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254 posts tagged buying
Starting a book collection
Collect a subject, an author or a publisher. Not "first editions" in the abstract.
Starting a manga collection
One series, in order, in one edition. Mixed editions are the mistake you cannot undo cheaply.
Starting a toy and collectible collection
Pick one line. Decide early whether you are a boxed collector or a loose one.
Starting a video game collection
Pick one console and buy complete. Loose is cheaper and never becomes complete.
Starting a sports card collection
Pick a player or a set. The parallel is where the money and the confusion both live.
Starting a record collection
Buy records you want to hear. The pressing matters later; the playing matters now.
Starting a comic collection
Buy a run you want to read. Keys in poor grade at key prices are the trap.
Starting a coin collection
Pick one series and try to complete it. Age is not the thing you are collecting.
Starting a trading card collection
Buy one set in commons until you can see centring without thinking about it.
Starting a sneaker collection
Buy pairs you will wear, in your size, until you can read a sole at a glance.
Getting the size right when buying toys and collectibles
A scale is a ratio, not a height. Ask for the figure measured and the box measured.
Getting the size right when buying electronics
A screen size is a diagonal. Almost every sizing mistake here starts by forgetting that.
Getting the size right when buying furniture
Measure the piece, then measure your door, your stairs and the turn at the top.
Getting the size right when buying outdoor gear
A two-person tent means two people and nothing else. Ask for the floor dimensions.
Getting the size right when buying sports equipment
Specification is sizing here, and most of it has standard names that mean something.
Getting the size right when buying baby and child items
An age on a label is not a size. Measure the child, then measure the garment.
Getting the size right when buying bags and accessories
Three dimensions and a strap drop. Photographs lie about bag size in both directions.
Getting the size right when buying sarees and ethnic wear
Length, width, blouse piece, and how much seam allowance is left.
Getting the size right when buying womenswear
Flat measurements, and the one question that makes them meaningful: was it stretched?
Getting the size right when buying menswear
Measure a shirt you already like. That one habit is worth more than any size chart.
Getting the size right when buying sneakers
The number on the tag depends on which region printed it. The insole does not.
How saree condition is described
No scale, and three places that decide it: the folds, the zari and the borders.
How furniture condition is described
Measurements, material, surfaces, repairs. There is no scale and no need for one.
How baby and child items are assessed
Three checks that come before any condition word, and one that can stop the sale.
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