"That price is just too high." "I can find a coat like that in a thrift shop for $5." "I'll find a dress like that myself and pay a lot less."

These are things I've heard in conversations all over the internet about vintage clothing. I've heard the wails of people saying sellers are pricing things too high. I've heard people saying they can find the same things themselves for $5.

So here's my honest opinion about buying vintage clothing and pricing. Remember this is my blog and my opinion so it does not represent anyone's opinion but my own.

Vintage clothing is not my hobby. It is my business. Like any business I have bills I incur to promote my business. That eye candy website I have has a monthly fee. The auctions I list on Ebay have fees regardless of whether the item sells or not. That advertising link I have with the Vintage Fashion Guild is an expense as well. I also pay fees to Specialist Auctions but unlike Ebay that's only when I actually sell something. I have business cards, stationary, flyers, etc. They are necessary to my business and are also an expense. Let's not forget the shelf full of fashion books that I consult when looking at styles, eras and details to make sure I am dating these vintage items correctly. And of course there's my internet connection for how else would I be able to draw on the expertise of the Vintage Fashion Guild members when I have a question that I can't answer after researching a dress for hours on my own.

How does that vintage dress you buy from me arrive at your door all nice, clean and ironed? Why Viviene cleans that dress with specialized products that are friendly to vintage textiles. Viviene irons that dress and checks it over with a fine tooth comb before it's packaged for shipment. And those products and new steam iron are an expense as well.

But the biggest expense of all is hunting for that perfect vintage dress that someone is going to buy from you. It means spending time in places that might have one nice piece of vintage for sale even though you've traveled 50 miles to find it. It means spending time with a family who is selling their loved one's home and they are selling vintage clothing that may or may not have been stored properly. It means listening to the clothing's past and where it was worn (which I absolutely love!). It means bringing home things that you hand wash only to have them disintegrate in the wash bin in front of you because they were touched by cold water and very, very mild soap for the first time in 50 years.

Oh, and lets not forget the displaying of the dress on a mannequin, half form or model. Then the photographing the dress in just the right light so that all the wonderful features stand out (which you will need a decent camera and lighting set-up to do).

Then comes writing the auction itself trying to describe in words what you've just tried to capture in a few images and hoping that whomever decides to buy your dress has actually read what you wrote including those oh so important measurements because vintage clothing does not fit like the clothing of today.

So when you are looking at my auction or the auctions of hundreds of other vintage clothing sellers and think in your head "that dress just costs too much" I hope you'll remember the time, skill and dedication it takes to bring a vintage dress to life in an auction listing. We are your personal shoppers. We use our skills to bring you the best the past has to offer. You're not just paying for that dress. You're paying for our expertise.