The short version
- Typical range: £4 – £25 — see the full beanie value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Clothing
Before you photograph it
Ten minutes here is worth more than anything else you will do. Buyers are deciding between your listing and someone else’s, and preparation is what visibly separates the two.
- Wash it and check for pilling, which is what makes a beanie look tired.
- Check the ribbed edge still has stretch and recovery, since a stretched hat does not stay on.
- Look for moth holes if it is wool, and check any pom-pom is securely attached.
The photographs that sell a beanie
Four photographs do almost all the work. Shoot in daylight, near a window, with the item against something plain — and do not use the flash, which flattens texture and hides exactly what buyers are trying to see.
- The beanie laid flat, front, whole
- The ribbed edge, stretched slightly
- The label with brand and composition
- Any pilling, moth hole, loose pom-pom or mark
Photograph the flaws too. It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover. Buyers who can see the damage stop imagining something worse.
Writing the title and description
Brand and material: “Carhartt Beanie, Acrylic, One Size” or “Merino Wool Beanie, Bundle of 3”. Brand is essentially the whole value here. For unbranded hats, bundling is what makes the listing worth anyone’s postage.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Material composition
- Whether it is a single hat or a bundle, and how many
- Whether it is lined, cuffed or has a pom-pom
- Any pilling, stretching or moth damage
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a beanie. Answering them in the listing itself removes the back-and-forth, and answering them well when they do arrive is what turns an enquiry into a sale.
Check the label. Merino and lambswool are worth several times acrylic and buyers who care about warmth ask specifically.
Pull the ribbed edge and see if it recovers. A beanie that no longer grips is not much use.
For unbranded hats, offering two or three together is what makes the postage worth paying for both sides.
Pricing it so it actually sells
Start from the honest condition grade rather than the price you hope for. WishThrift listings use five grades — New with Tags, Like New, Good, Fair and For Parts — and what each grade means is worth reading before you choose, because grading up is the most expensive mistake sellers make. It does not raise the price; it produces a buyer who arrives expecting something else.
The beanie value guide prices all five grades for this item. Pick your grade, take the figure, and if you sit between two grades price toward the lower one. Items priced honestly sell faster than items priced hopefully, and on a free platform there is no fee eating the difference anyway.
What you keep, compared
On a £14 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a beanie — here is what the commission-charging platforms would take, and what you would keep on each:
| Where you sell it | Fee | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| WishThrift | £0 | £14 |
| Poshmark | −£3 | £11 |
| eBay | −£2 | £12 |
| Mercari | −£1 | £13 |
| Etsy | −£1 | £13 |
Seller-side rates verified 26 Jul 2026 — Poshmark: 20% commission on sales of $15 and above; eBay: 13.6% final value fee, plus a per-order fee; Mercari: flat 10% selling fee; Etsy: 6.5% transaction fee, plus a listing fee and payment processing. Percentages are applied to the sterling figure above; the fixed per-order and processing charges those platforms add are quoted in their own currency and are not included here, so the real deductions are slightly larger. Full breakdown: marketplace selling fees compared.
Timing and getting it to the buyer
October to February is essentially the whole market. A beanie listed in June will not sell, so hold it until autumn.
The cheapest item to post, and bundles cost the same as singles — which is exactly why bundling is the right approach for unbranded hats.
WishThrift does not process payments or arrange delivery — you and the buyer agree both directly — so confirm payment has cleared before the item leaves your hands, and keep the conversation on the site so there is a record of what was agreed.
Ready to list it? It takes about two minutes, costs nothing, and there is no commission when it sells — create a free account or see how selling works.
Frequently asked questions
What is a used beanie worth?
Typically £4 to £25, almost entirely determined by brand and material. See the beanie value guide for the bands.
Are unbranded beanies worth listing?
Not individually — the postage exceeds the price. Bundle three or four together, or add them to a winter accessories bundle with a scarf and gloves.
Does pilling matter?
It is the main thing that makes a beanie look old. A fabric comb removes it in a minute and genuinely improves the photographs, so it is worth doing.
See also: what a used beanie is worth · browse live clothing listings · condition grades explained.