Don’t Fall Into These Pits!

Will it Fit?

The biggest advantage a brick and mortar shop has over an Internet retailer is that you get to try it on! By far, the biggest problem with shopping for leather online is getting the size right. Most leather motorcycle apparel today is manufactured in India, Pakistan, or China, and sizing standards will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Also note that it is standard practice that the consumer pays for all shipping costs in a size exchange transaction, the logic being that if you had taken the time to measure you’d have gotten it right the first time!

So take the time to read the size chart, and measure! Just because you normally wear a large is not going to cut it. Some very reputable leather apparel manufacturers recommend that you size up one, two, even three sizes larger.

The Female Body

Getting the right size of a leather motorcycle jacket for a woman can be especially frustrating. The size of a motorcycle jacket is determined by chest measurement. As you can imagine, women’s breasts vary tremendously in size! If you are a woman of average proportion, then by all means measure, use the size chart, and size up when appropriate. If you are a 44 Double D and 5’4” tall, you can bet it’s not going to be easy!

Most vendors genuinely want to get it right the first time, sparing their customers the expense of a costly size exchange. If you are a man or woman of extreme proportions, contact the merchant via the contact page. Indicate the item you’re interested in, and provide them with your chest measurement (normally in inches), bust measurement or bra size, and waist measurement where appropriate.

Sleeve and body length are pretty standard, so if you are extra tall, or have extra long arms, you may want to ask about tall sizes.

Just remember, if you normally wear a large, and end up with a 3XL, don’t take it personally! It’s not you, the jacket is meant to be upsized.

You’re Charging Me for Nothing?

Some merchants will charge a restocking fee for returned merchandise, which can be anywhere from 10% to 30% of the cost of the product. This is a legitimate practice that offsets the cost that the vendor incurs from the warehouse, and is also meant to discourage frivolous shoppers, of which there are many on the web. Warehouses don’t like straight returns, vendors even less so.

If you are browsing a site and see something you think you might like, you may want to see it first before you decide if you want to keep it. You may certainly do that, but keep in mind online shopping is not like going around the corner to your local Kmart.

Understand that the merchant first has to buy the product before it gets shipped to you. A straight return can take a month to six weeks for the warehouse to open it, inspect it, and to credit the funds back to the merchant, who then in turn issues your refund.

Think of the time the merchant spends on the transaction, at least triple that of a successful sale the first time around. Then add in the time they have spent answering your questions, or helping you find the right size, or answering your emails and phone calls of “where’s my refund”?

Any online leather dealer would much rather sell you something else than to go through the tedious return process. The ones that believe in their product, and know it’s presented in an accurate and upfront way, have a hard timing accepting an “I don’t like it”, or “it wasn’t what I expected” as a reason for a return.

At the very least, even if the merchant doesn’t charge a restocking fee, you will be out the shipping charges both from and to the warehouse.

If on the other hand, the merchant is simply unable to accommodate the customer, a restocking fee should not be charged.

Contact your vendor if you think you have been charged unfairly. Most merchants of leather online want you to be happy no matter what.

The Ins and Outs of Stock

Think of a leather motorcycle apparel web site as a catalog. As an authorized dealer for one or multiple manufacturers, they will naturally want to promote many if not all of the products of those manufacturers.

It is a fact in today’s world that most leather motorcycle apparel is manufactured overseas, with the company having distributorships located in various markets around the world. These distributorships are basically repositories, or warehouses that accept containers of stock from overseas, then distribute it to retailers in their geographical market.

Product comes in and goes out of stock all the time. Once a particular item goes into production on the manufacturing side, it can take six to eight weeks to reach the warehouse, a month of that time being spent on the high seas.

You can expect that not all items in all sizes in the catalogue are in stock all the time. Before you buy, it might be a good idea to contact the website (after carefully determining your size) to inquire about the availability of a particular item. In many cases, the vendor should be able to give you an eta of the replenished stock.

Shopping for leather motorcycle apparel online can and should be a rewarding shopping experience. Online retailers like smooth transactions and are happy to take the time to assist the consumer in getting it right the first time.

As an informed consumer, take the time to read the policies, know the pitfalls, and by all means contact the vendor if you have any questions or uncertainties before you buy!

Next: The Drop Ship Phenomenon

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