The Doll Forum

I'm considering eBay for clothing, but what have people's experience been? I'm particularly concerned about the boxes as there are so many different sellers.

I've bought items off Amazon before that were shipped from third party sellers and sometimes they've marked the box/packaging with text/designs related to their store. Sometimes not an issue, but for these types of things I've noticed the sellers generally have a very specific focus so any potential markings on boxes would have a very clear theme.

I live in an apartment community where packages are delivered to a central location so need to be discreet.

Are there any particular big sellers you guys have experience with that have discreet packaging and large selections? Or for people that have used eBay for a lot of doll clothing orders, how often have you found the boxes to be marked?

I've bought 1000's of items online including 100's from eBay. Usually the only time I see boxes marked with something is Amazon, Walmart, and Target putting their logo on them (without naming content). Other non-discreet boxes are pet related: Barkbox, Petco, PetMeds.
When I get doll related items from China, there is a white customs tag that will say (in regular sized print) "mannequin", "clothing", "women's clothing", "wig". When I get clothing or accessories within USA, it's been plain and discreet. Hot Topic will just say "HT".
Many eBay sellers will specifically put "discreet shipping" as part of their description. If you have to avoid the customs tag, then I guess only buy within the country.

You could also rent a PO Box if you do want to buy overseas or are unsure of vendors.

cant help there sorry...but you might want to also factor in the item description. yesterday some satin full length kimonos i ordered arrived in lovely plain packaging, as they always do...but guess what the item description was....women's lingerie.

really? women's lingerie....wouldn't a nice and simple "clothing" do for the description. but whatever....by now im pretty certain the delivery dude thinks im a cross dresser that sometimes gets very heavy mannequins delivered

Items shipped to the U.S. (if that's where you live) from overseas will usually if not always have a shipping label describing contents. That said, will your fellow residents have time to either look at, or care, what you get in the mail?

If you're really concerned, you can always send a private message to sellers on eBay asking about how they ship things.

Depends. If you're buying secondhand items from a private seller on eBay, chances are they'll arrive in a regular or USPS Priority box. If you're buying from a company with an online eBay store, the box may contain some sort of logo. In either case though, seldom is there any indication of what's inside.

One caution, there's a lot of Amazon re-sellers on eBay these days. Folks with prime memberships that list things they've seen on Amazon for a few dollars more. If they get a sale on eBay they than place the order with Amazon and have it sent to your address as a gift. Usually arrives in a well marked Amazon box saying such. I hate that! Mainly because it means I could have bought it directly from Amazon for less. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing if eBay sellers are doing this as eBay does not require this disclosure. So, if you're buying a new mainstream item, might be a good idea to check Amazon's price first.