Found it thrifting but it’s the wrong size? Here’s how to find yours

Do this before you leave the store

The tag is the most valuable thing on that hanger. It holds the brand, often a style number, and the size system, and once you walk away you can’t go back and read it. So:

1. Snap the tag. On Spotter Otter, choose Add photo, then Take a photo. Get the brand label, and the style number if the tag has one, sharp and straight on. If the tag is plain but the print or colorway is the special part, photograph the item and type the brand from the label into the description.
2. Let it identify the item. Spotter Otter reads the brand, labels and any style code and writes a description, like Patagonia Retro-X fleece jacket in the Natural colorway. Check it and fix anything that’s off.
3. Add your size and price. Write your size the way you’d say it: waist 30, inseam 32, women’s medium, men’s 10.5. Set the most you’d pay before shipping; a maximum price is required.
4. Confirm and start. Luna, Spotter Otter’s AI, turns that into an eBay search and a list of must-haves. Confirm them and start the Spotter. From then on, every new listing is checked for your size.

Sizes are matched with the wordings sellers use, so Large also means L, LG or Lrg, and 30x32 also means W30 L32. A listing that states a different size is left out. One that doesn’t give a size comes to you as a Maybe match, so you can check the measurements yourself.

Read the tag like a pro

Most clothing tags carry more than a size. Here’s what to look for, and why each part helps the search:

• Brand and line. The neck or waistband label. Sub-lines matter: a brand’s outlet or factory line, a kids’ line or a collaboration is a different item from the main line, so include the full name on the label.
• Style number. Often on the care tag or a small tag in the side seam, labelled Style, Style No., STY or Art. On sneakers it’s on the tag inside the tongue; Nike’s look like DD1391-100. A style number usually pins down the exact item and colorway, which makes it the best search there is.
• RN number. “RN” followed by digits identifies the U.S. company that made, imported or sold the garment. If the label is a store brand or a name you don’t recognize, the FTC’s RN database tells you who’s behind it. A “CA” number does the same for Canada.
• Fabric and origin. “100% merino wool” or “Made in USA” are details sellers put in titles, and good must-haves if they matter to you.
• The size itself. Note which system it uses before you convert anything.

Size systems, decoded

Conversions vary by brand, so treat these as general guidance:

• Women’s US to UK: add about four. A US 8 is usually a UK 12.
• Women’s US to EU: a US 8 is usually EU 38 or 40, depending on the country, and Italian sizes run higher still.
• Men’s suits: EU size is usually the chest plus ten, so a 40R is about an EU 50.
• Shoes, men’s to women’s: the women’s US size is usually about one and a half higher. A men’s 8 is roughly a women’s 9.5. EU and UK shoe sizes don’t convert neatly, so use the brand’s own chart.

Be precise in your description: a men’s medium and a women’s medium are different must-haves.

Vintage sizing runs small

If your find is vintage, the number on the tag is only half the story.

• Older women’s sizes are smaller. Sizing has drifted over the decades, so a vintage size 12 can fit like a modern 6 or 8.
• Jeans shrink and get hemmed. Years of washing take inches off, and many pairs have been shortened. Vintage sellers often write “tagged 32x32, measures 30x30.”
• Measure something that fits you. Lay it flat. Measure the waist straight across and double it, pit to pit for tops, and the inseam from the crotch seam to the hem. Compare with the measurements in each listing, and ask the seller if there aren’t any.

For vintage, a matching tag size is a strong start, not a promise of fit. Check the measurements before you buy.

A worked example: Levi’s 501s, found in 34x30, wanted in 30x32

Tips for any thrift-to-eBay search

• Close sizes need their own Spotter. Your must-have size means that size, not the one next to it. If a 31 waist would also work, start a second Spotter for it.
• Say whether the color matters. “Must be the olive one” is a must-have. “Any color” gets you more listings.
• Check eBay today, too. A Spotter only alerts you to listings posted after it starts, so search eBay once now in case your size is already up.
• Let it run. Some items appear in your size within days; a rare vintage piece can take much longer. The Spotter keeps watching so you don’t have to.

Shopping for something sold out new rather than a thrift find? See finding sold-out items in your size. Hunting vintage in general? Vintage clothing alerts has the search words to use.