Ordered the wrong bra size: how to tell us the right size

Ordered the wrong size? Reach out to customer service by chat or email, give us your order number and the size you need now, and within the 30-day perfect fit guarantee we'll send the right size at no cost. You usually don't even need to send the wrong bra back first. Just figure out which size you actually need before you reach out, because guessing again tends to land you right back here.

Below you'll find why this happens so often, how to check what's off in a couple minutes, and how to pass along the right size so it fits the second time around.

You mixed up the clothing size and the bra size

This is by far the most common reason. You order an M, say, when you actually needed a bra size like 36D, or the other way around. The two look similar but they're not the same thing: the clothing size (S through 3XL) is what you click on the product page, the bra size (like 36D) is what you normally wear from another brand. One of our customers put it well: "I'm a 40D, but is that XL or XXL?" That's exactly where things go sideways.

Quick check: pull up the confirmation from your last order. Does it show a single letter like M or L? Then you ordered the clothing size without first converting it from your own bra size. Easy fix: just give us both now, your old bra size and the clothing size that matches it on the size chart.

Out of the nearly 2,900 women we asked about their biggest bra frustration, 8.2 percent named the wrong size or cup. You're definitely not the only one running into this.

The band digs in, or rides up your back

The band carries most of the weight, not the straps over your shoulders. When that size is off, you feel it all day.

Quick check: pull the band on your back down a little and try to slide two fingers underneath, side by side. If that's easy, the band is too loose and will ride up toward your shoulder blades. If you can barely fit one finger under it, and you see a clear red mark on your skin after you take it off, the band is too tight.

Does the band visibly bulge under your clothes, or do you see back fat pushing out above and below it? That's also a sign the band size is off, usually too small.

The cup spills over, or there's extra fabric left

This is the second big culprit. A cup that's too small presses and cuts in, sometimes bad enough to leave marks. A cup that's too big gives no support and you sag out of it.

Quick check: bend forward, let your breasts settle into the cups, then stand back up. Does flesh spill out above the cup, or to the side toward your armpit, or can you see the cup's outline through your shirt? Then the cup is too small, try going up a cup size. Is there instead a hollow bit of fabric left over, or does the cup move separately from your breast when you lift your arm? Then the cup is too big.

Here's an example: if you're wearing a 38C now and the cup spills over at the top, try a 36D. Same overall size, one cup size up, one band size down: that's usually how cup sizes shift in practice.

You never actually measured your size

"I'm not really an orderer, I just try things on, it's hard for me to figure out the right size," as one customer put it. Totally relatable, and the fix is usually simpler than you'd think: a tape measure and two minutes.

Quick check: measure your band size snugly under your breasts, where a bra band would normally sit. Then measure your bust at the fullest point, without a bra on. The difference between those two numbers determines your cup size. A couple inches' difference is already a full cup size up or down, so measure twice rather than rush it.

Not every brand converts bra size to clothing size the same way, by the way, and that's exactly why the same size fits at one brand and not another. Read more about that in why the same bra doesn't fit everyone.

How to pass your new size along to Monavida

Once you know which size you need, passing it along is the easy part. Here's how:

• Reach out by chat or email, you'll find both options on the website.
• Give us your order number, it's in your confirmation email.
• Tell us both your bra size (for example 36D) and the matching clothing size from the size chart.
• Wait for confirmation: you'll usually get the right size sent out within a few days, without needing to send the old one back first.

This happens every single day, and it almost always works out. One customer wrote:

I ordered the wrong size at first, and pretty quickly I heard back that they'd send a new one. Very friendly service.

For the full details on how it works when you don't have to send anything back, read how free exchanges work at Monavida without returning anything. And if you want to know your broader options after ordering the wrong size, check out ordered the wrong size at Monavida: what now.

So which size should you pick?

For the Daily Essential Bra, the size chart runs from cup B through cup H, with band sizes from 32 to 48, spread across 12 clothing sizes from S to 3XL+. There's no separate XS. If you're stuck between two band sizes, go with the smaller one: the band should give a little, but it still needs to support you. If you're stuck between two cup sizes, go with the larger one: a cup that's slightly roomy feels better than one that presses in.

If you used to wear an underwire bra in, say, 36D, that's a good starting point for your new size, even though a wire-free bra can feel a little different in fit than what you're used to.

Why this is never a reason not to reorder

Because size mix-ups happen so often, this is exactly what the Daily Essential Bra was built for. The memory foam cups shape themselves to your breast instead of the other way around, so small size differences are less likely to show up as pressing or cutting in. The 3-inch-wide band spreads the weight from your shoulders over a larger area on your back, so you're less likely to get those red marks you might know from your old bra. And the double layer of shaping fabric on the side holds everything in place, so your breast doesn't spill out sideways if the cup runs slightly snug.

So you're not just buying a bra, you're buying a safety net: if the size still isn't quite right, you just let us know and we'll sort it out, at no extra cost.