Sizes in headings and international selling

retro ruth

retro ruth

Administrator
Staff member
Hi everyone,

Please excuse the lengthy post - I'm hoping this will be a useful topic for all.

I always like to put a size indicator in the heading of a listing - and I know I like to see them when I'm shopping.

I'm in Britain, and with the dire state of the British pound right now, I've been doing quite well selling things (like vintage specs) to international buyers. But with clothing there are all the issues of sizes being different in different countries. In the listing of course I put exact measurements, (and I'm now doing inches and centimeters). My question is just about headings, and getting a buyer to click!

So what's most effective to put in headings size-wise, when I want buyers in various parts of the world to understand it?

For the UK market, I think it best to put approximate dress size such as '12/14' but I imagine that American buyers misunderstand that (a UK 12 is an American 10). You can put 'UK12 US10', but that's a lot of characters, a bit clumsy, and I don't know how much it means to European buyers. Plus I don't usually want to nail a vintage dress down to just one size.

'M/L' or 'XS' is a simple though unspecific option. Another is specific bust and/or waist measurements 'B38' or 'b38 w28', or even '38-28-40' - though again I don't know if Europeans get that.

For shoes, I reckon 'UK8 US10 42' is probably worth using up the characters for (I'm dreaming here, of finding vintage shoes in my size). Do you agree?

In your part of the world, how much do you understand of sizes in other countries - if you're in the US, and you saw a dress selling from the UK saying '12/14', do you immediately understand the American equivalent, or do you assume it's an American size? If you're in Europe, is 'b38' understandable?

Or do you not bother with sizes in the heading at all? I also see things 'rare large size' used, for things like a larger 1930s/40s dress.

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts, buyers and sellers.

Ruth
 
Ruth, sizes are tricky because every country seems to have a different system - I can't even figure out if Australia and the UK have the same system because ideas differ and my size changed when I moved between the two so I have no idea....

anyway, I search ebay UK and ebay US on size, but I use "large" or "L" or even "XL". Many sellers seem to put them in the headings, although it's eternally interesting to see what people consider "large" (eg, a dress with a loose bust but tiny waist will usually be called XL when it's really an XS).

Nicole
 
It's often been said on the trade side that buyers would like to see...at least...a S/M/L in the headings, and want it to be accurate. (i.e., a L is not a 26 inch waist) And internationally, that may be the way to handle it...with a conversion chart or explanation in the body of the listing.
 
I always try to work S-M-L-XL into the title. When I shop I will look at M-L-XL as they can all occasionally fit - some with a little modification.

I'm sure I'm missing out on some wonderful items that would actually fit me, but I simply don't have the time to read the descriptions of every dress that catches my eye without a size in the title~
 
in Europe sizes also differ from country to country.

For example, a German 38 corresponds to an Italian 42 (this would be I think size 10 in the US /12 in the UK - but I am never sure and I am always mixing up US and UK sizes).

UK /US shoe sizes are always a mystery to me and I think to Europeans in general.

I would suggest using in the heading the S/M/L/XL sizes, which are also understood in Europe and with a detailed chart in the body of the listing.
 
Well as an american seller and buyer... I wanted to state that I KNOW that sizes run different and I wont even consider a listing if the exact measurements aren't in the description unless I am buying it for resale. That being said... with me being a med... I look for S/M/L sizes in listing titles and i give the preference over unstated dresses.

BUT... what I really wanted to say... I know the sizes are differnt and would research it before buying but I did not know UK 12/14 was a US 10.... specifically beacuse I have never bought out of the USA... and I could have befallen a tragedy there! I am new at sellign and buying on ebay... but not tooo new (about 5 months) so I think that this is a very good topic to bring up.... Also you stating the sizes in centimeters also is a great idea and I feel like a shmuck for not doing that sooner....

what is the abbreviation for centimeters? thank you!
 
cm

Here in Aus we get clothes from all over the world so I'm getting good at comparing sizes, eg waist = 26 inches (66cm) is a an Australian size 8, a UK 8 or 10, a US 4, a French 36 or 38.

I take a size 6.5 shoe, luckily the same as the US, but a UK 5 and a French 37.

Nicole
 
Lol thanks nicole... I meant like 34-24-36 I write as B- 34" W-24" and H-36" the little " inch symbol and the ' as a foot.... does cm have a specific symbol? or if i wrote say 66-52-70 you would know what that meant?

thanks
 
No cm is the only abbreviation for centimeters there's no symbol like for inches. I think I'd realise what 66-52-70 means, but for clothes measurements I get confused by centimeters - I only know my size in inches. Not sure if that applies to all Brits, might be to do with how old you are.

I'm glad others are finding this useful too - I certainly am.
 
I like the S/M/L/XL myself, as it gives you the option of specifying the range of size the garment will fit, since they'll often fall between sizes. You can use, e.g., L/XL and it doesn't take up many characters. Now, that's on vintage sizing. When I sell modern clothing, I generally use the numerical sizes, but will still state two sizes if it falls between. I'm not sure how I've come to that, other than that modern sizing is pretty consistent and easily understood by most buyers. To be sure, it might mislead a U.K. or European buyer, but I do state measurements in all my listings--vintage or modern--and have sold contemporary items overseas, so it doesn't seem to have been an issue.
 
Many thanks for all the responses, that's really helpful.

Seems like S/M/L is the way to go in headings, and I find getting an insight into peoples understanding of sizes in countries other than their own very useful.

As for me, I'd forgotten about Italian sizes being different, and only vaguely understand European dress sizes anyway. Though I'm very familiar with European shoe sizes as they appear on most shoes here in the UK.
 
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