Buying Clothes Online: Fit Tips Before You Order

The easiest way to handle buying clothes online and getting the fit right is to do the checking before you click order, so that the return window is a safety net you rarely need. Four checks catch most problems in advance: your measurements against the garment’s, the fabric’s stretch, the cut described on the page, and the return terms. This article is a pre-purchase routine, plus a plan for the first day the parcel arrives.

At ADDMPS, eligible unworn items with tags can be returned within 30 days of delivery, and the full delivery and return details are on the shipping and returns page. Read that page before ordering, because the details of what qualifies matter more than the headline number of days.

Why returns happen, and which ones you can prevent

Returns usually fall into a few categories: the size was wrong, the item looked different from what was expected, the fabric felt different from what was imagined, or the buyer ordered several options and never intended to keep them all. The first three are largely preventable with a few minutes of checking. The fourth is a habit worth breaking, since bracket-buying wastes time and creates hassle for you.

The five-minute checklist before you order

1. Compare numbers, not letters. Measure a similar garment you own and compare it with the listed measurements. Our guide to reading size charts explains body versus garment measurements.
2. Read the fabric composition. Rigid fabrics like linen or twill have little give, while blends with elastane forgive more. If the fabric feels important, like a suit or a dress, check the composition on the product page, as our note on fabric labels explains.
3. Identify the cut. Does the description say slim, regular, relaxed or oversized? That single word changes which size you should pick.
4. Check the length. Compare the garment’s length or inseam to something you own, and compare the model’s height with yours.
5. Look at every photo. Zoom in on the back view, seams, buttons, hem and any close-up of the fabric, since they show drape and thickness better than the hero shot.

How to decide when you are between sizes

If your numbers land between two sizes, choose based on the part of the garment that is hardest to alter. For a jacket, that is the shoulders. For trousers, it is the hips and thighs. For a dress, it is the bust or the widest of bust and hip. The waist, hem and sleeve length are easy alterations, while shoulders are not. If the piece is a stretch knit, you can usually take the smaller size. For a deeper look at how tailors treat these fixes, see which suit alterations are worth paying for, which also applies to blazers and trousers generally.

Order a second size only when it is genuinely a coin toss. Ordering three sizes “to be safe” means two of them travel back, and the process of sending them costs you time even if the return window covers the outcome.

What to keep in mind about the return window

Because eligible items need to be unworn with tags, treat the first try-on as a careful audition, not a first outing. Practical habits help:

• Try clothes on indoors, on a clean surface, without shoes that could scuff hems or a dragging trouser leg.
• Apply no perfume, deodorant or makeup before trying on, because these leave marks on collars and underarms.
• Leave tags attached, and if a tag is in an awkward spot, fold it into a seam rather than cutting it.
• Keep the original packaging until you have made your decision.
• Note the delivery date in your calendar. The 30 days count from delivery, and shipping a return back takes time.

For anything not covered here, such as how returns are processed or what counts as eligible, refer to the shipping and returns page rather than assumptions.

The first-day try-on routine

Set up the test

Wear the underwear, shoes and shirt you would actually wear with the item. Stand in front of a full-length mirror in good daylight. A garment that looks good in dim lighting can look different at noon.

Run the movement checks

Raise your arms, sit, bend and walk. Watch for pulling across the back, gaping buttons, waistbands that dig or a skirt that rides up. For jackets, the shoulders and sleeve length are the two things a tailor cannot easily fix, so check them first.

Test it with the wardrobe you own

Assemble two complete outfits with the new item, using only things you already own. If you cannot make two outfits you would wear, the item may be a poor fit for your wardrobe even if it fits your body.

Keep, tailor or return? A simple decision rule

• Keep if the shoulders, bust or chest and overall shape are right and any remaining problem is a hem, a sleeve or a waist that a tailor can fix inexpensively.
• Tailor if you love it and the issue is length or a slightly loose waist. Budget for the alteration before you commit.
• Return if it is tight or loose in a structural area, such as shoulders, bust, thighs or armholes, or if the colour, fabric or drape are different from what you expected. A quick decision is better than hoping it will improve after a wear.

Decide within a few days of arrival. Waiting until the last week means you have less time to exchange for another size or reorder if stock runs low.

Product page red flags that predict a poor fit

• No measurements at all. If the page gives only letter sizes and no dimensions, ask whether a chart is linked elsewhere, or compare with a similar item that does list them.
• A very stiff or very thin fabric with no composition listed. Without knowing the fibres, you cannot judge stretch, warmth or transparency.
• A model who is clearly pinned or clipped at the back. The photo then shows how the piece looks tailored to that model, not straight from the hanger.
• Vague words like “one size”. Oversized garments still have a wrong size, especially in the shoulders and length.
• Only front-facing photos. A back view reveals fit issues, so absence of one is a reason to be more cautious with structured items.

None of these rules out a purchase, but each is a reason to lean on your own reference garment and measurements more heavily.

Pre-order questions worth asking yourself

• Will I wear this at least ten times, in at least two settings?
• Does it work with shoes and layers I already own?
• Do I know how to care for it, and is that care realistic for me? A dry-clean-only jacket, for example, has an ongoing cost that a machine-washable one does not.
• Am I buying it because it fits my life or because it was in a photograph I liked?

A short list of questions like this stops impulse buys and removes many returns before they happen. If you are building a wardrobe from a plan, the framework in our online clothing sizing guide ties the process together.

FAQ: Fit and returns when buying clothes online

Should I order two sizes and return one?

Only if you truly cannot decide between two. Otherwise, use your measurements and the garment’s chart to pick one, and use the return window for the occasional miss instead of routine.

What condition must an item be in to be returned?

Eligible items must be unworn with tags, and can be returned within 30 days of delivery. For anything more specific, check the shipping and returns page before you order.

How can I tell if a fabric will feel right online?

Read the composition, look at close-up photos and compare with something you own. Linen feels crisp and cool, wool blends feel warm and structured, and elastane blends feel softer. Fine details such as thickness and texture are hard to judge from a photo, so allow for that.

Is it better to buy a bigger size and alter it?

Often, yes, because clothes are easier to take in than let out. It only makes sense if you have access to a tailor and the garment has decent proportions in the shoulders and length.

Ready to shop with a plan? Explore women’s wear or men’s wear at ADDMPS, and keep your measurements and the return details handy.

Edited by the ADDMPS Style Team.