In the midst of developing my eBay market research biz, I have had yet another entrepreneurial seizure. This new vision is all about providing e-commerce information. Transparency between seller and buyer. Reducing risk for all involved in online transactions. A perfect cause!
What is worth 3,000+ hours of painstaking prototyping, endless iteration, figuring out AJAX and conquering Photoshop? Ta-da: Size Help for Clothing, Shoes and Accessories.
Here’s a perfect example of the problem. A pair of True Religion jeans caught my eye. 
Which size do I get? In every auction and every size chart I looked at, the waist measurement was missing. The sellers claim the waist measurement equals the size stated (i.e. 30 size = 30 inch waist).
So I hunted down a brick and mortar store that carries True Religion. I took 2 pairs of jeans to the fitting room to measure and here’s what I found:
- Size 30 Bobby Urban Cowboy fit – measured flat and doubled
- Waist 33″
- Hips 41″
- And more…
- Size 29 Billy fit
- Waist 31″
- Hips 39 1/2″
The online size information was off by 2 to 3 inches. Using my suit sales experience, acceptable measurement error is 1/2″ to 1″ max.
Zafu.com is a kindred spirit in this cause. They take your input and find jeans for you. I’d like to go the other way, input a clothing brand and identify your size.
I’ll let you know when it’s running!
