How to answer "is this legit?" and sizing questions under your ads

Scroll the comments under any busy ad and you will find the same few questions again and again. Is this legit? Does it run small? How long does shipping take? Can I send them back?

It is tempting to treat them as noise. They are the opposite. Each one is a person who stopped scrolling, looked at your product, and got as far as typing. They want to buy, and something small is in the way. An answer removes it. No answer, and they scroll on.

Why these questions matter more than they look

A question under an ad is read by far more people than the one who asked it. Everyone who opens the comments before buying sees the question and whatever sits under it. Three kinds of reply are possible, and they send three different messages:

• A clear, friendly answer tells every reader that a real business is behind the ad, that it responds, and that the thing they were wondering about is fine.
• No answer tells them nobody is watching. For a brand they have never heard of, that is a reason to be careful.
• "DM us" tells them the answer is a secret. The person who asked might write in. The hundred people reading will not.

So answer in public, and answer fast. A reply that arrives the next morning helps the person who asked, if they still remember. A reply that arrives in minutes helps everyone who opens the comments that evening.

Write your facts down first

Most slow or inconsistent replies come from the person answering not being sure of the facts. Before you answer anything, write one short set of notes that every reply can draw from:

• Return window and cost. "30 days, free exchanges, returns cost $6."
• Sizing advice per product. "Ridgeline runs true to size. Half a size up for thick winter socks."
• Shipping times and where you ship. "Ships in 1 business day from Colorado. 3 to 5 days in the US. We ship to Canada, the UK and Australia."
• Where people can check you out. Your website, your reviews page, how long you have been selling.
• What you never say. No promises about delivery dates you do not control, no medical claims.

Keep it short enough to read in a minute. When the facts change, change the notes, and every future reply follows.

Reply patterns that work

The examples below are for Wildermere, a fictional US outdoor footwear brand, and its Ridgeline hiking shoe. Borrow the shape, not the words.

"Is this legit?" / "Is this a scam?"

This is the most important question under an ad for a brand people do not know yet. Do not get defensive; the person is doing exactly what they should. Give them something they can check.

• "Fair question! We are Wildermere, based in Boulder, Colorado. You can read reviews on our site, and every order has free exchanges for 30 days, so you are never stuck with a pair that does not work."
• "Totally reasonable to ask. Every order ships from our warehouse in Colorado with tracking, and if anything is off you have 30 days to exchange."

Two rules: point to something verifiable (a return policy, a reviews page, a physical location), and never answer "yes, we are legit" on its own. Anyone can type that.

Sizing

Sizing questions usually mean "I am about to buy but I am scared of the hassle of returning". Answer the size, then remove the fear.

• "They run true to size, Liam. If you are between sizes or wear thick socks, go half a size up. Exchanges are free for 30 days either way."
• "Most people take their usual size. Wide feet? The Ridgeline comes in a wide fit too."

Shipping

• "Ships in 1 business day from Colorado, and most US orders arrive in 3 to 5 days. You get tracking as soon as it leaves."
• "Yes, we ship to Canada! Usually 5 to 8 days, and you will see the exact cost at checkout."

Returns

• "30 days, free exchanges. If they do not fit, we send another size at no cost."

What not to do

• Do not argue. "Obviously we are legit" or a sarcastic reply to "scam?" loses more readers than it wins. The asker is not your opponent.
• Do not paste the same reply fifty times. Identical replies stacked in one thread look automated and make people wonder what else is. Keep the facts consistent and let the wording vary. On TikTok, the documentation for business accounts warns that many near-identical replies in a short window can be hidden automatically as spam.
• Do not send public answers to private messages. If the answer is the same for everyone (shipping time, sizing, return window), it belongs in the thread. Use a private message only for things that are actually private, like an order number.
• Do not ignore negative questions. "Why did mine take two weeks?" is still a question, and an honest answer ("Sorry, Derek, a carrier delay hit the Northeast last week. Send us your order number in a message and we will sort it out") reassures everyone else reading.
• Do not hide a question before answering it. On Instagram, you cannot reply to a hidden comment at all (IG Comment replies). If a comment deserves an answer and also has something that should not stay public (a phone number, say), reply first and hide after.

Keeping up when the ad is busy

Answering well is simple when there are five comments a day. It gets hard when a winning ad brings in two hundred, across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, at all hours.

That is where CommentGate helps. It reads every comment on your posts and ads, recognizes the questions, and drafts a reply from your notes and your past answers, in your voice and in the language the person wrote in. You choose how much it does on its own:

• Off. It leaves questions to you.
• Draft for me. Every reply waits for you to approve, edit or discard it. Each edit teaches it how you like to answer.
• Send on its own. Clear answers go out by themselves. Anything it is unsure about still waits for you.

It also follows the platform rules for you, like replying before hiding on Instagram, and it keeps saved replies one keystroke away for the answers you give most. The one line of guidance you write in Setup ("We ship from Colorado. Never promise delivery dates.") shapes every draft.

You can see everything CommentGate does with replies and questions, or start with the questions under your busiest ad this week. They are the easiest sales you will make.