Does size matter? Of course it does!  I'll bet most of us have bought things on eBay, from catalogs, or from other online stores and have been surprised at the size or scale of our item when we receive it, and not always pleasantly!  There are so many units of measurement being used, so many different coins and rulers used in pictures to show size, and the information might even be given in the description of the item.  So how is it that we are still surprised by size?

One area where we can be confused is by the picture.  Today's digital cameras have quite a range of pixels and quality settings.  These things can affect the size and quality of the picture over the internet.  Did the photographer zoom in on an area to show us something? Is the picture blurry? Don't forget color can be affected by the lighting used when the picture was taken and can even appear different from one computer monitor to the next.

What about the unit of measurement used?  It seems we all use different coins (are they zoomed in on?), rulers, and even different terminology. If you are buying fabric for example, what do you think of when you are buying a yard of fabric. Do you know how large a fat quarter is? I was shopping for fabric on eBay recently (aren't I always!) and came across a listing for 1 yard of a fabric I was interested in.  The item was described as 36 x 45. My problem with this item was that it was a fabric I already owned and knew that 1 yard of it would be 36x60. This could have been a typo or it could have been what was left from the seller's project. At any rate I would have been disappointed if it was really a 36x45 piece. I didn't win the fabric and I didn't ask any questions so I'll never know! What if you are looking for salt and pepper shakers?Or a Dumbo figurine? Would you know if it was a 2 inch or 5 inch just by looking? What about the scale of an item? This is very important is you are making a quilt using 4 inch squares.  What if the object in the fabric you are looking at is larger? Can you tell the actual size of the flowers in these pictures? There is a coin to help. Can you tell which picture represents the actual fabric?

The most important factor lies with us ~ the buyers. Are we assumming we know what the seller means in their description?  Are we shopping with a pre-conceived notion of what we want the item to be rather than what is really being sold? From my own shopping experience I have found I am my own worst enemy.  I seldom read the descriptions as carefully as I should. I know I don't ask nearly enough questions. So if we are disappointed with our purchases, don't blame the seller ~ do your homework and if size matters to you be sure and ask questions.