Buying clothes from America, and getting the size right

Clothing prices middlingly and fails expensively. The multiple is fine; the risk is that a garment which does not fit has cost you the entire landed price, and sending it back across the world is not practical.

From our calculator on 7 September 2026:

Notice that the expensive jacket barely improves on the cheap t-shirt, which is unusual — in most categories value pulls the multiple down hard. Clothing does not get that benefit, because a jacket is bulky: folded, it is a large soft object, and size is charged as though it were weight (why).

Sizing: the part that actually matters

American sizing is not European sizing, and neither is consistent between brands. This is the single most common way a clothing order goes wrong.

Use the brand's own size chart, on the product page, not a generic conversion table.

Measure yourself once, properly: chest, waist, inside leg, and for shirts the neck and sleeve. Write it down. Then compare against the chart every time.

If you own something from that brand that fits, use its size and stop thinking about it. That is the most reliable information available to you.

Read the reviews for fit. "Runs small", "size up" appears constantly and is usually right.

American men's trousers are sized in inches — waist and inseam — not by a single number.

Vanity sizing is real. Two brands can differ by two full sizes at the same nominal number.

If you are guessing, do not order. Buy that one in Egypt and save the guessing for something with a size you know.

What is worth importing

Usually yes

Brands with no Egyptian presence

Technical outerwear — a proper winter or rain jacket of a quality not sold here

Sizes the local market does not carry, at either end

A specific piece you have wanted for a long time and know your size in

Several items at once from one shop, so the fixed costs spread

Usually no

Basics. T-shirts, socks, underwear — Egypt makes excellent cotton and sells it cheaply.

Anything in a size you are unsure of

Fast-fashion pieces bought on impulse; the multiple turns a cheap top into a not-cheap top

Heavy coats you could buy here, given the bulk penalty

Two more practical things

Egypt's climate. A serious winter coat is a specialist purchase here. Think about how many days a year you will genuinely use the thing before paying three times its dollar price for it.

Fabric and care. Check the composition. A garment that needs dry cleaning is a running cost, and some finishes do not enjoy a hot climate.

What we can and cannot fix

If a garment arrives damaged or is not what was ordered, that is ours — tell us at delivery or within 48 hours and we will sort it, as set out in if something goes wrong.

If it arrives exactly as ordered and does not fit, that is the risk you took when you chose the size, and we cannot undo it. We would much rather talk you out of a guess than process an order you will regret, so if you tell us you are unsure, expect us to say so.

How it works here

Send the link with the exact size and colour — one product page can hold thirty combinations — and we come back with one fixed price in Egyptian pounds, everything inside, usually within hours.