When Columbia announced they were coming out with a line of winter jackets inspired by the ones Han, Luke, and Leia wore during the Hoth scenes in The Empire Strikes back, I knew I had to have one. I mean, I have been obsessed with Leia since I was eight years old. I live in snowy Minnesota, which basically is Hoth right now. The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite movie of all time. It was meant to be!

Then I found out they were going to cost $400(!!) and decided I probably shouldn’t spend that kind of money on a jacket, even if it was the coolest jacket I’d ever seen in my entire life. Thankfully, my husband knew better and decided to surprise me with one. He got to the Columbia store about 30 minutes before they opened on Friday morning, and waited in line with a bunch of other Star Wars nerds in hopes of getting my dream Leia jacket for me before it sold out.

By the time he got into the store, all the Han jackets were already gone, just a couple Lukes left, and a handful of Leias. Online, all three styles sold out completely within 7 minutes. But lucky for me, he came home with this:

I have to say, despite the ridiculous price tag, this jacket is amazing. I like that it doesn’t look like a costume or even scream “Star Wars” to someone who isn’t a fan. To most people it probably just looks like a cool, vintage-y jacket, but I know, and other people who love Stars Wars know, it’s something special.

In addition to looking cool, it’s also really warm! Columbia really didn’t cut any corners with quality here. The vest and jacket are actually two separate articles of clothing (that could be worn on their own if you wanted to). The jacket is completely lined with their shiny Omni-Heat thermal reflective lining, and has super soft fleece inside the pockets. There’s also a hood that zips into the collar of the vest, and some other nice touches like a leather rebels symbol and a “May the Force Be With You” patch sewn on the inside.

They only made 1,980 of each jacket (because Empire was released in 1980), and the jacket is numbered on the inside tag (I got number 1,123, if you care to know).

Like I said, these are completely sold out of these at Columbia, but you can find them on eBay (for over MSRP, of course). Han’s parka seems to be the most popular, with most Buy It Now listings at $1,000 or more (some auctions are at over $900 with lots of bids).

According to Columbia, some stores may have “select inventory” still available. If you’re feeling strong with the force you can try calling one of these stores (scroll down to see a list of locations).

I think it’s clear Columbia was really smart to do a line from the original series versus doing something from the new films. While their Rogue One jackets from last year were kind of cool, the response was nothing like it has been for the Han/Luke/Leia Echo Base Collection. Honestly, someone should have done this a long time ago!

Someone asked me if I’m going to wear my Leia jacket to The Last Jedi movie opening. My response: “Oh, I’m going to wear my Leia jacket everywhere.”

Shut Up and Take My Money: Columbia Star Wars Jackets

It’s Back-to-School time… which means clothes shopping… which means trips to crowded malls and big box stores… which means combing through clearance racks and piles of clothes. More and more, we’re deciding to stay at home and make those same purchases online as traditional retailers like Old Navy and Target and most recently H&M have made buying from their brick & mortar and online stores interchangeable, meaning a seamless shopping experience and less hassles with returns.

At Ben’s Bargains, we’ve found that some of the best deals online are apparel deals, due to the high markup involved in that industry. The single main drawback to purchasing clothes and shoes online — buying without trying on — is offset by increasingly common free shipping deals, simplified returns at brick & mortar locations or sometimes free return shipping (especially with online-only shoe stores) and, most importantly, the ability to quickly scan if your size is available or not. What a relief!

Here are 10 recent deals we’ve seen around Ben’s Bargains that will make your Back-to-School online clothes shopping a fun and money-saving experience:

1) Pick up cheap shoes from 6pm.com, the Zappos outlet, where standard shipping is always free. You can find casual sneaks like the Reebok Lifestyle Club C Men’s Shoes for $37 shipped (over $50 on Amazon) or dressier shoes like the Bass Amherst Men’s Dress Shoes for $29 shipped ($69 on Amazon). No free return shipping, but prices are low.

2) If you’re looking for some fun clothes, hipster T-shirt site Threadless is offering their wide selection of artist-created graphic T-shirts (at right) for $10 each + shipping (around $5) through August 16th. These shirts are usually $20 + shipping.

3) Nike Store is taking an extra 20% off clearance apparel and shoes through August 20th. Nike Store only runs this deal occasionally, and the clearance prices are often the best that you can find. Shipping runs about $8 but you can return any Nike.com order to any one of their official retail stores or outlets.

4) Get ready for winter with 40% to 50% off Past-Season Clothing from Patagonia. Shipping isn’t great (around $9 to $11), but it is free on orders over $75. These are good outlet prices. No free return shipping but you can return to Patagonia retail stores in 17 states.

5) Through August 15th, you can get an additional 50% off sale items through Gap.com. Shipping starts around $5, and there’s no free return shipping but you can make in-store returns at any of their ubiquitous retail stores.

6) If you’re not picky about your sunglasses, you can buy an 8-pack of “Name Brand” Men’s or Women’s Sunglasses from 13 Deals for just $15 shipped. No free return shipping, but then at this price it’s a small risk.

7) Columbia Sportswear (at left) is currently taking 25% off select men’s, women’s and kids’ clothes and shoes plus an extra 15% off with code. Columbia rarely offers codes through their online store, so now’s a good time to jump on their sale if you’re eyeing this brand. Shipping is a flat $6 and you can make returns directly to their retail store locations or outlets.

8) eBay Fashion Outlet is a great place to find deals from mainstream brands and retailers like Under Armour, Jockey, Fila and Hanes.  For example, Champion Cotton Jersey Men’s T-Shirts are $8 shipped through the Hanes storefront.

9) You can currently get an extra 30% off sitewide with coupon code at Reebok. Reebok CrossFit gear, items with $.98 price endings and custom shoes are excluded, but shipping is free on all orders. Beware, though, returns are not free or convenient.

10) If you like American Eagle Outfitters and want to avoid the crowds, the online store is offering an additional 60% off clearance plus free shipping on all orders for a limited time. There are some great finds here, plus you can return purchases to any of their store locations.

If you still prefer to shop in person, check out Raise.com, which offers up to 30% off hundreds of retail store gift cards. Shipping is free  on gift cards, plus you can currently get $5 off purchases $70 or more.

If you don’t see a favorite store or brand on the list above, you can create deal alerts (registration required) so you won’t miss them the next time they appear on Ben’s Bargains. If one of these deals is expired, you can also click the deal alert icon (the bell) on individual posts to receive an instant email alert.

You’re also welcome to send us tips or suggestions. Good luck!

10 Back-to-School Online Clothes Shopping Deals