Why So Many Small Sizes?

Lawman · Mar 3, 2008

This may have been covered before, but I continue to marvel at how consistently the items that are offered on SF are for smaller sized gentlemen. I am 6' 2", 210 lbs, and hardly what I would call a big guy. I wear a 48L jacket and 40 waist pants, which both seem to be exceedingly popular sizings at retail establishments. Why, then, are the suit/jacket offerings here almost always confined to size 44 and under? There are almost never size 48s, and I'm not sure I've ever seen 50 or above. And the shoes! I don't know many guys who wear less than an 11, but virtually all of the offerings here are smaller than that. I'm not complaining, but it seems curious.

edmorel · Mar 3, 2008

For me it's very simple. Suits/jackets in 38-40 and pants in 30-36 sell fast and with very little price negotiation. Same thing on ebay. Honestly, I would not even consider getting stuff above 46, unless it was ordered from me. Pants above a 38 waist need to be either sold very cheaply or held onto forever. Interestingly enough, I also stopped selling anything in a 42L-44L as I only know one guy on this forum that is a 42L that regularly buys stuff. On ebay, 42-44L are non starters.

Augusto86 · Mar 3, 2008

a) High-end fashion & style stuff is often pitched/cut for the very slim.

b) A lot of skinny guys come here LOOKING for the sizes rarer in B&M retail.

c) The stuff ends up on here 'cause it's remainders and extras that don't sell in B&M - the very low and high ends of the scale spectrum.

sweisman · Mar 3, 2008

You have unknowingly been talking to a large group of those of us who are "size challenged" At 5'3" 130lb, you are indeed a big guy!...No, I know I am not close to the norm, but there is probably a 5'6"-5'11" sweet spot out there on average. You must sell to the customers you have!

texas_jack · Mar 3, 2008

Yeah, I wear 48L and i find lots of stuff on ebay for cheap. This tells me that the demand for highend in that size must not be that large.

Lawman · Mar 3, 2008

Good insights, guys. I actually just picked up a barely worn Hickey Freeman sportcoat for $25.00, which is just amazing.

dkzzzz · Mar 3, 2008

Originally Posted by texas_jack

Yeah, I wear 48L and i find lots of stuff on ebay for cheap. This tells me that the demand for highend in that size must not be that large.

My impression is that an absolute majority of successful people are larger than average size.
Rich/large people prefer expensive/high end clothing and they shop in retail, not online.
I would guess that majority of successful people don't shop online , especially on Ebay.
Thus large size clothing is not in demand in online stores/forums because it is primarily bought in retail stores.

Antropology 101

Pedantic Turkey · Mar 3, 2008

At 6'2" you're probably in the top 2-3% of people in the world in height. Really.

texas_jack · Mar 3, 2008

Originally Posted by dkzzzz

My impression is that an absolute majority of successful people are larger than average size.
Rich/large people prefer expensive/high end clothing and they shop in retail, not online.
I would guess that majority of successful people don't shop online , especially on Ebay.
Thus large size clothing is not in demand in online stores/forums because it is primarily bought in retail stores.

Antropology 101

Are you suggesting that average size successful people do shop online? Because that seems like a hole in your theory. However, you have a good point so far.

NoVaguy · Mar 3, 2008

Originally Posted by Lawman

This may have been covered before, but I continue to marvel at how consistently the items that are offered on SF are for smaller sized gentlemen. I am 6' 2", 210 lbs, and hardly what I would call a big guy. I wear a 48L jacket and 40 waist pants, which both seem to be exceedingly popular sizings at retail establishments. Why, then, are the suit/jacket offerings here almost always confined to size 44 and under? There are almost never size 48s, and I'm not sure I've ever seen 50 or above. And the shoes! I don't know many guys who wear less than an 11, but virtually all of the offerings here are smaller than that. I'm not complaining, but it seems curious.

As it is, I'm 6'1", 205 and wear a 42L and a 10.5. But I always like visiting my friends in Munchkin land.

rssmsvc · Mar 3, 2008

I took a chance and listed some 48L Luciano Barbera, Purple Label, and Oxxford suits and all it brought was a lot of grief. Very few interested people and even less willing to pay $600 for a $3400 suit.

I had a chance to get a lot of 6 suits in a 48L RLPL Pure Cashmere double breasted light gray and light super 150's cream suits that retailed for $4500 and the only offer I got was from somebody offering me 250 for them when my cost alone was 900ea.

On pants same deal: 3 Examples:

(1)
I had some Brooks Brothers pants listed here for around 65 for a 40 waist that retailed around 300 and again it was nothing.
(2)
Black Label Flannels in a 40 waist , nothing.
(3)
Polo Wool
(4)
Oxxford pants in 44 Waist in gray nothing.

However, on the extremes 50XL and 36S go much faster.

overdog · Mar 3, 2008

I'm generalizing here, but in America, bigger people already have a leg up in society. So smaller people tend to pay attention more to subtleties like dress, in order to give themselves an advantage. I don't know what the average height is nowadays, but if we did a poll, I bet there would be more SF members shorter than the average than taller.

Pedantic Turkey · Mar 3, 2008

Don't be sure. Men's average height in this country is something like 5'9" and falling. (Thanks, google/mexico!).

Douglas · Mar 3, 2008

The answer is that smaller people have smaller brains and Edmorel is thereby more easily able to swindle them.

I kid, of course.

Hummingbird · Mar 3, 2008

I have thought the opposite - that there are too many clothes for gigantic, tall, fat people on here

I'm a 36/mens Small/slim fit kind of guy, (even though I am of non-short height at 5'10) and trust me when I say it's really hard to find smaller stuff. I think that overall the items here are more of an average size rather than one demographic. They aren't small, and they aren't large. Just medium.

Why So Many Small Sizes?

Senior Member

Quality Seller!!

Sean Penn's Mexican love child

Senior Member

Distinguished Member

Senior Member

Distinguished Member

Senior Member

Distinguished Member

Distinguished Member

Distinguished Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Stupid ass member

Senior Member

FEATURED PRODUCTS

Similar threads

Featured Sponsor

Definitely full canvas only

Half canvas is fine

Really don't care

Depends on fabric

Depends on price

Forum Sponsors

Forum statistics

FOLLOW STYLEFORUM ON: