If you're like me, you remember your high school prom dress all too well. The dresses were rather boring and the sleeves were puffy. Like a bad dream from the 1980s, your date had a mullet and you had a curly perm straight from the salon.

Times have changed! I bought my daughter's high school prom dress from eBay, and now, I'm selling prom dresses and formal gowns on eBay. One of my goals with my eBay store, Sun Bunnies Boutique, is to help you buy a prom dress for less than $100, and still have room in your budget to accessorize.

I have a good eye for fashion. I have selected the nicest styles out there. Most of my prom dresses are NWT (new with tags) or if they're used, they've been used once and dry cleaned. All gowns should come from a smoke-free environment.

Here are 20 tips you need to know before you buy a prom dress on eBay and to help you save $$$ on Prom 2007:

1. Measure, measure, measure. Go by your daughter's measurements (or your measurements, if you're looking for a prom dress for yourself) , not the actual size of the dress. Sizes are not standard within the brands. Just because you wear a Juniors size 7/8 for casual clothing does not mean this is your prom dress size.

2. Prom dresses run small. If you go by your measurements, then you can always take the dress to a seamstress (or to a friend who sews) and ask for help to nip and tuck a little bit. The length will likely need to be hemmed, even if you are planning to wear silver stilletos with the gown. Call a seamstress and get a guess-timate on how much her services would be for a little alteration work and allow time for the seamstress to do her job without it being a last minute rush.

3. The first thing I do when I buy a prom/formal dress on eBay is inspect its zipper, its overall appearance, and any imperfections it may have. I list the gown with all disclosures. If a dress needs to be dry cleaned, I will send it to the dry cleaner. I think an eBay buyer deserves to have a newly dry cleaned garment, at whatever price they buy the item at. It's a professional courtesy. Try to build the cost of the dry cleaning into the cost of your item when you list on eBay.

4. Find out if your daughter (or you, if you're buying your own dress) likes embellishment. Embellishment usually means beading work, sequins, and/or embroidery. It could also mean glitter. There are two kinds of prom dresses out there: dresses that are highly embellished with sewn beadwork, sequins, etc. and those that are very plain. Usually, you can jazz up a plain dress with a rhinestone pin or with accessories such as pretty gloves, silver stiletto heels, and an embellished bag (big enough to hold your cell phone, a key, lip gloss, and an ID). If the dress is glitter, make sure that the glitter is woven into the fabric and not glued on. Glitter that is glued on won't last on a prom dress for more than one event.

5. Trendy colors for Prom 2007 are PINK, PINK, and PINK. Also, vibrant pastels like LIME GREEN. If you want to get maximum exposure for your dress, buy a BLACK prom dress and accessorize for prom (gloves, a rhinestone pin, those silver stilettos, and a shawl). You can use the same black dress for Homecoming 2007 and New Year's Eve if you mix and max the accessories. Think one dress and three occasions. Do the math! Not bad at all! No one will ever know you bought your dress on eBay and if they do, so what? You're practically Prom Queen, anyways!

6. Buy unique. Don't buy a Jessica McClintock because your girl group likes this brand. Buy something that you think will look good on you. A dress should flatter your figure without smothering it. If it's so tight you feel like you can't breathe, this isn't a dress you'll want to spend hours in. If you're unsure of dress style and size, get the Style number of the dress and the brand number, and go to the mall and try on this exact dress and find your true size. Then, jot down the notes of the style numbers and size, and go to eBay and see if you can find this dress online for fractions of the price at the mall. You'll be happy you did!

7. Resist the urge to buy a deep purple prom dress unless this is your favorite color in the whole world, you're going stag, or you have a very understanding prom date/boyfriend. Otherwise, HE may not be thrilled that he has to wear a purple bow tie, etc. to do the matchy-match couples thing. You might want to compromise with choosing a pretty pastel lavender prom dress.

8. Save money by enlisting your favorite parent to take pre-prom photographs in front of your front door. Have each couple pose and then get individual shots of each member of your group and one group shot. You'll be surprised how great pre-prom photos turn out and you'll save a bundle by not ordering a huge package of photographs from the school's photographer.

9. Skip the idea of renting a limo for you and your group, unless this is something you planned months before. You can also dine in style without paying for a formal dinner by picking your favorite restaurant and ordering 3 favorite desserts to share with your group of friends. A favorite restaurant comes to mind which is perfect to do this: The Cheesecake Factory.

