If you're like me, buying jeans in a store is an Olympic feat in and of itself.  So why on earth would you attempt to purchase a pair on Ebay?  You can't feel them, see them, or perform contortionist acts in a dressing room.  I'll tell you why.  Because you can save 75% or more off the price of designer denim.  That $147 pair of Joe's Jeans? The $282 Goldsign Trouser?  Expect to pay about $50-$75 bucks a pair here.  I'll let you in on some of my secrets.

1.  Sizing.  Designer jeans typically run in waist sizes.  Before you start, carefully measure your waist.  Now, you have two waists in jean land, high waist and low waist.  For the purposes of jeans, however, simply measure around your navel.  Realize this is not going to provide you with an accurate jean size, but will be a starter.  Factor in the size jeans you normally wear.  If your waist size is 32, but you wear a 10, you'll probably only need a size 31.  You also want to go to a website like Nordstroms look at their sizing guide.  They will also conveniently tell you the designer's size guide.  Use this to help you purchase on Ebay.  You also want to use your common sense, combined with the following factors to determine you actual jeans size. 

2.  Designer.  Sizes actually vary by designer.  A 31 from Paige is like a 32 in Citizens.  One vendor's 31 may fit you, but in another's might stop dead in its tracks at your knees.  Additionally, a size 31 in one designer might vary from style to style.  Don't expect any designer except Parasuco & Lucky to go above a size 32.  A size 32 is a 12 in 75% of the cases, but a 14 for the rest.  Interestingly, in my experience, despite the 12/14 label, they're roughly the same size. 

3.  Fabric.  If a fabric has a 2% elastaine, elastin, spandex, lyrca, etc., content, it's generally more forgiving than a 1% stretch fabric content.  This is not always the case, however.  The direction of the weave, the looming, etc, all play into the actual stretch of the denim.  3% or higher is rare on designer denim, as that causes the fabric to be very stretchy and your jeans will stretch out of shape more quickly.  I chose a size 30 if the fabric content has 2% stretch and a size 31 if it's 0-1%.  Chose your size accordingly.

4.  Rise.  If a jean has a low-rise, you will notice the waist size for a size 31 jean is not 31, but 36.  Do NOT think that this will mean the jeans will be large on you.  This measurement is adjusted for the rise, as the jean will sit lower on your hips.  The rise on jeans varies from roughly 7-13 inches, with 7 being the ones your butt is most likely to spill out of.  If you've got anything smooshy on your abs, hips or thighs, don't choose anything below a 9 inch rise.  Muffin-tops, plumber's smiles, whatever you want to call it, are NOT attractive. 

So now comes the best secret.  Before attempting to buy denim on Ebay, visit a local boutique and try different designers and styles on.  Look closely at the rise, the elastic content, pocket styles, etc. that fit you best.  The style, if not on the hang tag, is usually on the inside tag of the jean or stitched into the waist band.  Then come armed back to Ebay for some fun searching.  Do a search first for your size (citizens 31) and see if you can specifically find the pair you tried on.  If you don't see it, type the style name in and save it as a favorite search and have the results mailed to you.  Sooner or later, you'll get an email!

What if you live in Fargo or someplace that doesn't have a local boutique?  Well, order a bunch of stuff to try on from Norstroms.  They usually have a free shipping and free return shipping deal.  Not that I'm advocating poor Norstroms as a turnaround dressing room service :)

You'll notice the main difference between department store brand jeans and designer jeans is the inseam.  Very few vendors come in a stock 32" inseam. Most are cut for the likes of Giselle.  Salt or Saltworks jeans are the ones that come to mind for those with short little ham hocks like me.  Expect every other vendor to have a 34-35" inseam.  This is ok if you wear monster stilletos, but for an every day jean, you'll have to get them hemmed at your local drycleaners/tailors.  Expect to pay $10-20 for this service unless the hem has unusual stitching, in which case you'll pay a lot more.  I've even heard of some tailors who (for an astronomical price) can preserve the shape of the leg for very petite women by completely remodeling it.

So what if you get it and it doesn't fit?  Well, buy carefully.  If you are purchasing a popular style that is getting a lot of bids, reselling is as easy as 1-2-3.  I would avoid using phrases when reselling like "this didn't fit me."  For some reason this makes the buyer assume there is something flawed in the fit, rather than flawed in the way it fit you.  While it may make you feel better, it will kill your sale :)

Also, don't hesitate to come back and resell your jeans once you're done with them.  Designer denim is an investment.  You might get 25-50% of what you spent back if the jeans are in good condition.  Be sure to specify if you've had them hemmed (and say professionally hemmed if you paid for it).  Otherwise, your buyers will assume it's got a factory inseam.

Good luck in your pursuit of designer denim!