First, I'll say that I believe smart, disaster-avoidant eBaying requires a pretty honed sense of personal style, so I've tried to roundup some of my faves across those categories (and decades.) Whether you're a Rachel Zoe-boho 70s type or a fierce 80s devotee a la Tina Chow, here are some tips on where to go:

For the hippie canyonista: Enid and Edgar. Caftans? Check. Embroidery? Check. Long-haired girls posing distractedly in front of trees, boulders, and riverbeds? This is on some Woodstock tip. Even if they get the random 50s or 80s piece they somehow manage to transport it to an early Wonder Years episode, stat.

For the 90s revivalist/Wasson wannabe: Hold My Gold is a great eBay secret. It's a small store with limited stock, so the bidding rarely gets wildly out of control. (And the peeps that run it are extra nice.) They are partial to anything with an echo of Milli Vanilli or My So-Called Life, so look here for biker jackets, cropped tops, and high-waisted tuxedo pants. As an added bonus, their current model has a bit of Agyness Deyn flair, which makes everything look extra enticing.

For the careful vintage collector: Persephone Vintage is a dreamy outpost for loved and recycled Rykiel, Couregges, Nina Ricci and Chloe pieces. Basically, if I died and went to heaven, my closet would be this eBay store. These are those carefully-selected, truly special items that you would kill to find under a pile on a blanket at the Rose Bowl. Except that smart people like these snap them up first to re-sell. Right now I'm crushing on a 1970s Valentino Dalmatian print shift dress that sadly (but happily for my checking account) I know won't fit. Go here if you want to seek out curated, smart selections that you'll keep for a lifetime. (Or at least wish you had.)

For the Dynasty-loving 80s girl: Thrifted is a heavily-stocked outpost for Valley Girl and Ivanka Trump circa 1986 must-haves. If you like sequins and shoulder pads, check it out. Just make sure you pounce when bidding gets down to the last minutes--they've got a lot of die-hard fans, with good reason. Brenda Dickson would so welcome you to her home if you arrived in one of their many ensembles.

images via Revolve Clothing

Jeremy Scott is quite predictable in his own avante garde way. But the very on-trend, early 90s redux he's offering up for Spring 2009 is the kind of thing that D.J. Tanner--rather than Roisin Murphy--would dream about. Just looking at this pre-teen dream of a collection makes me want to bust out a game of Girl Talk and slap on a zit sticker or two.

While there's a trace of Scott's playfully conceptual edge in these clothes, the puff sleeve stretch-cotton dresses, rose motifs and reams of lace are such a direct homage to Betsey Johnson it must be intentional. It's definitely unexpected.

A while back, I shared my joy at finding a very cool, very large 1930s necklace at the Vintage Expo. This necklace is not for wimps. In fact, I'd compare it to the velvet rope that barricades the doors at nightclubs, except that it's black and covered in Swarovski crystals.

Like most vintage items worth coveting, this accessory was well-loved. So, after numerous trips to the bead shop and a few hours hunched over with tweezers and superglue, I was able to restore it to its original glory. (Yeah, looks like I missed a spot, but who cares?) I hope this story can serve as a reminder that it is almost always worth replacing buttons, sewing up holes, or re-bedazzling vintage items that are a little tired. And while I promise I won't get in the habit of posting pictures of myself here, I had to share the monstrosity that is this necklace, which I wore in public and with gusto on Saturday night. Well worth a few hours of toil. Voila!