Hello! I have come across this Ceil Chapman dress two years ago without knowing how special it was. I have only worn it once for a picture at the store I work at as I thought it deserved to be featured as we specialize in vintage clothing. I am now not able to fit it anymore. It is a smaller size and as I am in the process of getting my permanent residency, selling it could help me a lot to finance this project. Here is the thing. I have no clue where to sell it and for what price... it is so special I do not want to under price it but also I feel like it deserves to go to someone who will appreciate it even more than I do... The prices I see are all over the place so I really do not know where to begin... I will attach some photos, just to share how beautiful it is. It is in amazing shape on the outside the inner lining is a bit tired but nothing that would tear. I would love to learn more about this dress too! I have read everything I could about the designer but don't really know what type of dress this is, for what occasion to wear it etc. Have a good evening!
Hi Evylania It's a gorgeous dress. I think it's a cocktail dress (meaning an evening party dress, but less formal than a ballgown), but wait to see what others say too. Do you know what the outer fabric is? silk? If it's cotton then perhaps it's a day dress. It's very hard to advise on pricing, because so many factors affect it. We have a policy on these forums of not giving pricing advice, because of this. For instance, if you want a quick sale, you will probably have to settle for a lower price than if you are prepared to wait. If you already have a shop with followers, you can probably get a higher price, than if you don't. The time of year, the trends of the season, all affect what people are prepared to pay. Smaller sizes usually go for less than larger sizes. One thing you can do is try selling it towards the higher of the prices you see, and then if it doesn't sell, you can come down. Looking at 'sold' prices is helpful (such as eBay allows you to see), because then you know what someone has actually paid. If you are looking at current unsold listings, that only tells you what the seller is hoping to get - which isn't always realistic, or as I said above, they may be prepared to wait years for the right buyer to fall in love with it. You may like to read this blog post on pricing: https://vintagefashionguild.org/blog/how-vintage-clothing-is-priced/
What a beauty! I would call it a cocktail dress too. And echoing everything that Ruth said. If you're not in a hurry to sell it you might want to wait a while, as I'm finding that formal pieces aren't doing as well as they used to.
My opinion is a little different... I would not worry so much about size. I would not worry so much about occasion. I would just list it. This dress is the kind of garment collectors buy. So I would do a lot of research on the label and comps (90 day on eBay) and get a price and go for it.
Thanks for all of your replies! I tried to post it on ebay, I never posted before and they literally said my account was getting deleted. I didn't put it for too high I put it around the prices I saw it sold for... I did read a lot about the label. I also sent an email to the local museums to see if they wanted it. I am a bit lost as I did not do anything against the rules on ebay...
Also the material feels very thick. And there is a petticoat included under. I don't see a material label. But it feels very thick so I would say cotton. It is a little stiff .
To be fair, eBay is trying to prevent buyers from being defrauded by scammers. But they can be very heavy handed and adversarial toward any inexperienced would-be seller who wants to list something that is sought after and has potential to go for serious money.
I totally understand that but ebay is the only site I knew to post that dress.... no clue where else...
Yes that's really hard. If you have no history on eBay it's also going to put off some buyers. Perhaps you could try opening another ebay account, then start by selling a few small things you may have that you want to get rid of? Then once you've had a few successful sales, list your ceil Chapman. It's good to get a selling history on eBay before you start bringing out the high end stuff.
I agree with Ruth. Open a new account and sell a few small things to get the feel for selling and also to garner some reviews. Also buy with that account- that gets reviews. I would hesitate to buy from someone with zero feedback.
