Bought Online, Doesn't Fit? The Taobao, Shein & ASOS Alteration Guide

Why Taobao, Shein and ASOS orders rarely fit true to size, which fixes are cheap and worth it in Singapore, and which ones mean the item was never going to work — with alteration prices from S$15.80.

The parcel arrives, you try it on, and it is almost right — close enough that returning it feels like a waste, wrong enough that you cannot wear it out. This is the most common outcome of shopping Taobao, Shein and ASOS in Singapore, and it is rarely about the clothes being poorly made. It is that three platforms use three different ideas of what "size M" means, and none of them were measured against your body.

This guide covers why online sizing goes wrong by platform, which fixes are cheap and worth doing, which ones are not, and what an online-shopping alteration costs in Singapore in 2026.

Why the Same Size Label Fits Differently on Every Platform

Taobao lists most garments by Chinese cm measurements against a size chart, not a S/M/L label matched to your usual size. Ordering accurately means measuring your own bust, waist and hips and checking them against that specific listing's chart — skip that step and you are guessing. Because Taobao is a marketplace of thousands of independent sellers, one store's "160/84A" and another's can be cut from completely different base patterns.

Shein publishes a size chart per item too, but sellers are widely reported to be inconsistent with each other — a dress and a pair of trousers in the same labelled size, from the same store, do not always match. Fabric is often thin, stretchy or has give built in to mask a size that is slightly off, which helps in some spots and hurts in others.

ASOS is the most consistent of the three because it is a single retailer rather than a marketplace, but it sizes to UK conventions, which run differently from US or Singapore sizing norms. The mismatch here is usually smaller and more predictable — a size up or down, not a completely different fit — once you know which UK size to order.

Across all three, the practical rule is the same: when in doubt, size up. A tailor can take a garment in cleanly and reliably. Letting one out depends entirely on how much fabric was left in the seam, which is never guaranteed.

What's Cheap to Fix (and Worth Doing)

Most online-fit problems are ordinary alterations, not special cases:

• Hems that are too long — pants pooling at the ankle, a dress dragging on the floor. The single most common fix, and one of the least expensive.
• A waist that gapes — taking in the waistband so trousers, a skirt or a dress sit where they should instead of an inch too loose.
• Straps or a neckline that sit wrong — shortening dress or top straps, or adjusting a neckline that gapes.
• A boxy fit through the body — taking in the side seams on a shirt, top or dress cut generously to cover a wider size range.
• Sleeves that run long — common on Taobao and Shein tops cut for a taller average frame than Singapore sizing assumes.
• Small faults on arrival — a loose button, a seam that has already popped, a zip that snags. These are repairs, not fit alterations, and are priced separately from S$5.80.

None of this requires the garment to have been bought locally or in person — fabric alters the same way regardless of where it shipped from.

What's Usually Not Worth Fixing

Some online purchases are not a tailoring problem, they are a sizing mistake, and it is worth knowing the difference before paying for an alteration:

• More than one size off through the shoulders or bust. These are frame measurements, not seam allowances — there is no clean way to take a garment in this far without changing its proportions.
• Structural pieces cut to a fixed silhouette — a fitted bodice, a corseted dress, tailored blazers with set-in sleeves. The construction that gives them their shape is also what limits how much they can move.
• Fabric with no seam allowance left to work with. Budget fast fashion is sometimes cut close to the seam line to save cost, which leaves nothing spare to let out even where the size chart suggests it should fit.
• Delicate or heavily embellished pieces where unpicking a seam risks damaging beading, print placement or a bonded finish.

In these cases, an honest answer is worth more than a quote — we will tell you at the fitting if a piece is not a good candidate for alteration, rather than take a job that will not read as well as it should.

What It Costs: Online-Shopping Fixes in Singapore (2026)

Prices vary with fabric and construction. Your exact price is confirmed at the fitting, before any work begins.

Trousers and jeans are priced on our pants alterations and jeans alterations pages, dresses and tops on dress alterations, and the complete list of what everything costs is on our rates page.

Bring the item as it arrived, not as you wish it fit. A tailor working from the actual garment — fabric, seam allowance, construction — gives a more honest quote than one working from a photo of the size chart.

A Smarter Way to Order Next Time

The cheapest alteration is the one you never need, and the second cheapest is the one that was always going to be possible. A few habits make the difference:

• Measure yourself before you order, especially on Taobao, and check the listing's own chart rather than assuming your usual size. Our guide to clothes alteration costs breaks down what different alterations typically run once an item does need work.
• Size up when a listing is between two sizes. Taking a garment in is reliable; letting one out is not, because it depends on fabric spare that is never guaranteed.
• Read fit-specific reviews, not just star ratings, where the platform allows them — "runs small" or "sleeves long" comments are more useful than a generic five stars.
• Keep small faults from becoming write-offs. A missing button or a stuck zip on arrival is a S$5.80 fix, not a reason to bin the item — our quick fixes guide covers what else is worth a second look before you give up on a piece.

Turnaround: Standard and Express

Standard turnaround is around two weeks from your fitting to collection, the same as our other alteration work. If an online order needs to be ready sooner — an event, a trip, a first day somewhere new — express alterations run at 1.5x within 5 working days, 2x within 3 days, or 2.5x within 24 hours, subject to an available slot.

Stitch & Steam is a by-appointment studio at 126C Canberra Street in North Singapore — one MRT stop from Yishun, a short ride from Sembawang, Woodlands and Admiralty. Doorstep delivery of finished garments is free for Canberra HDB estates and S$2.80 per way for condo and landed addresses.

Message us on WhatsApp with a photo of the item and where it does not fit, and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth altering and what it will cost, before you commit to anything.