Fashion & Apparel

What to check before you buy clothing from a Chinese DTC brand

Sizing runs differently. Chinese domestic sizing is typically one to two sizes smaller than US/EU equivalents. Trust the brand's own measurement chart in centimetres, not the nominal size letter — and measure a garment you already own rather than your body.

Look for a local returns address. The strongest signal of a real operation is a returns warehouse in your own country. Brands that only accept returns shipped back to China are effectively no-return for a $30 order.

Check where it ships from. "Ships from China, 12-20 days" and "Ships from a US warehouse, 3-5 days" are different products at the same price. Sort by delivery expectation, not by price alone.

Fabric composition tells you the price tier. Polyester-heavy blends at premium prices are the most common disappointment in this category. The listing should state composition and weight (gsm) explicitly.

Beware near-identical storefronts. A large number of storefronts share the same product photography and supplier. That is not automatically bad, but it means the "brand" adds no design or quality control — so buy on price and delivery, and expect no support.