One of my goals for the year is to not buy any new clothes for myself, and I have limited myself to only purchasing items from thrift shops or eBay (or possibly another clothing reseller).
I have been wanting some additional summer items, pants particularly, as many if not most of my worn-out summer items were left behind when we departed Kaua’i last year, but was finding selections at our local thrift stores quite limited. So, I decided to check out eBay.
My all-time favorite warm-weather pants for as long as I can remember have been J. Jill’s Easy Linen cropped pants. They were an annual staple in the J.Jill catalog (and stores) for years, always available in a variety of colors and prints. The pants’ loose style and elastic waste kept them cool, comfortable, and stylish, and I wore them daily in Hawaii. They were easy to care for, and the linen was high quality and lasted for years. They were also great for travel as there was no worry about wrinkles – linen is expected to wrinkle! At one point a few years ago I had a collection of six or seven pairs of the cropped pants in different colors, all bought on sale over the years.
Sadly, the pants disappeared from J.Jill sometime in the past couple of years, most likely due to rising costs and the inability to find quality suppliers. The pairs I owned started wearing out one by one and this year I found myself with just one remaining pair, in white. I wanted to find replacements or a substitute to get through Tennessee’s upcoming sweltering summers (and beyond).
I have only shopped on eBay once, for a denim jacket, and felt I might get lucky again and find at least one pair of my beloved Easy Linen pants there. Not only did I find one pair in my size, I found five! As might be expected, color selection was a bit limited, but I went ahead and purchased all five pairs and all arrived in great condition and fit well. Each pair cost less than half of what the sale price had been at J. Jill (which always has fabulous sales). I am ready for warmer weather this year and into the future!
I’m not looking to spend on anything else right now nor have I bought anything more since purchasing the pants, but I occasionally find myself looking for different items first on eBay these days and the savings I could enjoy if I indulged myself. Count me in as a satisfied shopper!
The Occasional Nomads 
Hello Laura. Poshmark is another great site and you can search by brand. We leave Thursday for France to live in a small house in our daughters village to help with grandchildren. I think of your selfless help in that area often.
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Hi Debbie – lovely to hear from you! The time with your grandchildren will be time well spent, and it will fly by (which is what we’re experiencing). Our lives now are very different than what we imagined but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Plus, you will be in France!
I checked out Poshmark last night and already made a purchase, a white linen blouse I was looking for. So many other good finds as well, but I am now set for summer. Thank you for the recommendation!
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Congrats, that’s a fantastic score! When you buy something that you know will fit and is good quality, getting it off eBay is a great solution.
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I am really happy with what I found, both the selection and the prices. I am also having fun with Postmark, thanks to Debbie’s suggestion – it will be a go-to spot as well in the future. The thrift stores here are not as exciting as they used to be back in Portland.
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You are most fortunate. I love linen, but have never owned anything that did not wrinkle. Must check ebay out. Back to a previous post: Those coffee cones at TJ’s are beyond what I expected. Low cal too. Thank you for the heads up.
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I love linen because it’s expected to wrinkle. I never iron it – just pull from the drier and hang it up. Linen is perfect for hot, humid weather (like Hawaii and Tennessee) and also travel.
The special flavors they have once in a while for the cones are especially delicious. Coffee was recently available, but the pumpkin-ginger ones available last fall were our favorite – we hope to see them again this year (and will stock up!).
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Wow! What a good deal for you! I rarely ever buy clothes at full price….It’s always nice to find a favorite item in several colors.
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I never buy clothes at full price, and one of the reasons I love J Jill (on top of their sizing and quality), is that they have fabulous sales (like take an additional 40% off the sale price and such). But I was thrilled to get these pants and am looking forward to getting a few years of wear out of them.
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Laura,
If I find pants I like in a color I really don’t want, I use them to wear around the house or somewhere that does not matter. Always keep a pair you really intend to throw away. I use those for a pattern, cutting the pants apart, never to be whole again. I have no idea if you can sew, but elastic-waist pants are so simple, even with pockets. Check often for those pants as someone may put more on ebay.
I found a coat twenty years after it was discontinued! Maybe a higher end thrift store. Have you tried Goodwill online?
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Linda – great minds think alike! Keeping a pair when they wear out, disassembling and using them as a pattern to make new pairs is exactly what I was planning to do. I haven’t sewn in years, but even I could make these. I have looked another couple of times to see if more showed up, but no, and for now five pairs is more than enough.
I checked out the Postmark site last night and found several items I would like to have, including a beautiful vintage ivory wool coat from the 70s. I will have to convince my husband about that one though. Have not checked Goodwill online but that may be a good option compared to the rather insipid stores here.
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I’ve had great luck buying and selling on eBay. You really got lucky with those pants. And I agree that the linen at JJill was fantastic. (I think you’re right about the supply chain, as a lot of linen feels lower quality now and wears out faster.) I feel the same about their cashmere sweaters from a few years back. I have one that is a favorite and you’ve inspired me to look for another copy on eBay.
My DD who lives in England found a few posh online sellers who buy their kids high end clothes (and lots of them) and then sell them in nearly new condition. I’m amazed by some of the things she’s found for my granddaughter…really cute clothes that DD gets for a song.
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I have had fun looking around on eBay and now on Poshmark, and found a couple of items that I’m going to watch for a while. I feel like my wardrobe needs a bit of a makeover post Hawaii, and I am more than happy to purchase used goods (in good condition) if I can find them. I used children’s resale A LOT when the girls were little, and they were (and still are) into resale from an early age. There are so many more options now than there were then too. It’s fun and rewarding to find good quality items at, as you say, a song.
J Jill is still my go-to for clothes. We have a store nearby now, but I’ve only been in once (and didn’t buy anything). I love their sales; I have never bought anything full price from them! Their quality and their sizing are the two biggest reasons though that they remain a favorite.
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