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Friday, May 25, 2012

CULTURE

Blogger Babble: Splendora’s Gina Pell

In the ten years that Gina Pell has been at the helm of Splendora, a site dedicated to all the latest fashion, beauty, and lifestyle trends, she’s also mastered the art of online shopping. Recently, she found another outlet for her interests in style, technology, and bargain hunting, with the launch of Splendora SalesCast, a free iPhone app which aggregates their picks for top online deals daily.

“We curate and hand select the best private sales on the web. We’d been covering what to buy and where to buy it for the last ten years, and when the economy took a downturn, we found our readers wanted more info not just on what to buy, but where to buy it on sale,” Pell explains. “And that thirst for a bargain is never going to go away even when the economy bounces back.”

Between working on the second generation of Splendora SalesCast, which will include not just private sale sites like Gilt Groupe and Ideeli but “every online sale we deem worthy,” and updating Splendora’s daily blog, Pell took time out to clue us in on another of her favorite online resources (for goods as diverse as 70s Rolexes to vintage-looking record players!)... eBay!

 

The Inside Source: How’d you get into shopping on eBay and when?

Gina Pell: I got on full force right after all my jewelry was stolen seven or eight years ago. The first time I used it was to find a replacement engagement ring. I bought a four carat yellow sapphire for $700. Once I got that it made it easier to buy everything else. And now I go to eBay first whenever I’m shopping. I don’t mind buying things that were previously owned, and these days, I rarely shop in-store anymore.

 

TIS: What’s your strategy like?

GP: It starts with the search. Whatever you’re looking for you should search for about a hundred different ways. Sometimes I even look for misspellings of words just to make sure I’ve seen everything. I look at highest price first. I find that generally when people are selling things for next to nothing there’s something up there. I generally end up buying something that’s priced middle of the road—not the highest but not the lowest.

I also look at the sellers’ star ratings. And I check out the other items they’re selling. I always want to know if they do this for a living. I tend to get the best stuff from people who are selling on their own rather than professional vendors, and the way to tell is by looking at their history: have they sold 3,000 products, or 20? That said, there are people who do this for a living who are great at it. If I’m spending more than $500, I definitely send them questions over email. If it’s really expensive, like over $1,000, I set up a phone conversation to ask them more questions. Make sure the seller is responsive, especially with a bigger ticket item.

 

TIS: Do you have a favorite eBay store?

GP: Malvina’s Luxuries is great. She has a ton of designer clothing that looks straight from the runway—every label you can think of. I order from her a lot. I’m going through a McQueen phase and ended up buying an asymmetrical shearing jacket of his from her the day after he [designer Alexander McQueen died] died, and since then, a plaid McQueen dress too.

 

TIS: What kinds of things do you collect?

GP: I went through a big watch fob phase, which men used to wear in the early 1900s to hold their watches—they’re sort of like counterbalance weights for your pocket watch. I wear them as necklaces. I also have a vintage hat collection. I started buying a bunch of Jack McConnell hats from the 60s. He makes the most incredible, theatrical hats. I have one made of pink feathers that sweeps down over one eye that’s sprinkled with rhinestones. I’m planning on putting them in a display case in my living room.

 

TIS: Best eBay purchases?

GP: My new engagement ring, definitely. For my son’s birthday, I bought him a record player and vintage record collection from eBay which he absolutely loves, even though he’s only four. I’ve gotten two vintage Rolexes from the 70s; one in rose gold and another stainless.

Here, a taste of the things Pell is eyeing right now:

Roll over items for details
Hermes Kelly in Chamonix Leather
Hermes Kelly
(buy it now price, $3700)
Antique 1800’s Chatelaine
Chatelaines were worn during the Victorian era. They are small decorative belt hooks or clasps with useful household items attached to it like tiny scissors, thimble, watch, key. I plan to wear it as a brooch
(from $112.50)
Hermes Medor Ladies Watch with Green Leather Bracelet
This watch will never go out of style
(buy it now price, $528)
NEW Chloe Leather Trench
Leather Trench
(starting bid, $500)
NEW Alexander McQueen Runway Tweed Blazer
Alexander McQueen Runway Tweed Blazer
(buy it now price, $799)
NEW Crosley Portable C49 Portable Record Player in Suitcase
NEW Crosley Portable C49 Portable Record Player
(buy it now price, $128.99)
NEW Louis Vuitton Glace Elvin Leather Briefcase
discontinued Louis Vuitton briefcase
(buy it now price, $3,950)
Blogger Babble: Splendora’s Gina Pell
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