Think Carefully Before You Buy Clothing Online
Buying clothes online can be a risky process because there is no way of knowing what you will get until it actually arrives in the post or by courier. It is so easy to purchase online in the heat of the moment particularly as you don’t have to hand over any hard-earned cash. You will only regret an impulse purchase when you see the debit appear on your bank account at the end of the month or when the garment ends up at the back of your closet like a white elephant because it neither fits nor suits you.
The most significant drawback when it comes to making online clothing purchases is that you cannot try the garment on. It may be available in a range of sizes from extra small to triple XL but how can you be sure that the size you are about to mark in the tick box will actually fit you? One manufacturer’s ‘medium’ is another manufacturer’s ‘small’ and there is simply no way of knowing for certain if the size you have chosen is actually going to fit. If, however, the online vendor has supplied measurements in centimeters or inches to correspond with the alphabetic or numeric sizing, then your chances are somewhat better. You will now be able to assess more accurately whether you are indeed a 34, 36, 38 or a 12, 14, 16, for example, according to the measurements of that particular manufacturer.
Okay, so now you are clear on the correct size, what about the fit? What fits one person well may not look so good on another because people’s body dimensions differ slightly within the various size brackets. Furthermore, some garments simply aren’t cut well. They look fine in the photograph but may have construction defects. Perhaps the skirt rides up or the jacket is too tight over the bust, for instance. Unfortunately, the only way to be sure a garment fits properly and hangs well is to try it on before you buy it which you can’t do when you are buying off the internet.
Finally, it is often difficult to judge the quality of a garment simply by looking at a photo of it, particularly if the garment is black, whereas you could assess at a glance how well an item of clothing has been made it you can see it with your own eyes. Detailing on black clothing does not show up well on a photograph and the actual garment could look quite different to the way it looks in a photograph. By visually inspecting a garment in your hand you can see if it has been well-made or if there are imperfections in the sewing or tailoring.
However, if you do decide to buy clothing off the internet after you have read this article, then remember to always check to see if the vendor has a ‘money back’ policy so that you can return a garment if you are unhappy with it.