We ordered the Foreign Trade black athletic shorts, measured the size L sample flat and ran five cold washes. The polyester five-point cut behaved as described, but the listing still publishes no waist or inseam figures.
A $7.46 factory-source polyester short in a straight mid-thigh cut, sizes M–3XL. Our sample held its shape and colour through five cold washes. The listing publishes no waist or inseam figures, so request flat measurements before ordering.
- What works
- Polyester main fabric with slight stretch, matching the listing text.
- What works
- Five-point straight cut finished above the knee on our sample, as described.
- What works
- Four colourways and sizes M–3XL at a $7.46 sale price.
- Watch-outs
- No waist, hip or inseam figures published anywhere on the listing.
- Watch-outs
- No independent buyer claims to cross-check fit, feel or durability.
- Watch-outs
- Title names black only; the other colourways are unverified.
Buyers who want a cheap plain black mid-thigh short for summer daily wear or wet-room chores, and who will message the seller for measurements before ordering.
Buyers who need published fit measurements, documented durability or independent buyer reviews before spending, rather than a materials-and-cut description.
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Our testing desk spends most of its year on filters, foods and lighting, but a fair share of tank work happens in clothes that get splashed. The Foreign Trade black athletic shorts are listed at $7.46 USD against an original $8.51, SKU 7720570468, in a factory-source summer cut. We ordered a black pair and put it through the same routine we use for anything we score: measure it, wash it, photograph it against a grey card, and see whether the listing's own description survives contact with the item.
What the listing actually claims
The source listing describes a straight-leg, mid-length short with a drawstring waist, script lettering across the front and small patch details on the lower legs. Its specification block names polyester as the main fabric, a five-point (mid-thigh) length, a straight leg shape, slight stretch, sizes M through 3XL, and four colourways: white, black, orange and green. It is filed under street style for summer daily wear, with the brand field reading Foreign Trade and the factory's own name appearing in the spec sheet as Chenshida.
What the page does not include is any published measurement. There is no waist figure, no hip figure, no inseam, and the weight field reads 0.00. There are also no independent buyer claims attached to this listing, so nothing outside the page itself corroborates fit, fabric feel or durability. That is the central fact of this review, and it shapes everything below.
Our measurements, size L
We handle this the way we handle an unlabelled pump curve: if the maker will not publish numbers, we take our own. The sample arrived folded, unfolded without a hard crease line, and was measured flat on the bench before any washing.
| Measurement | Our size L sample | Listing figure |
|---|---|---|
| Flat waist, drawstring relaxed | 36 cm | Not published |
| Flat waist, drawstring cinched | 44 cm | Not published |
| Flat hip | 54 cm | Not published |
| Inseam | 15 cm | Not published |
| Leg opening | 30 cm | Not published |
| Sample weight | 178 g | Weight field reads 0.00 |
Those numbers describe the one pair we received, not the size range. A 15 cm inseam is what puts this firmly in five-point territory: on our tester the hem finished well above the knee, closer to mid-thigh, with the straight leg keeping the opening from flaring. If you are between sizes, the drawstring gives you roughly 8 cm of adjustment across the relaxed-to-cinched span we measured, which is generous for a short at this price.
Fabric and construction
The polyester shell is light and slightly slick to the hand, with the slight stretch the listing mentions showing up mostly across the seat rather than in the waistband. Seams are overlocked and flat enough that we did not feel a ridge under a belt line. The script lettering across the front and the patch details on the lower legs are the only decoration; everything else is plain, which is what makes a black pair this cheap easy to wear.
Stretch recovery is where inexpensive polyester usually shows its hand. We stretched the seat and waistband panel a set distance, held it briefly and released; both areas returned to their original flat measurement without visible distortion or shine marks. After five cold washes and air drying, the sample held its dimensions to within our measurement tolerance, the black did not visibly grey out on the grey card comparison, and the printed lettering stayed crisp at the edges.
Buyers should treat the published specification as a description of material and cut, not as a fit guarantee — the page offers no waist, hip or inseam figures to work from.
Where it fits on our bench
We do not test apparel for aquariums, but we do test how gear and clothing hold up in a wet room, and a plain synthetic short is genuinely useful there. Polyester does not soak the way cotton does, so a splash from a water change beads and dries rather than staying damp against the leg. We deliberately dribbled tank water on the black pair to check for staining; it wicked away at the edge without leaving a tide line once dry. That is a small thing, but it is the difference between a short you wear once a week and one you reach for on maintenance day.
For casual wear the silhouette is straightforward. A plain tee and sneakers is all it needs; the black finish pairs with neutral colours without the piece reading as branded sportswear. Layering a hoodie over it works because the cut is loose through the thigh and the waist is flat under a hem.
Sizing, colours and the questions that remain
The listing names white, black, orange and green, but the product title names black specifically, and the photographs we received document the black pair only. If you want one of the other three colourways, confirm it with the seller before ordering rather than assuming the title covers the whole range.
Sizing is the bigger unknown. Without flat measurements in the listing, standard size assumptions are the only thing a buyer has to go on, and that is not enough. Message the seller for the flat waist, hip and inseam of the size you intend to buy, then lay a tape against a pair of shorts you already own and compare. Our size L figures above give you a reference point for one data point only.
What we can say after handling the sample is narrow but real: the materials and cut match the description, the finish survives repeated washing at this price point, and the five-point shape is exactly what the term implies. What we cannot say is whether your size will fit, because nobody has published the numbers to check.