With eBay and the internet flooded with salwar kameez and Indian fashions, how do you sort through them? Use this general guide to help you make the most informed decision possible. If you are a plus size woman, please see my plus size guide.

Copyright Notice: All text and images used are copyrighted by Pardesi Services, LLC. and may not be used without prior permission.

Guide Writer’s Qualifications
• One of the original Salwar Kameez sellers on eBay and the Internet, with more than 7 years experience selling salwar kameez and Indian Fashions.
• Salwar Kameez  and Indian Fashion Wearer
• Homes and Fashion Offices in both India and the USA allow the writer to have first hand knowledge of Indian fashions being created and worn both in India and abroad. Pardesi Fashions is a USA licensed business with the State of New Hampshire and a licensed exporter with the Government of India.
•  To learn more about our unique Indian Fashions business please visit our About Me’s website links found here: About Pardesifashions

The Guide

With global trading constantly increasing, the world markets have opened making previously hard to get items, fairly accessible. If you are a salwar kameez wearer or an  Indian fashion wearer, this is great news for you! Unfortunately, the downside is that the global market on eBay and the internet is currently flooded with tons of choices. They all look promising and some are just irresistible but how do you sort out the chancy ones from the best?  Use the guidelines below to help. These are general tips that you will find in my other articles on the web or within eBay. If you are plus size wearer, please see my plus size salwar kameez guide to see how these tips specifically affect you.

