Women's clothing: dresses, outerwear, brands second-hand

Ask for daylight photos: seams, underarms, cuffs, pilling on the fabric. A photo of the tag with size and fabric composition filters out most bad surprises.

Look at hardware quality, seam evenness and inner labels with the article number — you can look it up on the brand's site. For luxury, check serial numbers and the full set (dust bag, receipt).

Ask for garment measurements in centimeters: length, shoulders, chest. Brand size charts drift by 1–2 sizes; measurements don't.

Outerwear and dense natural fabrics: coats, trench coats, wool sweaters, premium-brand jeans. They live for years and barely differ from new in used condition. Mass-market knitwear is the opposite — it loses shape in a season, so buy it only new with tags.

Cash on delivery with inspection at the post office: you pay after seeing the item. Ask for a video and label photos before dispatch. Sellers with reviews and an old account are your filter against 'photos from the internet'.

Second-hand is simply pre-owned. Vintage is 20+ years old with the character of its era — fabric and construction quality was higher then. Look for the fabric label (wool, silk), metal zippers, finished seams: markers of a piece that will live another decade.