On a recent day spent bopping around Brooklyn, I stopped into a few vintage stores to peruse the racks of Pleats Please, Galliano Dior, and various unlabeled Y2K-adjacent pieces. While no two stores were the same, one thing stood out: Everything was outrageously expensive.
I wondered if I was being unfair. After all, these stores have employees and rent to pay. Maybe I was just shopping in an area where sellers were counting on tech-moneyed fashion novices and trust funders to accept their gobsmacking prices. But after consulting with friends—both in the fashion industry and beyond—I found they shared similar qualms with secondhand shopping in their own cities.
Kristen Bateman, a fashion culture writer and founder of the brand Dollchunk, notes that secondhand pricing is extremely subjective. “It’s totally dictated by trends, demand, and current market availability,” she says. “I’m a vintage collector myself, but I personally love a deal. I tend to shop for pieces for very low prices either before or after peak trend.”
While brick-and-mortar buyers can compare pricing on sites like eBay, The RealReal, and Vestiaire Collective in real time, there is still a caveat. “1stDibs, Vestiaire, eBay, and other platforms all allow for offers, so list price can be inflated,” says Lizzie Wheeler, who sources vintage on the Instagram account @shit.u.should.buy and owns Studio Dorothy, a vintage bridal studio. “I generally assume you can get a 20 to 30% discount on any item that allows offers.”
That said, ultrarare pieces are an exception. “If it’s true vintage, you can’t find it anywhere else, or it has unique provenance, sellers can charge whatever they want and it’s fair,” Bateman says.
Bateman also notes that even online vintage sourcing isn’t exempt from some inflated pricing. “Sometimes people forget there’s also a lot of invisible labor that goes into resale, especially for independent sellers and small businesses,” she adds, noting that marketing, photography, and repairs are among the many duties that sellers are tasked with. And with the rise in bespoke sourcing, the individualized experience also lends to the price. “They want to feel that personalized experience, and that’s why so many people are selling and buying through social media or their own websites instead of eBay or other resale platforms as well,” Bateman says.
Vogue reached out to four vintage experts to get their take on fair secondhand pricing. We admit this is a very lofty task, and, as Valencia put it, pricing is extremely subjective. That said, we gave our experts six popular items—ranging from Jean Paul Gaultier’s mesh tops to the iconic Fendi Baguette—to get their takes on what makes a good deal.
Dior Saddle bag
Lizzie Wheeler, @shit.u.should.buy, founder of Studio Dorothy: $1,600–$2,800
$1,600 is a solid budget to go in with, and you might not use the entire budget. You should have lots of options in that price bracket if you’re okay with final sale through an online platform like eBay, Vestiaire, and The RealReal. All of these will offer an authentication process for a bag of this price. More limited archival pieces and pieces from more elite vendors (e.g., an archivist vintage dealer, Sotheby’s, etc.) will likely set you back $2,800-plus with quite a high ceiling.
Johnny Valencia, owner of Pechuga Vintage: $2,400–$65,000
It seems like the demand for these has been steady since 2018. However, demand for the Galliano Dior saddles still sets the precedent. There does seem to be more options on the market, and this has caused a pendulum swing in terms of pricing. Collectors have turned to the 12 country-specific saddles. Recall that, of these, they made 100 each.
Here’s the pricing: $2,400 for the oblique monogram, $4,000 to $7,000 for the niche Y2K saddles (think Adiorable in blue velvet and the Koi saddle with the pink tassels). The country saddles start at $39,000 and can command upwards of $65,000.
Lilah Ramzi, Vogue contributing editor, founder of “Per Lilah,” a vintage-oriented Substack: $1,200–$6,000
Not all saddles are created equal. If we’re talking classic Oblique canvas, expect the lower end—around $1,200 to $2,000, depending on condition. But if it’s one of the highly collectible Galliano-era editions (think the Filth 2003 collection, intricate embroidery, or newspaper print), the price can climb to $5,000 to $6,000. These are pieces of fashion history—and the craftsmanship shows.
Kristen Bateman, fashion culture writer and Dollchunk founder: $800–$2,000
It really depends on rarity and style. I bought one in this price range, and I saw someone selling the same style for over $17,000 not long after.
Jean Paul Gaultier mesh top
Wheeler: $200–$400
Depending on the style, you should be able to get lots of good options in the $200 to $400 range from reputable sellers (e.g., $325 at Female Hysteria Vintage). There are particularly inexpensive options in France, if you’re down to import. Anything above this range should be the super-famous ones and definitely vintage, not recent reproductions. While there are options below $200, I’d be wary unless the seller is reputable. There are lots of knockoffs and also recent recuts that retail for lower prices. (I got a new one from Ssense two years ago for $108.)
Valencia: $450–$1,300
$450 on average to start, with some rarer items (the Soleil label) going upwards to $1,300. The reissues did affect pricing on these.