• Sizing and Indian Fashions/Salwar Kameez – Indian Fashions have very little standardized sizing. One seller may call a suit with a 38” bust a medium while another may call it a large. For many sellers this is a completely random and varied process. It also depends on the market the seller is coming from. An Indian medium is smaller than an American medium. Adding to the confusion caused by variation in sizing it is not uncommon to find Indian Fashions with proportions that do not match. This is not to say that all sellers are randomly assigning measurements because there are sellers who have done their research and/or have many years of experience clothing different shapes and sizes. These sellers will come closer to helping you find a better fit in ready made clothing and will be better able to assist you with custom made clothing. Be cautious when you see a sizing listed, and be sure to check out the actual measurements of the item.
• Know Your Own Measurements – This is one piece of advice that will help you in more ways than one. First, it will allow you to sort out all the variety in sizes as described above. You need to know your bust, waist and hip measurements at a minimum. Most sellers list the bust, waist, hips and length of the suit. A general rule of thumb in the Indian fashion industry is to allow yourself at least 2” extra over your measurements in the bust and waist. Example: You have a 42” bust so you are going to look for a suit with a bust of 44” or more. The 2” extra will result in a very close, tailored fit.  4” loosing is considered a loose fit and anything greater than 4” will rob you of the beautiful shape you are hoping to achieve. If you have a specific problem area (mine are my upper arms) then you really should know that measurement as well. While most sellers will not list these specific measurements you should be able to contact them with your concerns.
• Indian Fabrics – Fabrics used in salwar kameez and Indian fashions are different from most fabrics used in the USA and in western clothing. Most western fashions in the USA and in western countries have been made with some stretch or give to the fabric for many years. If the item is not specifically marked as “stretch” fabric, it is usually made up of soft material such as knit which does have some give. Indian fashions do not have any give at all. Due to the nature of the material being used, it is especially important you know your measurements and allow yourself enough room for comfort.
• Know the Language of Indian Fashions – Since a lot of sellers use the most popular keywords in their titles and item descriptions to bring more traffic to their auctions and websites, it is really important that you know exactly what you want to buy. For example, the words saree and salwar kameez are very popular search terms, you might find them used in the same auction or item title. Since a saree and a salwar kameez are two very different types of clothing, this can be confusing.  Another common tactic that most sellers will engage in is using the word salwar kameez in their title when the actual item may be a churidar kameez or an Indo-West Pant Suit. This is not to intentionally mislead you. It is because most buyers are just not familiar with the names of different Indian fashions. Do a little research and know exactly what you are buying. It can only help you to know the different kinds of Indian fashions available. For your convenience I have a guide for this purpose. It is currently published on my website but will be added to eBay guides as soon as possible.
• Most Indian Fashions Have Discrepancies – Most Indian Fashions, unless they are being mass produced, are not cut or stitched by a machine which can be programmed to cut and stitch each measurement exactly like the one before. In fact, most Indian Fashions are still cut by hand and stitched individually. This means that you can expect some discrepancies from piece to piece. For example, if you purchased a Medium size suit from a seller and it fit perfectly, then bought another size Medium suit from the same seller, there is a chance that some of the measurements might be slightly different. These differences are not usually listed within a half inch to inch margin. This is a normal practice. When the differences are more than a 2 inch margin, it is important to contact the business or seller so they can make a replacement for you. It is also common to have small discrepancies in the embroidery or decoration on a suit. This is not to say that the suit should look like a completely different suit but small differences only add to the unique nature of the suit. If you feel the item is significantly different from the one photographed, you should contact the seller and let them know your concerns.
• Know Your Seller/Research Them – I can not stress this enough. In the case of eBay, you can use feedback to help you with this but do not fall into the trap of seeing hundreds or thousands of positives at a glance and stopping there. You really have to dig deeper to get a feel for a seller. Here are some tips to help you sort through the hundreds or thousands of comments:
1. Start by looking at the overall feedback rating – it is true that you can not please every person every time, in life and in business. You can expect even good sellers to have a few negatives but you have to look at the percentage of negative to positive. Even if the seller has a good positive feedback you should look a little deeper.
2. Explore the Negatives First – If a seller has any negatives at all, it is worth your time to check into those. If the seller has hundreds/thousands of feedback, this might take a little time to sort through, but it is worth it. Even if the seller has only one negative to every 50 positive, remember that you could be that one person who has an issue. See what the buyer says and also if any comments are left by the seller. You will want to check out the buyer also by looking at their feedback. If they have a history of leaving bad feedback for sellers then you might just have a buyer who can not be pleased. Do not take the sellers word for it though, you need to research it yourself. If, however, the buyer does not have a history of leaving negative feedback and has left a negative feedback for a seller, you should look at it as a legitimate complaint. If the seller has listed a response to the negative feedback, take a few minutes to look at other responses as well. Does it seem like a canned response? Does it look like the seller has done what they could to help? If there is more than one negative comment, be sure to read as many as you can. This will let you know if there are any similarities.
3. Looking Closer at Positive Feedback – One of the biggest mistakes potential buyers make is to not look close enough at the positive feedback. Often when a buyer receives their items they are so happy with the way the item looks that they rush straight to leave feedback. Sometimes, they have not even tried the item on. As a potential buyer you want to look beyond the usual “So beautiful” comments because items can look beautiful but be poorly made, etc. Instead, look around for comments about the fit of the garment as well. Since a lot of customers leave comments before they try items on or look over them carefully, there may not be many comments out there like this. You can also look at comments that indicate the type of customer service the customer received. It is not uncommon to see comments about how lovely an item is but also to see comments that seller did not answer emails or was slow to communicate, even within positive feedback. Remember that if this is the case and you have a problem you may not get the support you need. Look for comments that praise customer service, communications, etc. You as a future buyer can be of great help to other future buyers. Be sure to leave feedback but before you do, look over your item, try it on and get an idea about how well made the garment is. If you think that there are any issues with your item, contact the seller and allow them a chance to help before you leave your feedback. Unfortunately, mistakes do happen and it is possible that it just slipped through.  Leave your comments, but remember to be fair. You can’t be too picky with hand made items but you also should not have to suffer from a poorly made item. If you have had any experience with customer service, be sure to leave that feedback as well.

I hope this guide has been helpful to you. If you would like to see another guide please do let me know and if I have the time I will be happy to write it for you and others.

Copyright Notice: All text and images used are copyrighted by Pardesi Services, LLC. and may not be used without prior permission.