Shubz: I've never bought a pair of jeans that don't fit me. Once you know a bit about the brand you're buying, and the model, and of course your personal measurements, it's just a matter of checking and doublechecking... Online sites like Self Edge and Blue in Green (with its infamous BiG measurements style, used by most folks on both boards), make it very easy to check on a certain brand or model, and its measurements...
I never lose a lot of money when I sell items... That's the big advantage of buying 2ndhand gear... If you sell NEW gear (say you were 'dumb' enough to buy an item in a store, at full price), you have to automatically give a 30/ 40 % discount if you wanna be able to sell it online, even if it's NEW WITH TAGS, unworn,... If you buy 2ndhand gear, and decide to sell, you might have to lower the price you paid with 10-15 %... Big difference, as you can imagine...
I try to be very picky in the items I buy, but sometimes I just give something to a family member if I do end up disliking it, or if it doesn't fit well enough...
Both my dad and my brother are almost completely dressed with "hand-outs" from me... They both dress a lot better than they used to, as agreed on by other family members and mutual friends as well... Win/ wituation!..
If something doesn't make sense, excuse me ladies and gents: English is not my mother language
