Practically Free Jeans!

My grandmother in laws new puppy has been systematically ruining my clothing with every visit. On our first visit she chewed up my very favorite scarf. The one I got compliments on every time I wore it. The one someone brought me back from Korea as a gift.

Bad dog.

On our most recent visit I was wearing a pair of jeans that I knew I'd have to replace in the next few months. There was a worn spot that was becoming more and more of a hole, but wasn't quite there yet. One visit to grandma's and the worn spot was officially a hole. Puppy's sharp little claws and constant jumps were just too much for my poor worn jeans to bear.

Very bad dog.

The last thing I wanted to do right now was spend $200 on a new pair of jeans. Yes, I know there are jeans that aren't $200. I just haven't ever been able to find any that I would want to wear! So I headed over to eBay to peruse the Paige pages.

I found a pair of jeans with a Buy It Now price of $37.10 with free shipping. They were listed as new, but washed once. Do I care that they were washed? No! Honestly, I wouldn't have really cared if they were technically worn. The pictures showed jeans in perfect condition, and other listings like it were a lot higher.

I knew I'd have to have them hemmed. Nordstrom does this for free on jeans purchased at their store. Otherwise, they charge $14. All in all, I would have had a pair of good-as-new Paige jeans for $52.43 after tax. Pretty darn good deal, if I do say so myself!

When my jeans arrived they looked perfect. When I tried them on, I realized they were not. The zipper was broken. The pull was completely missing and the teeth were all funkified.

I really didn't want to return these jeans. Even with the cost to repair the zipper they were still a great price. I decided to take them in for hemming and repair and ask for a refund on the zipper price. It cost $16 to replace. I asked the eBay seller to refund the price plus tax to my account. I was a little nervous that she was going to demand proof of the broken zipper which I had neglected to photograph before taking into Nordstrom, but I figured I had my receipt showing I'd paid for a new zipper if it came to that.

Not only did this not end up being a problem, the seller was so apologetic for the inconvenience that she insisted on refunding me the entire price of the jeans. I spent $32.85 for hemming and the zipper, and that was that.

And that is the story of my practically free jeans! Now if I could lose just 5 pounds, I'd be the happiest frugalista on earth.