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Buying a fur coat


sybek

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Buying a fur coat can be tricky if you have a low budget for it. Cheap coats can have problems: odor, tears. Even if it looks good for first if the leather is dried out can tear later. Most of the sellers of used furs don't know the real value of their coats.

 

My question would be how do you buy used coats for good price?

What questions do you ask?

What do you check on the coat?

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My question would be how do you buy used coats for good price?

What questions do you ask?

What do you check on the coat?

If you can actually see the coat firsthand BEFORE buying, you need to check the condition - look for any rips especially at the ends of pocket openings. Also check for dried out pelts - the easiest way is to grab a section of the garment between your hands and ripple it back and forth. If it sounds or feels like stiff paper, the skins are dry. Also as mentioned, check for odors. The worst can be tobacco smoke as the chemicals in such smoke will discolor furs and speed up the deterioration of the pelts.

 

Hopefully others will add more tips, but this should get you started.

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While I don't distrust greg as he has offered and sold several furs here without noticeable complaint, I will say CAVEAT EMPTOR. There are at least as many improperly or falsely described furs for sale online as there are properly described ones. Many non-professional sellers do not know how to properly check or describe the condition or quality of a used fur.

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Buying a used fur coat can be tricky even if the budget is sufficient. Keep in mind most of the cheap coats are women models. This means everything is different compared to mens coats: shoulder line, back line, length of sleeve, collar line, etc. Pay very close attention to all the sizes of the coat. Measure your body and see if it fits to start with. Usually I buy on Ebay and check the feedback, gives you an indication of the quality of the description. Buying from individuals usually also means you have to clean the coat first. Nowadays I save some more money and buy better quality.

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Cleaning a fur garment is important... Buyers always want low price but knowing the price of a good maintanance is now 100€ or more. I know I wouldn't wear a fur before it's cleaned. Good cleaning will remove the hair that broke away, refresh the skins, remove any smell, desinfect the lining.

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Couple tricks I use when buying a fur

1) I try to notice the type of hanger. This says a lot. I feel a lot better if it's on an actual furrier hanger.

2) I always ask how it was stored during spring/summer. Has to be furrier vault storage every year. This keeps the age. Sorry, cedar closet, dark cool place, climate control all dont cut it for me.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Most of the sellers of used furs don't know the real value of their coats.

 

Well that might be, but I often see people selling coats on Ebay for prices beyond sanity. Some of them may think, just because it is real fur, it must be worth thousands of Dollars / Euros. Ridiculous sometimes... if you ask me...

 

My question would be how do you buy used coats for good price?

What questions do you ask?

What do you check on the coat?

 

In Germany we have a saying: If you buy cheap, you buy twice.. I think that saying is also known in other countries in different variations. What I am trying to say is, that throughout the years searching and buying furs on the internet I have surely made some bargains and surely found a treasure or two, but I also often made big losses due to relying on descriptions and bad photos only.

 

But what is cheap and what is expensive.. where is money spent good? You can buy a silver fox coat for 500€ or for 5000€, and there might be little to no difference. I haven't figured it out myself yet... after all those years, I am still in a learning process.

 

But.. I have defined some principles for myself:

 

1. Find a seller who is wiling to accept returns (with costs or not, does not matter, you should know how desperately you need the fur )

2. Do not rely on just two badly made photos

3. Do not get distracted to much by beautiful models (see Sofia Stornelli or Miss Larissa Fox on Ebay... )

3. If the seller is a private person, ask for more photos -> sometimes they do some especially for you, and they often turn out to be better than the original ones.

4. Ask for odor and how the furs had been storaged and if the fur ever has been cleaned professionally (also ask for the age of the fur)

5. Ask for animals/pets in the household (that is very important)

6. Ask for exact measurements... often a private seller roughly estimates the size, and then it is a bummer when you cannot return the fur

7. Do not do blindfold hasty purchases

8. For Ebay/Etsy - Follow some furriers and watch how their prices evolve (if they lower the price), how often they reinsert their items. Sometimes you can make offers like 20% - 30% below the offered price if an item seems not to go well. Try your luck. Also watch auctions carefully... I have seen furs being a real bargain going through the roof in the last few seconds, re-emerging on the sellers site a few days later. I am quite skeptical about those kind of sellers...

9. Be patient

10. Be prepared to lose money... as you mentioned buying stuff on the internet is tricky and different from seeing, smelling and feeling the fur in real life. There is a always a risk of dumping money...

 

I hope I could give you some good hints... I wish you the best of luck and a lot of fun with your new fur...

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"5. Ask for animals/pets in the household (that is very important)"

 

I alway wandered what is the problem with this… We don't have any pets so I don't know what issues they could cause.

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To try to answer greg: Animals can cause extra smells and odours to stick to the fur, if it has been hanging out in the open that is. When dealing with other houshold items/furniture, animal hair can be real problem. Depending on the type, they can be really hard to remove. I would imaginge this problem not being that precarious with furs.

 

Other things to ask specifically about:

 

- "Always" ask for more photos from different angles.

- Ask fo the condition of the lining. Ask for photos of the lining as well.

- Ask for rips and tears in the armpits (That´s usually a problem area)

- Ask for close-up pictures of the fur. Sometimes it can be hard to determine the condition of the fur from a badly lit photo.

- Ask for the age and where it´s originally from.

 

My best advice would be to buy from a seller who accepts returns. Add YOUR eventual return costs to your budget. This is especially important f your stretching the budget.

 

Otherwise, buying a used fur online is sort of going to a casino. Set your limit and be prepared to lose it and enjoy the excitement of the process and the waiting period period. Don´t enter an auction and get carried away during the last 15 minutes ending up spending more than you can really afford.

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I can't imagine that someone has a house where there's full of domestic animals hair all over the place and bad smell… But if I think about it people can be quite "diferent" mildly said...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Anyone ever had any issues buying a womens fur coat as a man, and wanting to try it on in person in the store? Are there issues with sizes? Is it better to call ahead and make sure they are OK with showing you women's furs in your size?

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  • 2 weeks later...
Anyone ever had any issues buying a womens fur coat as a man, and wanting to try it on in person in the store? Are there issues with sizes? Is it better to call ahead and make sure they are OK with showing you women's furs in your size?

 

You should have caution with the shoulders and hip sizes. Depending on your body, it's safe to take two sizes larger than you'd use as a man.

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That's it! What do you think about it?

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Wad is "vatelin", but I don't know exactly what is between the fur and the lining. It makes the coat very heavy (~+1kg).

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  • 3 weeks later...

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