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Nothing like a strong martini to get you in the mood for… shopping for vintage posters on eBay! Social lubricant? More like bidding lubricant. I do my best eBay shopping with a martini in hand, and this tactic has produced some of my best buys yet. Like this tomato poster from Milton Glaser, this pear poster from Milton Glaser, and this mortadella-themed movie poster featuring Sophia Loren. Are we sensing a theme here? Yes, my apartment is littered with food-themed (and gin-fueled) eBay purchases. Wouldn’t have it any other way!
Mar 2, 2021
Related Recs
Like I said before about eBay, it's the best. My favorite search terms these days are "antique oddity lot junk drawer," "vintage courrèges," "vintage cacharel," "vintage ungaro," "vintage louis feraud," "antique medical bedpan urinal enamel," and "vintage enamel vase." Also fun to mis-spell things that should be very expensive and see if anyone has discovered them, e.g. "Gugci purse." (You can check out some of my recent eBay purchases here: https://ottessathisottessathat.substack.com/p/my-stuff)
Jan 28, 2025
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I buy most of my stuff on eBay.I dont look at specific sellers, i look for specific things.I can get pretty close to exactly what im looking for…whether it’s tailored, workwear, and old ll bean shirt, well loved old dress trousers…you can find anything. Sometimes, something shows up and it’s just amazing. I’m not a gambler, but this is a way to scratch that itch?Ive eaten it on a bunch, but im getting better.
Jun 13, 2024
From the thrill of discovery, making bids, the buzz of a score or anguish of a could-have-been, a random box showing up that has been packed by some dude in Minnesota… I love it. The best way to shop is either setting a hyper-specific alert for something and finding it five years from now or by typing in all the potential typos it could have, or either searching for a vague combinations of names and details and seeing what comes up. Embellished pearl sweaters? Art deco servewear? Plastic organizers? There’s probably also something good about reuse and sustainability here too. The only thing I don’t love is that my saved searches and watchlist are full so I have to keep deleting and replacing, but never change, eBay.
Jan 26, 2024
Top Recs from @rachel-karten
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Sometimes I get mad at my Instagram explore page because it’s just all squiggly candles, checkerboard prints, and sun-soaked interiors. Like, is that who I really am? But then I look in my bathroom and realize it is. I now have both the green checkerboard Baina bath mat and the red checkerboard Baina towel. YOU GOT ME, INSTAGRAM. Whatever, the towel is perfect (not too soft!) and the bath mat makes my feet extra happy. Haven’t gotten into the squiggly candle trend yet though—take that, explore page.
Mar 2, 2021
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I have never received as much engagement on an Instagram Story as when I posted a before and after of using Barkeeper’s Friend on my Le Creuset. I was resigned to the fact that my matte white Dutch oven would just forever have a brown ombré effect on the bottom half thanks to years of it sitting on a burner. But no! The magic that is Barkeeper’s Friend and a shit ton of scrubbing took it off in, like, 20 minutes flat. Extremely satisfying. Highly recommend.
Mar 2, 2021
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I just finished the first issue of For The Culture, a new magazine from Klancy Miller celebrating Black women in food and wine, and already can’t wait to read the next. I particularly loved Cha McCoy’s interview with winemaker Krista Scruggs, hearing how Jenna Wortham has been practicing self-care, and Omolola Olateju’s essay Being Black in Hospitality. After leaving my job in food media, I was feeling a little burnt out on consuming food media. This magazine changed that.
Mar 2, 2021