Buying guide to old dress patterns.

I have won a couple of sewing patterns on ebay. Sewing patterns are not cheap (although you get multi-buys often), but second hand ones are OK and unusual. Including postage, I got an 80s one for $5, and a 70s one for $11, and a 40s one for $3.70, which hasn't arrived yet. Took me a while to remember to check if I won it. The other item in the photo is a book Jess K gave me, The Pictorial Guide to Modern Home Needlecraft, which I've had a good look through and it is interesting and potentially even useful.

Tips for buying sewing patterns second hand:

• There's strong demand for anything "Vintage". The quainter it looks, the more it will cost. But it could still be cheaper than a quality new pattern.
• Prefer uncut to cut. It's best to trace a pattern so you keep the original uncut and if you want to make a different size you haven't lost it. Some people don't follow this rule and are selling cut patterns which are one size only.
• Vintage sizes can be smaller. People have gotten wider and bigger over the last generation or two. So check your bust size. Often a vintage size 16 is smaller than a modern size 12.
• A good price for a second hand pattern is $5 - $12 (including postage), unless it's vintage Vogue from the 50s with a big puffy skirt or something. The older it is the more expensive, really.
• Don't get too tricked by the illustrations. This rule applies to modern patterns as well, illustrations are illusions. They are darling, but you have to imagine the clothes on a real person, not a retro fashion illustration person with a tiny waist and high heels and and curled hair.