Buying a suit off ebay

Hey this past week I went suit shopping with little success. I visited my local stores but found nothing that fit my body, criteria, and budget. So I've decided to look at Ebay, I following the leads some of you gave me and Im pursuing a cheap H&M suit that I can throw away after a while. The suit is a 40L, I am a 38L but ppl said that a tailor could size it down for me. Im very apprehensive as I've never bought anything big off ebay before. If you could give me any advice as to what to ask the seller and such please help. I really appreciate all of you helping me, I really want to become a sharp dressed cat.

If you want to view:
http://cgi.ebay.com/H-M-SLIM-FIT-BLA...item255669903b

Looks too expensive to take a risk in sizing.

Originally Posted by intent

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Looks too expensive to take a risk in sizing.

In all honesty I could not find anything at almost every store in my area. Buying online is not something I do eagerly, but it is my last option. Do you think that I should message him and get measurements?

Thanks

Originally Posted by cheyrou

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Hey this past week I went suit shopping with little success. I visited my local stores but found nothing that fit my body, criteria, and budget. So I've decided to look at Ebay, I following the leads some of you gave me and Im pursuing a cheap H&M suit that I can throw away after a while. The suit is a 40L, I am a 38L but ppl said that a tailor could size it down for me. Im very apprehensive as I've never bought anything big off ebay before. If you could give me any advice as to what to ask the seller and such please help. I really appreciate all of you helping me, I really want to become a sharp dressed cat.

If you want to view:
http://cgi.ebay.com/H-M-SLIM-FIT-BLA...item255669903b

1) If you're a 38 and the suit is a 40, it's going to be very hard for a tailor to make it look right. Small adjustments in fit are no problem (e.g. waist suppression), but sizing the entire coat down is tough to get right.

2) Even if you can find a tailor who can/will successfully size down a suit, the expense would likely be much too high to justify for an H&M suit.

If you're still considering the suit I would absolutely contact the seller and ask for very specific measurements.

What are the measurements that I should ask for? I was told earlier that a tailor should be able to size it down without much trouble. What does going from a 40 to a 38 entail? Im very new to buying suits so I really need help from people who are familiar with it. Thankyou very much

The only ebay suits I buy are the exact make and model I've bought at brick and mortar stores. I have several HF Madison suits in 39R that fit like MTM with just a bit of tailoring. I keep my eyes peeled for others that come up on ebay from time to time. I would not buy something I've never tried on. Same for shoes -- picked up several AEs in 9 D that I know will fit.

Buy what you know and you will not be disappointed. Try something new and be prepared for surprises.

Twotone

Originally Posted by cheyrou

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What are the measurements that I should ask for? I was told earlier that a tailor should be able to size it down without much trouble. What does going from a 40 to a 38 entail? Im very new to buying suits so I really need help from people who are familiar with it. Thankyou very much

For the coat I would request pit to pit, shoulders, length measured down the back from the bottom of the collar, and sleeves.

For the pants I would ask for waist and inseam at a minimum.

Take a look at the buying and selling forum, and see what measurements the sellers there provide on suits. The measurements they usually provide are what you should get from the eBay seller.

The problem is that this might not help you much, given you're so inexperienced. You would be much better off being patient and trying to find something you can try on in person.

To be honest, I've never sized down a coat, so I don't know the details on the process. However, my impression is that it's pretty labor intensive and yields results that are, at best, inconsistent. If you're set on the idea I would ask your tailor how much he'd charge for such an alteration, just so you're not surprised.

Lastly, you don't mention why you need a suit, but black isn't a great color. Given your inexperience buying suits, I'm willing to bet this is going to be your first, and thus only, suit. If this is the case I would highly recommend navy or charcoal, which are both much more versatile than black.

The suit is for prom. I currently have two navy suits, one of which fits me well. I bought it from men's wearhouse with my father, I believe that the suit was a 38L but it had to have a good bit of tailoring done. I'd wear the navy to prom but I wore it to homecoming and a few other school occasions. My sister is at home and she works in clothes, I will have her measure me and I'll post them shortly. I'm sure she'll know how to measure.

Ok so some upper body measurements:
Middle of back to wrist: 35.5"
Chest at nips: 37.5"
Top of shoulder to Top of shoulder: 18"
Top of shoulder to wrist: 25"
Waist 1" below navel: 28"
Inseam crotch to ankel: 34.75"

heres a 38. http://cgi.ebay.com/H-M-NWT-SLIM-SKI...item4cedd721f0 alot of h&m suit sellers on ebay will let you choose what size trousers to order. measure the suit that fits you well and compare the measurements to the ebay listings.

thanks a lot, but it's imperative the suit be long, im 6'5 the collar to bottom of jacket is 29.5 i need apx 33"

Don't do it

Find a 38L or 39L but don't let someone talk you into a size 40. You can't really cut down a suit in most cases and the few times you can require a lot of $$$$ for the tailoring.

Originally Posted by pocketsquareguy

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Find a 38L or 39L but don't let someone talk you into a size 40. You can't really cut down a suit in most cases and the few times you can require a lot of $$$$ for the tailoring.

+1. Yeah, this isn't worth it. You really should just shop around until you find a suit that will fit you properly. This really can't be done over the internet if you don't have any prior experience with the particular brand and you don't know a lot about what stuff works for you (no offense - you'll get there eventually).

perhaps a different approach might make it a little easier? eg trousers and a nice sweater. add a coat if its cold.