Nordstrom vs. Ebay – #StoreWars Rd. 1

STORE WARS: Nordstrom vs. Ebay

Starting March 19th and running through April 8th, Dappered.com is hosting a bracket based tournament with the purpose of eventually crowning the all around Affordable Men’s Style Retail Champ for 2013.  For a full introduction see this post.  The bracket on the right will be updated as the tournament progresses.  Click on it for the full size.  Make a case for your preferred competitor in the comments section, but don’t forget to vote at the bottom of each match up. On with today’s showdown:

Strengths: From their website to the in-store shopping experience, Norstrom is top of the line while still remaining mostly accessible for affordable-minded shoppers (even if a lot of us wait for their Anniversary sale and Half-Yearly Sales for Men).  Their selection of brands is terrific.  Meanwhile, house brands like 1901, Calibrate, and plain ol’ Nordstrom always have something good going on.  Their policy of free shipping and free returns, no minimum, eliminates that risk of shipping dings and return charges.  While selection can vary by market, they seem to push some solid stuff the way of their outlets, Nordstrom Rack.  For an all around department store experience in the 21st century, Nordstrom seems to blow the competition out of the water, all while remaining mostly affordable if you’re patient and wait for sales.

Weaknesses:  They are on the top end of the price spectrum for most of us.  They’re not Barney’s by any stretch, but you’re not going to find many suits for $250 there either.  Despite a perpetually stocked sale section online, sale events that include much more of their normal goods are very, very infrequent.  The few affordable blazers that they offer come from their house brands, and those usually come with too-short-for most tails.  Suit selection is just flat out expensive.

Strengths:  There’s gold in them internet hills.  The world’s a big place, and someone, somewhere, is always looking to unload a lightly used piece or pair of awesome for a ridiculously low price.  It’s just a matter of finding it in your size and placing the right bid.  A favorite destination for shoe shoppers, looking to grab a pair of Allen Edmonds for cheap.

Weaknesses: More than a few of us have looked, and looked… and looked… but never purchased anything on Ebay. The uber-fans might claim ebay as a panacea for all style-related shopping quandaries, but it just doesn’t shake down that way.  It’s like thrift store shopping.  You’ve got to be patient and know that you’re not always (or often) going to find a specific item that you’re looking for.  Dealing with sellers (or buyers) can sometimes be a pain.  You’ve got to be careful with who you’re buying from and how you’re paying for the purchase.  More and more, it seems like Ebay is home to a bunch of professional horse traders, those people or shops with a bazillion items for sale, and less a place for individuals to go and score a good deal from another person who’s looking to make a couple bucks on something they don’t use anymore.

Your votes determine who goes on to the next round.  Cast your ballot below.  Voting closes at midnight ET.

UPDATE:  Despite putting up their annual, solid fight, eBay goes down.  Don’t worry eBay, you’re #1 in the hearts of many.