righty, those are my tips and advice for now! I hope you found them helpful! More tips on "How to start an online vintage clothing store" soon!