When selling shirts on eBay, measuring them is an important step. Providing measurements is the only true way to let potential buyers know about a secondhand garment’s fit. Relying on the tag-size alone will leave you open to customers being unhappy with items they’ve purchased due to receiving poorly fitting items. Everyone knows clothing sizes vary from brand to brand. So you’ll want to be sure to provide a few basic measurements when selling online. In this article we’ll detail how to measure shirts for eBay.
What You Need To Measure Shirts For eBay
The most important item here is a measuring device. Veteran eBay sellers use a garment measure tape (check out our article on the must have measuring tools for reselling apparel online). It’s the most practical tool for measuring clothing because:
- It’s flexible.
- You can measure on a curve.
- They contain both US and metric measurements.
- They’re long enough to measure all areas of a garment, except maybe for really long dresses.
Here’s a link to a measure tape we recommend. If you don’t want to wait to receive one by mail, you can always head to your local Michaels or Joann Fabric store. They have plenty of measure tapes to choose from as well as other accessories you may find helpful for your clothing resale business.
(Scroll to the end of this article for an quick intro to measuring garments with your phone, or click here to learn more)
If you don’t wish to purchase a measure tape, it’s acceptable to use a ruler or carpenters tape measure. Though your measurements may not be as precise as when using a garment measure tape, providing measurements is better than not providing them. Learning to measure shirts for eBay is one of most helpful steps you can take in assuring your buyer receives something they’ll love and enjoy. You don’t want to be in a situation where you miss out on a sale because a buyer asks for the measurements and is waiting on you to reply.
Set Up Your Workstation
If you’re like us, you’ll want to dive in and start measuring. This is great, but before you do, consider setting up a small workspace for yourself. If you’re planning on reselling more regularly, you’ll want to have a designated space to work in. This so as not to clutter multiple areas of your home and not drive the people you live with crazy. Here are a few tips for where in your house you should measure:
- Measure all garments on a flat surface. Think a kitchen table, a desk, a coffee table, or the floor. Do not measure on a surface that can absorb pressure, like your bed. This will cause you to have inaccurate measurements
- Make sure you have a way to record measurements. Use the notes app in your phone, a piece of paper or a spreadsheet if you’ll be measuring multiple shirts at one time.
Let’s Start Measuring
We’re not clothing designers, and most likely neither are you. Thus when you begin to measure shirts for eBay, you should only be concerned with the areas most important to fit. Below you’ll find the top three most important measurements you should provide when selling shirts on eBay:
Measuring the chest/bust of a shirt
How tight or loose will this top fit me? This is the question everyone will want an answer to before purchasing a shirt or blouse on eBay. Hence the bust/chest area is definitely a measurement you’ll want to provide. The good thing about most garments today is they come with a little stretch to them. So even if your measurements aren’t 100% accurate, most customers will never know the difference, but they’ll still receive a great fit!
The best way to measure any top is to place it flat on your table, with the front of the garment facing you. Now locate the seam at the armpit where the sleeve meets the body. Do this on both sides of the garment. As in the image above, measure straight across from edge to edge at the underarm seams. Make sure to double the measurement when you add it to your listing. Many will be confused if you say the blouse you have for sale has an 18 inch bust. For sleeveless tops you’ll measure from the armhole opening.
Measure the overall length of a shirt
Another important measurement is the overall length. Start in the same manner by placing the garment flat on your table, but turn the garment sideways in front of you. Locate the area where the highest point of the neck hole area and measure straight down to the bottom of the shirt opening.
Measuring the sleeve of a shirt
Measuring the sleeve of most tops will start at the seam where the sleeve meets the body of the shirt. Though unlike the chest/bust measurement, this time you’ll start on the top of the arm at the shoulder area. Measure from here down the sleeve to the end.
What if your top doesn’t have a seam where the sleeve meets the shirt body? Like with raglans and other tops without a defined line between sleeve and body, the proper way to measure is from the center of the back to the end of the sleeve. You’ll want to mention this in the description or share a picture of the actual measurement. Again the goal here is to provide value in your listings, not confuse.
Alternate Measurements You May Consider
There are other measurements you may get asked about depending on the type of garment you’re selling. If you’re selling a $20 sweatshirt, knowing the shoulder width is not necessary. But if you’re selling a $150 Chanel tee, someone may be a little more demanding. Check out our article on the full list of measurements for reselling clothing on eBay.
The Best Way To Share Measurements
Reselling clothing online is an awesome way to earn money, be good to the planet, and to pass on a gently loved item to someone else anywhere in the world. Though because people are unable to try items on and items have been washed and worn multiple times, you’ll need to go beyond providing only the tag-size in your listing. Providing a list of measurements in the garment’s description is a great way to share useful information about a garment’s fit with customers. A better way is to share photos. A quick search on any resale platform will give examples of how to do this. It could be as simple as sharing photos like the ones in this article.
Though if you’re getting into reselling on a regular basis or even thinking about making it a full time gig, Tailored’s innovative garment measuring app may be for you. As we’ve said many times, measuring garments you’re selling online is one of the most important steps you can take to providing a quality experience for your customers. Unfortunately, manual measuring is also one of the most time consuming and tedious of all resale tasks. Capture is an instant measuring software created by Tailored that you can use right from your phone. With one photo of a garment you will instantly receive a photo like the one at right, showing the measurements and exactly where it was measured.
The truth is many who buy clothing online secondhand know the measurements of their best fitting clothes. Thus when they’re looking at a new garment to buy, they have a reference point. So sharing measurement photos in listings gives customers an instant idea of how an item will fit.
The team at Tailored has partnered with many fashion and retail experts over the years to produce a service that is user friendly and helpful to resellers across the globe. The system will measure shirts for eBay as well as any other resale platform. Reach out to us with any questions you may have on measuring clothes by mobile device, or check out our homepage.