Sorry to hear your bad experiences at Esprit UK.
I don't know about UK Esprit so much,but I have ever heard that Japanese buyer from Esprit really loves The Wildhearts and always ship the "best quality - means mint item only" Japanese WH rarities to UK office.....
So I think there are 2 choices :
1) "Time is money" thinking - I recommend you to choice "buy it now" items like Esprit one if you don't want to spend 7 -10days just for buying this items for nearly half price (if you would be a lucky winner).
And Jap monkey ebay sellers are not always very kind - they always try "auctioning" and they would love to earn as much as they can (more than Esprit price if it's poss).
I personally think this Esprit seller should offer their items for much cheaper on ebay as long as they named themselves as "Esprit Outlet" there.
2) Keep checking ebay for the cheapest items if you don't really mind the condition,the lack of Obi strip and wasted time etc.
Happy bidding - I have also ever bought a lot of WH items from Esprit UK for their "regular(bloody?) prices". Everyone is learning to be a much better buyer from their "experience".....
