How often do you buy clothes at full price?

[RitaPanda]

I love a browse in higher end high street shops (Reiss, Whistles) etc but would never consider buying anything at full price. 90% of my wardrobe is from sales, TK Maxx or eBay.

The only things I really buy full price are 'basics' such as long sleeve T-shirts that I wear under jumpers from Primark or H&M, but these are inexpensive and not the kind of things that do on sale.

My current posh frocks (for weddings etc) are Reiss via eBay and TK Maxx - most of which cost around £30.

Just wondering how common it is for people to buy clothes at full price (other than shops that are very cheap to start with). I just can't imagine paying full price when there are so many discounts to be had all year round.

One thing I'm guilty of is only remembering the bargains - whether they're second hand, sales or TK Maxx. And yes some of them are fabulous. But I've a horrible feeling that if I did the maths, I would find I've wasted as much on inferior dupes and cut priced shit as it would have cost me to just buy the good stuff at full price.

CHarity shops are not the way to go for high end pieces. Chances are the charity will have someone listing their good stuff on eBay for them.

Cub Scout jumble sales and the like are more likely to be hiding gems.

That's a thought - I gave up on jumble sales long ago, partly because they were always on a Saturday so very tying. Maybe I should give them another try! But I think it's mostly about knowing your own turf. I have a circuit of charity shops that are unpredictable but occasionally brilliant and I think it's probably because they have one or two affluent donors with a personal connection to that charity - e.g. one is for a local hospice. Also the smaller, local shops are less likely to have the staff to do ebay. I even find the bigger charities don't bother Ebaying if an item isn't in perfect condition - sometimes all it needs is dry cleaning.

But I'd never pretend you can build up a whole wardrobe this way. It only works for me because I already have (ahem) a lot of clothes so I can afford to just look out for the gems.

Probably 70% of my work wardrobe is Reiss, Hobbs, Ghost, Jigsaw, LK Bennet, Whistles, Phase Eight - from Ebay! I've got pretty good at sniffing out work dresses.

I have the odd charity shop golden find, but not often. Enjoy browsing, though.

I buy coats and jackets full price usually, as I am an awkward shape and can't faff about with hit and miss Ebay purchases or waiting for sales, as if I find something that fits and looks good I need to snap it up (its so rare!).

I buy cheap basics from H&M, Primark, occasionally Next.

I rarely go with a full price unless i need it for practical reasons. But other than that and if I only want it without any reason at all, I wait for it to go on sale or just look for other stuff that are on sale. I don't think I'm being an intelligent buyer if I buy things at regular price and more often than not I feel guilty about it.

I'd say it's about 50:50 with me. For cheap basics, I'll normally don't bother trying to find a discount, as these items (eg jersey tops) can be pretty cheap as it is and I often pick them up as I see them.

For bigger purchases, then I will hold out for a discount, unless the item is likely to sell out.

I was recently stalking an item that I was planning to buy in the new year, thinking I'd wait until a 20% discount code came along. The item went half price for Black Friday, so I snapped it up.

I nearly always just pay full price but I don't often buy expensive clothes. I've made a few mistakes in the past buying something just because it's in the sale and a bargain and it never works. I hate rifling through racks of tat trying to find something nice. Probably don't shop in the right places.

Rarely.

There’s a shop down my street that sells beautiful, but really expensive clothes. I love the sale there!

Almost never. There are enough regular sales, Ebay and discount retailers that it's not really necessary. Personally I like the challenge of hunting down a good bargain and I resent paying full price as I think a lot of clothes are overpriced for the quality. Even with basics, I tend to wait around for a discount offer, which usually comes up every few months. I don't buy from charity shops though or used items on Ebay - I like my clothes to feel brand new.

"There are enough regular sales, Ebay and discount retailers that it's not really necessary"

But not with clothes in my size that I want to buy. Personally, I dislike the challenge of rummaging for bargains.