One of the key unresolved problems in fashion retail remains the crazy, unreliable sizing systems. Just because you are size $X at one brand, doesn’t mean you’re size $X at another. Also, the majority of brands only cater to average body proportions. Slim feet? Tall? Good luck!
In my experience it’s worse than that. Buying from the same brand, sometimes even the same item (or its successor), results in wildy different fitment.
I’ve strictly returned to brick and mortar. It’s so much more convenient buying something that fits.
The difference? The "Made in XXX" country had changed.
Agreed, trying to buy clothes online is a nightmare
This seems a bit nonsensical to me however I am reliably informed that this is the modern way.
Just buy European sized things. Sizes are sizes They're clear. They're clear to the point of your having a ability to measure yourself and always get what you're trying to get. Heck, many of these sites just publish a complete sizing guide, so that you can measure yourself.
My introduction to this, having moved from north America, has been eye opening. The standardization has eliminated any chance I ever try a North American made item now.
I live in northern Europe. I usually buy pants in the store so that I can try them on. I have to try on every single pair, even if they are the same size, style, color, and are sitting on top of each other on a table.
The sizes within the same garment aren't consistent, let alone the sizing in different stores.
Not to mention that some places only put the European sizes on sites for the European market after using a conversion from whatever sizing system they happen to use. You generally aren't getting a different manufacturer by avoiding a "north american made" item.
I'm European and I have no idea what you're talking about. This simply isn't true, and cannot be true even in theory because our bodies are three-dimensional and clothing sizes are usually single numbers/letters.
A single size number will always be insufficient - 95% of jeans that fit my waist are too short and there's no way to know other than trying them. Same with shirts. I can try two shoes in the same size from the same brand and only one fits because the other one was designed for stick figure feet. One of my shoes is size 43, another is size 45 and they're literally the same size.
People like making fun of imperial units but what actually deserves all this ridicule and more is the nonsensical chaos that is clothing sizes, numbers that the manufacturers seem to get via dice rolls.
Retail: I like this shirt on rack, try on two sizes, wait one size I need is sold out. End up settling for another item that I like and has my size in store. Might be third or forth option. I might just say forget it and leave empty handed.
Online: I kind of like this shirt, I buy 2 sizes I think might work, try them on when they arrive in my house on my time, if I actually like the fabric/look in person and I’ve identified the size works, I keep one of them and return the other. If I ended up disliking the fabric or something entirely that I couldn’t tell from product pictures I return both.
That said, the logistical issues of browsing/shopping online are significant too. I tend to be somewhat brand/store loyal so that’s how I deal with it.
The manufacturing tolerances for anything below designed fashion are just too large. When stuff is hand made (by experts, not just for the marketing label of “hand made”) then they tend to be accurate enough, but the stuff most people buy in shops is never going to have a reliable fit unless the whole supply chain is overhauled.
And that’s not to mention how for changes as the fabrics age and are washed. That’s a whole extra load of complexity.
Edit, to give an illustrative example. When cutting out pieces for a garment, the cutting will typically be done on a band saw (or fabric cutting equivalent). For most garments the fabric will be stacked 10-20 sheets high so that many pieces are cut in one go. A person shoving 20 layers of fabric through a saw in a few seconds is never going to be accurate. Contrast this to a high end garment where it might be 2-5 layers carefully guided through a saw by someone who can take a minute to get it right, that’s just far more likely to hit the targets.
Is it predatory on unsuspecting buyers? many times. Is it worse for a slice of the economy? Yes.
But free returns is unsustainable. Hence it eats into quality of products sold.
Even in the US, there are countless things you cannot return.
If returns cost them so much they'd do it now. But they don't: It is so much cheaper to produce the garment as it is that it won't change. They already make money from folk buying products and not bothering to return them.
No more free returns just means more consumers will be wary of ordering. The better fit stuff won't happen until actual laws are put into place and/or places start punishing manufacturers by refusing to sell their products on their platform, regardless of who is reselling them.
I very highly doubt it will affect whether or not returns are free, though.