Staying in touch with the latest trends and fashions can often be very expensive. Designer clothes can be phenomenally expensive and when you add in the accessories for both sexes (belts, watches, sunglasses, etc) you can be looking at a momumental sum of money.

However, there are numerous sites online that can help you cut this cost, and perhaps the best of them is eBay. OK so you might have to be a bit less fussy with exactly what you buy and wear but if you’re happy to compromise just a little, you’ll be able to make some considerable savings.

Let’s look first at accessories, seeing as I recently had to deal with this situation. It was close to my little sister’s 16th Birthday, and I found myself search for gifts for her online. I knew she was a big fan of Tiffany’s accessories so I immediately found my way to the Tiffany’s website. I was horrified to find out just how expensive each item was, even the cheapest items on the site. After looking for just a few minutes on eBay however, i managed to find a half price Tiffany’s bracelet from someone that simply didn’t want it. The bracelet was totally genuine and came with all the proper packaging, it was just an unwanted gift, but because i was willing to buy second hand i got it far cheaper.

It’s no different with clothing either. Let’s say you’re a fan of Superdry and you fancy a couple of new designer outfits. Just a pair of simple jeans from a brand of this level can cost above £100 easily. But if you’re willing to look at second hand pairs, or factory returns, you’ll be able to get a pair far cheaper than that. Factory returns are excellent as they’re essentially brand new, but were returned from the factory because of a minor error or imprefection. These are often just a very small tear or mark somewhere on the clothing that’s barely noticeable, particularly when they’re being worn. You can usually find factory returns around half price, although they’re often even less than this and really shouldn’t be passed over before you’ve had a proper look.

So, if you’re after Birthday presents or even just a few gifts for yourself, get onto eBay and get looking at those second hand and factory returned designer clothes and accessories, you’ll find yourself a bargain in no time.