Vintage Ts represent all three of the environmental Rs. So not only are they a superior cut and super soft, they’re a unique reminder of days past that don’t harm the environment in the present. Forget Junk Food t-shirts, Amplified, Hot Topic and all the rest of the retro reproducers; this article deals exclusively with authentic vintage tees.
I’m all for damning the man, but in terms of vintage t-shirt shopping, eBay is a necessary evil. It’s the best way to shop for vintage, especially if you have a specific t-shirt in mind. So, if you don’t yet have an eBay account, register here. Relax, you don’t need to surrender any credit card information.
As with any online shopping experience, there can be a few pitfalls when searching eBay for vintage tees. If genuine vintage tees are your bag, fear not! I created a comprehensive three-part vintage t-shirt shopping guide to help weed out the wack and fight the phonies.
This list is comprised of 4 categories, each containing 5 different vendors. If you’re interested to hear more about the selection process, the fine print is at the bottom of this page.
1. Vintage Veterans
eBay vintage ambassadors who work around the clock to satisfy the masses. They’ve got a mind-blowing amount of transactions under their belts with top-notch feedback to boot.
Hattrick Vintage Rating 15,000+ 99.9% This store scores on all levels with a nice blend of poly-cotton genres. With thrift tees and a decent rock tee collection, a constant flow of auctions and new store inventory to satisfy the likes of all. Oh, and yes, they have hockey-related merchandise as well.
Vintage Vantage Rating: 7000+ 99.3%. Let’s give credit where credit is due: VV has been one of the pioneers of the eBay vintage shirt phenomenon that continues to run wild. (Hey, they were my inspiration for getting into the business.) Funny descriptions, styled photos and a series of trippy backdrops. They currently sell mostly through their website, but still release a consistent flow of auctions. Fresh.
Smith and Pooter Vintage Rating 18,500+ 99.2%. The next big shooters who have had 200+ items consistently up for grabs since day one. I’m not sure which one is Smith and which one is Pooter but they have the two most recognizable faces in eBay vintage. I suspect they might be robots because they look freakishly the same in every photo.
Shirts with Balls Rating 13,000+ 99.6% For the past 4 years SWB has been one of the biggest advocates for the sale of poly-cotton on eBay. They now claim a physical addiction to 50/50 – and that’s not even the half of it. They carved out a name for themselves after releasing a line of offensive 9/11 shirts… and thong underwear. Thongs With Balls, unfortunately, never made it off the ground.
BeverlyHooligans Rating 11,300+ 99.5% Silly me, I thought Dylan McKay was the biggest old-school badass in Beverly Hills. Say yes to 90210 and get lost in this extremely active eBayer’s store. Worry not, the prices aren’t Rodeo Drive style, but some of the gems they put up for grabs are sure to drive the aficionados crazy.
2. Band Boutiques
If you’re into music-related shirts then tune in to these rock-solid vendors. Their operations are primarily made up of exclusive higher-priced items in fixed-price format.
The pot of gold at the end of rainbowgasoline is a huge selection of more than 700 vintage shirts, and it gets bigger every time I blink. It’s almost impossible to type in a band tee and not see RG’s inventory in the results. Taking the silver medal is Silver Ruins who have an impressive selection of more than 500 vintage tees – the majority of which are music-related, but there’s also a healthy selection of sports-related tees. Wyco Vintage is the youngest vendor on this entire list but that hasn’t stopped them from jam-packing their store with some seriously sweet rock tees while maintaining a track record that is anything but novice. Ol’ reliable, Stormcrow Vintage keeps a consistent stock of 200-300 tees which are mostly music-inspired, and complimented by a nice flow of auctions, some nifty store customization and the holy grail of feedback ratings. As fate would have it, 4all2envy rounds out this list with a well-balanced selection of both music and sports-related tees.
3. Auction Advocates
Going once, going twice, sold! to the shirtless gentleman in the front row. If you enjoy the excitement of auctions and don’t mind the agony of being outbid, shop with the sellers who mostly sell via the gavel.
The t-shirt_junkie takes the first spot for taking the first step toward recovery and admitting he’s a vintage tee addict. Now he distributes his own demons with low starting bids – almost like a dealer gives away dope. Up second is doublesixvintage who always has a consistent array of both sought-after and obscure tees – whether it’s one of the rarest Harley tees you’ll ever lay eyes on, or a kitschy cool Milli Vanilli tour shirt. Apparently vintagecloset00’s closet is a lot like Oscar the Grouch’s can – it’s endless. VC specializes in music-related merch so it’s boutique style, but strictly auctions and bids start higher. If you get romantically attached to your shirts, brokenheartvintage can help you mend and vintageretrowear has been committed to vintage tee auctions since the early 00’s.
4. Infinite Inventory
Check out these guys if you’re a Windows window shopper or a browsing browser user. Whether it’s a rock tee from the late ’70s or a sporty tee from the late ’90s, shop with these vendors in the near future.
spicoli4ever is in the top of this class. They could have been placed in a few other categories, but I found that the incredible variety was their strongest feature. With more than 2000 shirts, go in and get lost. galaxyvintage&modernclothing’s selection is as infinite as the universe and it’s complimented by an equal number of more modern-day shirts. zimmermantwin touches down in the number three spot with a great array of both sport and music tees that will have you seeing double. Arrrr mateys! thecaptainsvintage’s selection is as vast as the blue sea. The captain maintains a nice balance of top shelf items and lower priced gems. thriftstore-cowboy rides into town to claim the final spot. This shop borders more on thriftware from the ’90s and beyond, but they also have plenty of ’80s gems for sale.
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Please post comments, suggestions, and links to other favorite stores. Your ideas will help me build a Directory of Vintage T-Shirt Stores.
The Disclaimer: This list was not easy to create, especially given the amount great sellers out there. I narrowed the list down from 60 possibilities to 20 selections; and through this process, even opted not to include my own store. Maybe I’ll have better luck next year. This independently selected list is not affiliated with eBay.
Their Credentials: All of the vendors on this list have an excellent track record – at least 99% positive feedback, with stellar detailed seller’s ratings. They are all PowerSellers who provide a consistent flow of genuine vintage merchandise, not “retro” or “vintage style.”
My Credentials: I have been an eBay vintage tee vendor for the last five years, and in this time have consistently spied on all things eBay vintage tee-related. In recent months the intensity of my research has dramatically increased as a result of creating this blog.
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