Sizing is the most common cause of a return here, because listings mix UK, US, EU and Indonesian conventions freely. Ask for flat measurements — chest, waist, shoulder, inside leg, insole length — rather than trusting the label, especially on locally made pieces.

For anything branded above a modest price, ask for the receipt, the box, the dust bag and clear photographs of stitching, hardware and interior labels. Counterfeits circulate in this market, and protected checkout is the mechanism that gives you a route back if an item turns out not to be what was described.

Storage is the quiet problem. Leather grows mould in an unconditioned wardrobe within a season, elastic perishes, and sunglasses lenses delaminate. Photographs in bright daylight of the areas that go first — heel counters, bag corners, cuffs — are worth more than any adjective.