Fashion writer and brand consultant Erica Vrink has refrained from buying new clothes this year.

The author of the “Long Live” substack and founder of the N.Y.C.-based fashion community event EV Salon, she has stuck to finding unique vintage pieces on eBay. After sourcing menswear, designer bags, and even an $82 dress that she transformed into a wedding gown, Voulink got a number of tips for shopping on this platform.

“I think it's the best platform online for used clothing, period, sentence endings, how you can ”bring what you want to the website, whether it's a specific vision or you just want to browse vintage t-shirts,” She says.

The key to finding the perfect piece is knowing your size, reveals Voulink. She says, “My biggest piece of advice, especially for people who wear menswear a lot or are just starting out in menswear, is to invest in a tailor's measuring tape.

This writer points out that menswear sizing is “built into sizing” and says it is “perfectly fair game to send a message” about dresses you might be interested in.

On “Nice Talk,” Wurink shares how she became a skilled vintage shopper on eBay after years of thrifting. 'When I was starting out, when I was 16 and had babysitting money, I could get a Hollister shirt on sale at the mall for $20. I had to try everything.” I needed to recreate things I read about in Elle magazine or saw in movies. So I started going to thrift stores, and I loved the process and the fact that I couldn't control it."

Now she most appreciates “sustainability” and “serendipity.” 'I walk into a thrift store, sit down and spend an hour on eBay. That's how I relax. That's how I get inspired.”

Verlink shares more about sustainable shopping, her experience freelancing as a fashion writer, starting an EV salon, and more on this week's “Nice Talk.” This episode is available to podcast listeners everywhere.