How Approximate is Approximate?

I measure all of my clothing that I sell. I describe, over describe, actually and then this comes back to bite me   

I think I remember hearing on Scavenger Life to describe like you have no pictures and take pictures like you have no written description. I have tried to live by that little tidbit of advice.

Sold these True Religion jeans back in early December.

I did all of my measurements and took extra photos because I wanted the buyer to really know what they were getting. They sold in less than a month for full price. I was pleasantly surprised that they sold so quickly since they were flare legs and not skinny or boot cut.

The day after the buyer received them I got an ebay message stating that they were not as described. I listed the waist as measuring 16" and she stated that it actually measured 13.75". Well folks, that's an error of more than 2". Am I blind? Am I dyslexic and wrote or typed the wrong numbers? No...to both questions.

After several messages with question as to how she measured and detailing how I measured and stating that I would be "happy" to accept a return she opened the case for not as described and wanted to return. Hello, I already told her I would accept a return. Why open a case? Well she did and it earned me a defect.

When I got them back it was the day after Christmas and I put them on the back burner until the last week. Well, I was actually upset that I had the return stuffed down my throat because I knew I hadn't made such a large error. When I finally pulled them out and laid them out to measure, laying on the original table, the same tape measure and everything as near as possible to the first measurement, my measurement was 15.75".  Not 13.75" as she had stated. And I always state in each and every listing that measurements are approximate. (A lesson I learned from a listing several years ago over the issue of less than a half inch in a piece of woven trim.)

Then I set out to duplicate the way she came up with 13.75". The only way I could do this was lay them out this way.

And if you measure across the top of the back of the waistband you get between 13.5" and 14", depending on exactly how you stretch them out. This is not how she said she achieved her measurement. We both stated that we place the waistband, top edges together, and measure across with the waistband folded in half. I think that is how most sellers measure the waistband of pants.

So my question. How much error is allowed by ebay for an approximate measurement? Are you allowed to be off less than an inch, half inch or what is the basis for approximate?

Anyone have previous experience before I call ebay?