Foreign Trade Black Athletic Shorts Review: Five-Point Polyester, Worn and Tested

Foreign Trade is a name that shows up constantly in agent listings, usually attached to plain, factory-source basics sold at prices that barely cover a coffee. This pair is exactly that: a polyester athletic short in a straight five-point cut that lands mid-thigh, with a drawstring waist, script lettering across the front and small patches on the lower legs. The listing price is $7.46, down from $8.51, and availability is in stock.

We ordered the black pair rather than reviewing the listing from photos. The title names black specifically, but the spec sheet lists four colorways — white, black, orange and green — so color and size are decisions worth making deliberately before you buy.

What we ordered

One pair of the Foreign Trade black athletic shorts in sport-casual style, ordered through our usual agent flow from the Weidian listing tied to item ID 7720570468 (SKU 7720570468). The pair arrived folded in a plain poly bag with no branded box, which is normal at this price level. The spec sheet attributes the shorts to the supplier name Chensida and files them under street style for summer daily wear.

Listing detail	What it says
Brand	Foreign Trade
SKU	7720570468
Price	$7.46 USD (from $8.51)
Main fabric	Polyester
Length	Five-point (mid-thigh)
Leg shape	Straight
Stretch	Slight
Sizes	M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL
Colors	White, black, orange, green
Positioning	Street style, summer, everyday

How our testing team checked them

Every featured product is bought and tested by us in our Los Angeles studio, and the shorts went through the same ten-point protocol we run on footwear, adapted for apparel: packaging and label, hangtag and care instructions, smell out of the bag, waistband construction and drawcord, seam stitching, hem and leg openings, print and patch details, pocket finishing, interior lining and construction inside the waist, and the overall silhouette on a body.

We then wore the black pair for more than 20 hours across walking and light running sessions in warm weather, and set them beside a retail mid-thigh polyester short from our reference drawer for a side-by-side read on length, drape and hand feel.

What the ten-point check found

• Packaging and label: Generic poly bag, no box. The label carries the size and the listed supplier name, nothing more.
• Hangtag and care: A simple tag with washing instructions that match what we would expect from a polyester short. Cold wash, no tumble drying on high.
• Smell out of the bag: A faint chemical note that aired out overnight, which is typical of factory-shipped polyester.
• Waistband and drawcord: Elastic with a working drawstring; the cord ends are knotted rather than capped, and the channel did not twist when we pulled the waist in.
• Stitching: Even and tight along the side seams and crotch, with no loose thread ends we had to trim.
• Hem and leg openings: Straight hems on both legs, no puckering or roll after washing.
• Print and patches: The script lettering across the front is a surface print, not embroidery. The lower-leg patches sit flat and stayed put through two washes.
• Pockets: Present and usable, with tidy interior finishing; nothing catches on the hand.
• Interior: No exposed raw edges inside the waist channel on our pair.
• Silhouette: Straight and relaxed without ballooning, sitting mid-thigh as a five-point cut should.

Fit and the measurement problem

This is where the listing asks the most of a buyer. It publishes no waist, hip or inseam figures at all, so there is nothing to size against except a pair of shorts you already own. We took flat measurements on our own sample to check the cut for ourselves, but those numbers describe one pair, not the seller's grading across M to 3XL.

The spec sheet is also internally inconsistent on timing: one field dates the style to summer 2025 and another to summer 2024. That does not change the shorts themselves, but it does suggest the listing was assembled from older catalog data, so treat the batch on offer as something to confirm rather than assume.

Before ordering, ask the seller for flat waist, hip and inseam figures in the size you intend to buy, then compare them to a pair of shorts that already fits you. The listing will not answer that question on its own.

Wearing and styling notes

Polyester with slight stretch behaves the way we expected in heat: light on the leg, quick to dry after a short run, and prone to holding a crease if you leave them crumpled. The black pair is the easiest of the four colorways to wear, and the script lettering does most of the visual work without demanding a matching top.

For sport-casual use, a plain white or grey tee and a low-profile sneaker keeps the outfit readable. When the temperature drops, the same shorts work under an oversized hoodie for a layered street look. Orange and green are the louder options; white will show marks fastest, which matters more on a mid-thigh short than on a tee.

Value and what to confirm before ordering

1. Request flat waist, hip and inseam measurements for your size, since the listing publishes none.
2. Confirm your colorway against the seller's own photos. The title names black; the spec sheet lists four colors.
3. Ask which batch is currently shipping, given the conflicting 2024 and 2025 season entries.
4. Check the print and patch placement photos if you care about where the lettering lands on the leg.
5. Confirm the final item price and fees on your shopping agent's site, as the $7.46 figure is a listing reference price.

At $7.46, our pair beat the price of a fast-fashion equivalent and matched it on construction. It is not a technical garment and should not be treated as one, but as a cheap, clean summer short in a straightforward cut, it does the job.