Measuring Pre-Owned Clothes Before Purchasing
When it comes to purchasing pre-owned clothes online, you should know how we take measurements before purchasing. We never rely on the tag and neither should you. Over time, t-shirts, sweatshirts, polos, jeans and other clothing items tend to shrink and some even like to expand or stretch. With this in mind, I've put together a guide down below to help you along the way:
- Measure your own best fitting article of clothing. Whether it be a t-shirt, dress shirt or jeans. We know you have the perfect fitting piece. Go grab it now.... go ahead, I'll give you a second...
- Lay the item flat on a flat surface somewhere. We measure all of our items by laying them flat and spread out with the seams as perfectly aligned as possible.
- Grab a tape measure and measure your item. Note the measurements down, this is how you're going to shop.
- (Optional) Grab other articles of clothing that "almost" fit perfectly or that you like to wear slightly oversized. This gives you a nice range to shop within.
Visual Measurements & Explanations
The t-shirt is fairly easy to to measure. I lay them flat and let the shirt sit naturally. I don't stretch the fabric and I try to make sure the seams line up on either side the best I can. I measure just under the armpit from left to right for the chest, and I measure from the seam closest to the collar to the bottom hem for the length.
We don't sell a ton of actual dress shirts, but you will see quite a bit of long sleeve casual button ups. Above is a diagram of how I measure these. The chest is measured just like the t-shirts, right under the armpit from left to right. From either seam closest to the collar to the bottom hem for length. The sleeve is a bit tricky. This is how I was taught to measure for selling online and I've stuck to it and not had any issues. I measure from the shoulder seam closest to the collar all the way to the cuff. So you will need to stretch the sleeve out at a 90 degree angle.
Jeans can be tricky. Very rarely do jeans measure and match what is on the size tag. Jeans can shrink and jeans can expand over time. Just because the tag says 36x32 doesn't mean those are the actual measurements. Never trust the tag on used garments.
The Waist - Lay the jeans flat on a flat surface. Let them sit relaxed but do stretch them out a little. I find that the front waist band usually droops a little and it's hard to get it perfectly straight for measurements. So I focus on the back waist line. Grab your tape measure and just from the inside of the fabric, measure from left to right to the other side. If it measure 18 inches, then I will list the jeans as size 36. Following me?
The Rise - You will measure from the seam in the crotch to the top of the front waist line.
Hips - You will measure from the left seam to the right seam across the middle of the zipper.
Thigh - You will measure from the left seam to the right seam just below the crotch.
Inseam - You will measure from the crotch seam all the way down to the bottom of the leg opening.
Length - This isn't always necessary, but I do it anyway. Measure on the outside of the jean from the top of the waist line down to the bottom of the leg opening.
Leg Opening - You will measure the leg opening from the left seam to the right seam.
NOTE: Shorts are measured the same way
Thanks for taking the time to read how I measure the clothes. I hope this was helpful. If you have any questions before purchasing an item, feel free to fill out our contact form and I will get back to you ASAP.
For a faster reply, text me at 901-308-8491