Monday 16 August 2010

One Size Fits Nobody?

Although this blog is supposed to be about things which amuse, inspire and interest me, sometimes the inspiration to write comes from not being amused at all. One of the things which makes me growl are meaningless size descriptions and the lack of real measurements for clothing and accessories which abound in online shops.  This is especially true on eBay, but it happens elsewhere too, including descriptions from some companies who really should know better.

Consider the following descriptions, gleaned from a few trawls recently:
  • One size.  Usually used to describe something stretchy which covers a range of sizes, or which doesn’t come in fixed sizes.  So, not one size at all.
  • One size fits all.  No, it doesn’t, don’t be silly.
  • One size fits most.  Might be true, but what about those whom it doesn’t fit?
  • Small, medium, large, extra large. On further reading, you might find this means sizes 10, 12, 14, 16, but are these UK or US sizes?  Even ‘standard’ UK sizes differ by up to 4 inches, and that’s without counting any fashion ease.
  • Plus size.  Which then turns out to be a size 18.
  • Long.  How long?
  • Big.  (Oh, please.)  How big?

Some potential customers who are really interested might get in touch with the seller to ask for exact measurements, but for most items, I’d bet most people won’t bother.  Sellers, do yourselves and your customers a favour – provide a size chart, or get a tape measure, and use it to provide real measurements.

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