The short version
- Typical range: £12 – £50 — see the full gilet 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.
- Establish whether it is down or synthetic fill, from the label, and note the fill power if given.
- Check for down leaking through the seams, which indicates the baffles are failing.
- Test the zip and check the loft by laying it flat — a gilet that has lost its loft has lost its warmth.
The photographs that sell a gilet
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 gilet flat or on a hanger, front, whole
- The side profile, showing loft
- The label with fill type, size and composition
- The zip and any leaking seam, stain or flattened panel
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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, fill and size: “Rab Down Gilet, 700 Fill, Size M” or “Padded Gilet, Synthetic, Size 14”. Fill type and power are the searches for outdoor buyers. Say if it packs into its own pocket, which is a real feature people look for.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Size, with chest measured flat
- Fill type and fill power if stated
- Whether it packs into its own pocket
- Loft condition, and whether any seam is leaking fill
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a gilet. 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.
Read the label and say. Down is warmer for its weight and worth more, but synthetic performs better damp — buyers choose deliberately between them.
Check the seams and shoulders. A few feathers is normal; a steady leak means failing baffles and must be disclosed.
Lay it flat and photograph the profile. Compressed, flat down has lost its insulating value and that is what the buyer is paying for.
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 gilet 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 £31 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a gilet — 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 | £31 |
| Poshmark | −£6 | £25 |
| eBay | −£4 | £27 |
| Mercari | −£3 | £28 |
| Etsy | −£2 | £29 |
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
Lifts from September to February. Outdoor brands sell year round to walkers; fashion gilets are strongly seasonal.
Light and compressible, so postage is cheap. Do not store or post down heavily compressed for long periods, which damages the loft.
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 gilet worth?
Typically £12 to £50, with technical down brands well above. See the gilet value guide for the condition bands.
Does down lose its warmth over time?
It loses loft if repeatedly compressed or washed badly, and loft is what insulates. A wash with a down-specific product and a tumble with dryer balls often restores a surprising amount.
Is a leaking seam a dealbreaker?
Not necessarily — small leaks can be stopped with a stitch or tape — but it must be disclosed, since it signals the baffles are wearing.
See also: what a used gilet is worth · browse live clothing listings · condition grades explained.