Ramzi: $300–$1,000
Yes, they’re trending—and yes, prices have surged—but at the end of the day, these are printed mesh tops. From the brand’s diffusion lines like Soleil and Maille Femme, they were never designed to be luxury. They’re fun, graphic, and nostalgic, but you shouldn’t be paying more than $1,000, tops. Save the real investment for Gaultier’s couture or archival runway.
Bateman: $150–$300
Lots of availability of these. I love them so much, but they often get discounted and unfortunately don’t wear well with the years.
Vivienne Westwood Portrait corset
Wheeler: $250–$3,400-plus
A gold-label vintage boned corset typically starts at $1,100 or so. Specific archive pieces from famous collections will typically start around $3K. If you’re looking to try on and not buy final sale, you’re likely looking at $3,400-plus with an appointment fee at a specialized vintage dealer. Anglomania and Red Label corsets can start much lower, around $225, and Gold Label bustier tops without boning often start around $550.
Valencia: $800–$4,000
$800 to $1,200 for the classic ones, the printed ones are still being sold for $3 to $4K. Demand for these has waned as many different labels have started creating their own versions.
Ramzi: $3,000–$6,000
These are wearable works of art. A true Westwood corset—especially one with runway provenance or from a seminal collection like Portrait or On Liberty—commands a high price for a reason. The craftsmanship, boning, and historical silhouette are unmatched. The lower end of the range would be for simpler pieces or those without provenance, but runway corsets easily hit $5K–$6K.
Bateman: $400–$1,200
These are getting harder to find, and no one makes a corset like Vivienne Westwood did.
Issey Miyake Pleats Please dress
Wheeler: $200–$400
Reliably available in at least a few colorways and variants under $400, and $200 and under if you’re shipping from Japan. Lower-priced Pleats Please on resale marketplaces that aren’t in Japan and don’t offer a secondary authentication step are often counterfeit in my experience. Occasionally, a Pleats Please dress will be marked down below $200 on TRR, which is the main exception to my Japan-only rule for that price point.
Valencia: $500–$5,000
There is always going to be a demand for this specific textile because of its malleability. However, it’s the printed pieces, most notably from the Artist Series, that can command thousands. For a non-printed PP dress, you can expect to pay $500 to $800 for an artist series; these can start at $2,100 and go up to $5,000.
Ramzi: $300–$500 (new or vintage)
Here’s the thing: You don’t need to go vintage. The genius of Pleats Please is that the silhouette and technology have remained nearly unchanged since 1993, and you can still score current styles on sale (Ssense, et al.) for around $300 to $400. Vintage holds its value but rarely exceeds $500 unless it’s an ultrarare collaboration or early runway piece.
Bateman: $200–$400, rare prints: $300–$800
Lots of availability and discounts, except for rare prints.
Fendi Baguette
Wheeler: $350–$1,300
Neoprene variants and other fabric minis are often available for $350, including ones with authentication. If you go into the baguette market with $1,300 to spend, you should have pretty much all the options you need. As always, exotics, extra authentication, more elite sellers, and super-rare items will cost much more.
Valencia: $900–$3,000
$900–$1,100 for the classic, non-embellished kind; $3,000 for the most elaborate.
Ramzi: $2,000–$5,000
Like the Dior Saddle, the price here depends on the details. A standard leather or logo canvas baguette may hover around $2K to $2.5K, but the real magic (and markup) happens in the limited editions—embroidered, beaded, or appliquéd baguettes that showcase Fendi’s flair for craftsmanship. Those can easily push $4K to $5K on the resale market.
Bateman: $500–$850
I’ve never paid more than this range, and I own four.
Marc Jacobs Kiki boots
Wheeler: $250–$2,500-plus
This is a recent style that’s been steadily recut and, in some variations, is a core style, so you can expect to spend $250 to $400 on average, depending on the exact size and style you need. Some claim to be from the 2016 runway that are priced at $2500-plus, but I’m unaware of any indicator that would separate these from the subsequent production runs.
Valencia: $600–$3,000
$1,500 for runways, $600–$700 for commercial Kikis. The Julie Verhoeven x Marc boots are still very rare and can command upwards of $2,000 to $3,000. Again, demand for these has waned due to the label’s own reissues. The McKimm x Marc 40th-anniversary collab was a rarity with collectors, as they retailed for $3,000 upon release, and the calf was impossibly narrow. The Lurex spring 2017 Kikis and the lavender suede Kikis from fall 2016 are still everyone’s holy grails.
Ramzi: $350–$3,500
For secondhand shoes, condition is everything. If the pair is unworn and pristine, expect to pay on the higher end—especially for the original fall 2016 runway Kiki platforms, which are now collector’s items. Those can climb to $3.5K. But if they’re the more recent reissues or gently worn, $350–$800 is fair. Just be wary of deals that seem too good to be true.
Bateman: $200–$300
These often go on sale at retailers, and the limited-edition neon ones were at the sample sale recently for 90% off.