10. Buy those silver heels on eBay if you know the brand and the size that fits you. Give yourself plenty of time to shop in the mall, and then be sure to write down brands, styles, and sizes that fit you. Shop online after going to the mall and you'll save a small fortune and still get the brand you dreamed about. Choose comfort over style because this is a marathon dance the night away event. You'll want to be in your shoes, not on the sidelines because your feet hurt with cheap shoes that only look good but feel like cardboard. Also, don't forget a pair of pantyhose. It's a prom requirement and it makes your legs look great!

11. If you buy a prom dress that is fully lined, you'll save by not having to buy a slip. You also should look for prom dresses with built in bras or built in bra tops. No need to buy expensive corset-style bras when these dresses already exist.

12. Look at the care labels on the prom dresses. Dresses that say dry clean only are the norm and you should expect to dry clean the dress after wearing it to prom. If you buy a dress that says spot clean only, you won't be able to fully dry clean the dress. These dresses are usually heavily embellished and the fear is that the embellishment will come off at the dry cleaner's .Don't store the prom dress in the dry cleaner's bag. Buy a separate dress bag with a zipper to lock away those pretty dress memories so you'll be able to wear the dress to another event. Investing in a dress bag is a smart way to spend your money. The dry cleaner's bag is not a substitute for a dress bag.

13. When buying on eBay, always request that the eBay seller include the hanger and a dress bag, if they have one. Otherwise, the dress should be transported in a dry cleaner's bag with plenty of tissue paper and it should arrive in a good-sized box. There are eBayers out there who mail dresses in flimsy Priority Mail bags. Do not let them ship your dress in a bag!

14. NWT should mean New with Tags. That means the paper hang tags come with the dress. NWT does not mean the sewn labels that are in the dress. If this were the case, all dresses would be NWTs and we know that is not the case!

15. Select a fashionable prom dress, but don't overdo it on the sexy! Prom is a school function. There are schools who are banning 2 piece prom dresses which expose your fantastic abs. You may look like a model, but there's no reason to wear a prom dress that looks like it could be a bikini top with a sarong bottom. Thing elegance, sophistication, and style. Your prom date will want to see this sophisticated side of you. Don't disappoint your date by wearing something too risque or provacative. You don't want an entire room of eyes looking at in a disapproving way. Don't dress like granny, but do dress hip and sophisticated by wearing clothes that fits you and covers you where you need coverage.

16. If you are buying a plain prom dress (to save your budget), concentrate on accessorizing with a rhinestone brooch, a little embellished bag (only big enough for a cell phone, lip gloss, student ID, etc.), a shawl, etc. You can even consider wearing your hair in an up-do and wearing a rhinestone tiara (also sold on eBay). If your prom date buys you a wrist corsage, do yourself and all parents involved and wear the corsage on your wrist. Do not store it in your purse. Your prom date will think you didn't like the corsage his parents picked out for you. Also, be sure that your parents bought your prom date a boutonniere, and that you help your date pin it on him Unsure of exactly where to pin the boutonniere on, just Google it.

17. Invest in a few girlie-girl prom 2007 magazines (Seventeen and Teen publish these types of mags). Get an idea of what's in and what's not by flipping through the pages with your favorite blend of Starbucks.

18. Wearing a black prom dress? Ask your mom if she'd mind if you borrowed one of her diamond pendants or a favorite diamond ring of hers to really accessorize your sexy black dress. My favorite accessory for prom? A sparkling diamond bangle bracelet. Also available on eBay!

19. I'll recommend these 3 brands for last-minute prom dresses: Alyce (if you like bodices super beaded and sequined), David's Bridals (for a multi-tasking dress which can be used for a wedding or another formal party), and Jessica McClintock (her styles range from bubble-hem short prom dresses to flowing gowns--all with a sophisticated flair and an eye to detail).

20. Just because you bought your prom dress on eBay doesn't mean the whole world needs to know. That's our little secret! There's nothing wrong with sticking to a budget for prom and what better way to start than by buying a prom dress on eBay! Just remember to measure, measure, measure!!

Seriously, buying a prom dress on eBay isn't that hard to do. Just keep my guidelines handy, and I promise you'll be successful at buying the perfect prom dress for YOU (or your daughter). Happy Prom 2007! Hope to see you on my eBay store, and I'll be happy to answer any prom dress questions you may have!