Ooh gorgeous coat. I don't know about sales, but ebay is totally fine for J Crew. People don't waste time scamming J Crew. Not enough money in it! I have bought a few items in the past and they were fine.

There are more fruitful opportunities within premium denim (at least the big brands like CoH and 7FAM), and anything super high end or couture is very questionable. I would not buy a Chanel bag or anything like that.

I was a victim of fake premium denim years ago. Now I am probably over-educated on how to tell a fake from the real thing, so I am comfortable with it but I wouldn't advise it unless you've done your homework on cut numbers, styles, labels, and washes.

It's hard to anticipate whether an item will go on sale or sell out. I usually don't try to time sales--if I love something and think I'm going to have it for a long time (ie, it's not a "trendy" item), then I just end up buying it when I have the money saved up, rather than waiting for it go on sale. Sometimes the item ends up going on sale after I buy it, and sometimes it sells out. But because I really love it, it doesn't really matter to me either way, I'm just happy to have whatever the item is. Does that make sense? Are you a student or teacher? If so, you can get a 15% discount on full price merchandise at J. Crew.

Also, if you are going to wait for it to go on sale, keep an eye on it--if you see other sizes in the same color selling out, then you should probably jump on it. If you are a smaller size, 0, 2, 4 then I wouldn't wait, those go fast.

There are a couple of other places you can check for deals and price comparisons. For deals, retailmenot.com (http://www.retailmenot.com/) is always worth checking. For price comparisons, I like this site (http://www.beatmyprice.com/). For retailmenot, it's online buying, and the other, online search, but it's useful.

J Crew has such a following that it has several blogs, where coupons, deals, garments, and fit are eagerly discussed:
http://jcrewaficionada.blogspot.com/
http://jcrewaholics.com/

Hope that helps and you find your dream coat at a discount.

Last year the J Crew coats went on sale around Thanksgiving but it was truly an exceptional year for sales in general. They were super slashed after xmas (around $150 and below) too. Most stores have decreased inventory levels significantly this year however so I don't know if you'll be able to snag such great bargains again. If I recall correctly, the only colors left at the end of the season were black, brown and mustard. There's usually more selection of petites on sale since it is online only.

I agree with Ana's points - if you love it, buy it. Also, I don't think the j crew coats on ebay are fakes but there is PLENTY of fake J Crew jewelry (bubble necklaces for example).

JCA has a weekly selling post and you might be able to snag a previous year's model for a good deal. I've gotten a few good deals this way.

I bought a JCrew coat last year around Thanksgiving for less than half of retail. The personal shopper at our store was so helpful in finding me my size at another location. I just happened to duck in the store the day that all outer wear was marked down an additional 30% off. Definitely check around then because sometimes they mark things down in anticipation for Christmas. You can also find good deals after Christmas, but there's no guarantee that they'll have what you want.

I have to second Sarah... I got my Jcrew coat at 50 % off around this time last year....just keep an eye on the website. I think was only a week long offer...

I got back into J. Crew only toward the end of the winter, so I can't speak for when the coats got heavily discounted (although I do get the sense that last winter's sales were really unbelievable and J. Crew has significantly trimmed inventory to avoid having to discount as much this year). By last March, there were some coats to be had (lots being offered at $100 <i>before</i> the 20%-30% discounts), but I don't remember seeing many if any lady day coats. My impression from reading blogs is that that's one of the most popular cuts, so it might be worth it to get it sooner and not wait for the fire sales in late winter.

just wanted to let you know that i bought the dark poppy coat. with the current 20% discount plus new j.crew card for extra savings, it went from $318 (with thinsulate) to $209 (including shipping).

the customer service lady said there were 50 left in my size/color. perhaps i could have waited longer, but given that i've been hemming & hawing for this coat for 2 years (each time the big sales didn't have my size/color), i decided to take the plunge and cut back on lots of 'little things' for this 'big thing'...so, friends and family can expect christmas homemade goodies from me this year ;-D

boy, i can't wait! thanks all for your advice. aside from college tuition, insurance and 4 new tires all at once, this is a major purchase for me, so i hope it will pay off for years to come, lol...

Hooray, Cyan! Enjoy your new coat! :)

I bought a similar one in cream last year (changed the buttons) and I don't regret it. The coat will be with you for a long time. Enjoy!