If you sell clothing online, providing a garment’s measurements is one of the most important steps you can take. There are specific ways you should measure depending on the platform you sell on. However, there are some basic measurements you should always provide. Including garment measurements will help you sell more, sell faster, and give your customers the confidence to continue buying from you. In this article we outline how to measure clothes for Poshmark by hand and with your mobile device. If you’re new to reselling or are looking for ways to improve your sales and exposure, be sure to check out our ultimate how to guide for reselling apparel.
Eliminate 2 Steps By Measuring With Your Phone
If measuring by hand seems time consuming, it certainly can be. Which is why we like to start by mentioning there is a way to measure clothing by taking a picture with your phone. If you already use your mobile device to photograph garments for listings, you might consider using it to measure as well. All it takes is one additional photo.
Capture is a web-app that will allow you to measure an entire garment in under 5 seconds. It will also create an image you can upload to your listing that shows where the garment was measured and what the measurements are, which is huge plus for customers (scroll to the end of this post for examples).
Why Is Measuring Important?
Why is measuring the clothes you’re selling so important? Yes it’s tedious, but your customers will thank you for it. The number one reason measurements are so important is because in vintage and secondhand apparel, determining fit without being able to try on is difficult. No one wants to purchase a garment that doesn’t fit, even if it’s not full price. No one likes returns either. An interesting fact to note, most global resellers (think ThredUP and The Real Real) have experimented with not providing measurements. The results were the same across the board – upset customers. What we mean to say is providing measurements is a must.
We recommend providing measurements on each listing, do not wait until you get asked. You won’t want someone waiting around to hear back from you and potentially losing interest in your item. Because measuring is necessary, but time consuming, Tailored provides a tool for automating this task. Sellers use their phone to snap a photo of a laid-flat garment. Instantly he or she receives the garment’s full measurement profile, along with an image showing where the garment was measured, in a format that’s easy to upload to a listing. Head to Tailored’s reseller page to learn more.
Now without further discussion, let’s get into how to measure clothes for Poshmark.
How to Measure Tops for Poshmark
Bust/Chest
This is the measurement you’ll get asked about most. To measure the bust, lay your garment flat and measure across the front from armpit to armpit. To make it easy for people to understand what you’re measuring, you may want to provide an image of the measurement similar to the photos in this post. Poshmark allows you to upload more than 10 photos of each garment, so use them.
The bust is one of the measurements we recommend doubling before putting it into the listing. For example, if your bust measurement is 17 inches, double it to 34 inches. People will generally understand it better if you do.
Sleeves
Perform this measurement on the top part of the sleeve, not under. Start at the shoulder seam and measure down to the end of the sleeve opening. If you’re measuring a raglan tee, measure from the middle of the back to the end of the sleeve. Additionally, you may want to make a note in the listing, or again, share a picture of the actual measuring being done.
Length
LengthThe overall length of a top is an important measurement for people of all heights, though shorter people will tend to search this out more than the non-vertically challenged. To measure the length of a top, measure from the highest point on the garment straight down to the bottom. For shirts with sleeves and sleeveless alike, the starting point will be the neck seam, or where the neck hole meets the shoulder.
How to Measure Bottoms for Poshmark
According to the NY Times, trousers and skirts are the most difficult items to purchase online. This is primarily because people come in all shapes and sizes and we all have a specific fit preference. Though when it comes to fitting a garment to our waist, we want it to be snug, but not too snug. Hence when learning how to measure clothes for Poshmark, take care when measuring bottoms, it will go a long way to helping you keep a successful sale.
Waist
The good thing about most garments today is they are stretchy. This means you’ll have some tolerance in your measurements, because even if you’re incorrect in your measurement, the garment may still fit someone the way they prefer. But this was not the case in years past. So if you’re measuring a lot of vintage garments, pay attention.
To measure the waist, line up the front and back waist and press the area flat on a table. Measure straight across and double this measurement. Be careful not to stretch or bunch the waist as this will have a dramatic effect on the measurement result.
Rise
Locate the crotch seam and place your tape right on the seam. Measure up from here to the top of the waist band, following the contour of the zipper. It’s helpful (as shown in the image) to make a straight line with the rise area to make it easier to measure.
Inseam
InseamTo measure the inseam, locate the crotch seam again. Measure from this point down the leg to the bottom of the leg opening. You’ll want to be sure to follow the contour of the leg seam, though the image does not to a good job showing this.
Hip
HipThe hip area is one many will leave out of listings. We recommend you add it. Again, people come in all shapes and sizes and the hips are a common problem area for both women and men. To measure the hip, locate the widest area of your garment between the waist and crotch. It will often be somewhere in the middle. Measure straight across and double this measurement.
How to Measuring Dresses for Poshmark
Dresses are certainly not the easiest garment to measure by hand, mostly because of their overall size. But the good news is they’re in the top three most popular products to buy secondhand. When learning how to measure clothes for Poshmark, you’ll notice many of the measurements are the same for other platforms as well. So you won’t have to learn and relearn.
Overall Length
If you think of a dress as just a big shirt, the measurements become easier. To measure the overall length, start at the highest shoulder point (usually the neck seam, just like with a top) and measure straight down to the bottom opening.
Waist
WaistLocating the waist on a dress can be a bit of a crap shoot, this is why it can be helpful to include an image showing where you measured from. Do your best to locate the waist area, which could be the narrowest point near where the waist is supposed to be. Measure straight across, edge to edge, an double this measurement.
Bust
Measuring the bust on a dress will be the same as measuring the bust on a top. Locate the armpit area and measure straight across, then double.
Pro Tip: Include An Image Showing How You Measured
What is something that people understand quicker than words? Images! Yes, images are very helpful at enabling your customers to quickly asses items you’re selling. People are so accustomed to viewing images now days. Also, our attention spans are very short. So any time you can add an image instead of text, you have a better chance of appealing to someone’s taste.
(size guide created by Capture app)
As shown in all of the images in this article, a helpful tactic in reselling clothing is providing an image of the measure tape on the garment. This does two things:
- Allows potential customers to see exactly where you measured the garment.
- Provides an easy guide if they want to compare the fit of your garment to something they already have at home.
They’re going to be reviewing images of your items anyway, why not provide one as a visual measurement aid?
As mentioned near the beginning of this article, measuring by hand is is tedious and time consuming, Tailored offers an app that can measure an entire garment in less than 5 seconds. All it takes is a single photo. If you photograph you garments laid flat, Tailored’s clothes measuring app is an easy way to reduce the hours spent on listings.
Set yourself and your store apart by providing content people are looking for and don’t take short cuts.
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