For six years I wrote lot descriptions for a small estate auction house. Dining sets, costume jewelry, one taxidermy owl nobody bid on for three straight sales. The habit never left. When I’m about to spend money, I catalogue it.
So here is my Halloween cart, written up the only way my brain knows how. Four lots. One buyer (me, a 4X on Rosegal’s chart). One party on Saturday the 31st at my sister’s place, where the dress code is “if you show up in jeans you’re carving pumpkins all night.”
And one deadline that matters more than any of the prices. We’ll get to that. It’s in the Conditions of Sale, which is where the important stuff always hides.
Sale No. 1031: The Halloween Cart
Viewing: Monday, October 5, on my couch, laptop balanced on a cushion.
Auctioneer: also me.
Venue: Rosegal, whose homepage is still mostly matching Hawaiian outfits for couples. In October. I respect the optimism.
Lot 1. Pumpkin Lantern Castle Ombre Galaxy Print Ruched High Low Asymmetric Dress
Estimate: $35.99 (their RRP)
Hammer price: $32.99
Description. Midnight blue ombre with a galaxy sky, a castle, and jack-o’-lanterns. Sweetheart neckline, 3/4 flare sleeves, ruching through the body, high-low hem that sits at midi length. It’s the dress on the Halloween banner on their homepage, which is how I found it, and I’m not ashamed of that.
Condition report. Polyester and polyurethane, listed as “slight stretch.” One color only. Every size from XXS to 6X showed in stock when I checked this morning. For reference, their 4X is listed as US 20 with a 49.2 to 51.6 inch bust, 44.5 to 46.9 inch waist and 53.1 to 55.5 inch hips. They note the measurements are taken on the garment and vary by category, so check the chart on this specific dress rather than trusting the size you bought there last year.
Auctioneer’s note. This is the lot I’d fight a stranger for. Sleeves mean I don’t need a cardigan over it, which means nobody at the party sees the cardigan, which means I win.
Lot 2. The Matching Witch Hat
Estimate: $27.99
Hammer price: $25.99
Description. Same pumpkin lantern castle galaxy print as Lot 1, listed in deep blue. Pointed witch hat, one size.
Condition report. Polyester and spandex. Listed at 13 inches tall and 18.3 inches long.
Auctioneer’s note. The most debatable lot in the sale. $25.99 is a lot for a hat you wear once a year. But I checked, and the plain black witch hat in their accessories section is also $25.99. If I’m paying hat money either way, I want the one that turns the dress into a costume instead of a dress that happens to have pumpkins on it.
Lot 3. Plus Size Halloween Floral Skull Print Crisscross T-shirt
Estimate: $31.99
Hammer price: $6.99
Description. Black, long sleeves, V-neck with crisscross detail, roses and skulls. Listed as high stretch. On the 4X the length is 34.4 inches, so think tunic over leggings, not tee tucked into anything.
Condition report. This one was in a flash sale with a countdown that said about 11 and a half hours left when I looked this morning. Sizes left: L, 1X and 4X. The 2X, 3X and 5X were already greyed out. Six reviews on the page.
Auctioneer’s note. This is the lot for November. Halloween is one night. A black skull tunic is every Tuesday until March. If you’re reading this after the timer ran out, the price is gone and I can’t tell you what it went back to.
Lot 4. Polymer Clay Moon Drop Earrings
Estimate: $10.99
Hammer price: $3.99
Description. Clay crescent moons on studs. Small, light, slightly gothic.
Auctioneer’s note. Bought purely to get the total over a line. I’ll explain in the next section. I’m also going to wear them, so it’s fine.
Running total
$32.99 + $25.99 + $6.99 + $3.99 = $69.96.
Free standard shipping starts at $69.00. Under that, standard shipping costs $4.99 to $8.99 depending on the order size. The earrings cost less than the shipping they cancel. Every auction house I worked for had a lot like Lot 4. We called them “door openers.”
Conditions of Sale (read these, please)
1. The gavel is the shipping calendar, not the price. Standard shipping to the US is listed at 15 to 18 business days. That does not include processing, which their shipping page says is within 24 hours for most orders and 3 to 5 business days for some. So I did the math on a real calendar. An order placed today, Monday the 5th, that ships tomorrow lands somewhere between Tuesday the 27th and Friday the 30th. Halloween is Saturday. That works, but only just, and their own page warns that public holidays can slow couriers down. If you order next week on standard, you’re bidding on November.
2. Absentee bids, a.k.a. Expedited. Expedited is listed at 3 to 8 business days. The price depends on your total: $24.99 under $79, $20.99 from $79 to $108.99, $7.99 from $109 to $168.99, and free over $169. That middle jump is weird and worth knowing. At $69.96, expedited costs me $24.99. At $109, it costs $7.99. So if a friend wants in on your order, now’s the time to ask.
3. Some lots are sold as seen. Rosegal’s returns policy is 30 days for unwashed, unworn items, but Sale items, swimwear, lingerie and earrings aren’t covered. That means Lot 4 is final no matter what, and I’d assume the flash-sale price on Lot 3 counts as sale too. Lots 1 and 2 are the ones you could send back.
4. Returns go through a ticket. Their policy page currently says direct returns aren’t available and you need to open a ticket with their Support Center first. Nothing ships back without a return authorization. Not a dealbreaker. Just not a “drop it at the post office on your lunch break” situation.
5. Buyer’s discounts. The banner promises “$110 off in total for new users.” “In total” is doing a lot of work in that sentence, so look at the actual coupons in your account before you count on any of it. Newsletter sign-up is listed at $10 off.
Lots not offered in this sale
If your partner wants to match, the same galaxy pumpkin print comes as a couples set. I saw it at $45.99 and $67.99 in the “how to wear it” section under the dress. I did not offer this lot. My partner’s costume this year is “guy who holds the candy bowl,” and he’s committed to the role.
Results
All four lots sold to the buyer in the back row (me) at 9:40 this morning, standard shipping, $69.96 total. I’ve set a reminder for the 23rd to check the tracking. If it hasn’t moved, the backup plan is black leggings and my sister’s old witch hat, and I’ll write you a very bitter follow-up post.
Everything above is on Rosegal’s website. Prices, sizes and that flash sale timer are as of the morning of October 5, and Halloween stock moves fast, so check before you trust any of my numbers.
Disclosure: those are affiliate links, so I earn a small commission if you buy something, at no extra cost to you. The taxidermy owl, for the record, finally sold in 2021. For four dollars.
What’s the one lot in your Halloween cart you’d overpay for? Tell me in the comments. I want to know who else is paying hat money.