The short version
- Typical range: £10 – £45 — see the full jeans 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 and dry them as you normally would, so the measurements you take reflect how they will arrive.
- Check the crotch seam and inner thigh, which is where jeans wear through and where buyers will look first.
- Read the tab and the internal tag for the exact cut name — 501, Slim Straight, Bootcut — and the fabric composition.
The photographs that sell jeans
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.
- Front, laid flat and smoothed, with the whole leg in frame
- Back, showing the pocket stitching and any fading or wear on the seat
- The waistband tag showing brand, size and cut
- A measuring tape across the flat waist, plus any wear at the hem or crotch
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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, cut, then size, in that order, because that is exactly how buyers search: “Levi’s 501 Straight Jeans, W32 L34, Mid Blue”. Never rely on the label size alone — put the measured waist in the description, and say if they have been hemmed, because an altered inseam is the most common cause of a disappointed buyer.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Flat waist measured across and doubled, in inches
- Inside leg from crotch seam to hem, and whether they have been shortened
- The rise — high, mid or low — which decides the whole look and is rarely stated
- Fabric composition, particularly the elastane percentage, since stretch changes the fit entirely
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about jeans. 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.
Measure flat across the waistband, double it, and give the number. This one answer prevents most jeans returns.
Check the hem stitching against the original. An altered inseam is fine if disclosed and a problem if discovered.
Read the composition label. Even 2% elastane makes a noticeable difference and buyers who want rigid denim care a lot.
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 jeans 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 £27 sale — roughly the middle of the range for jeans — 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 | £27 |
| Poshmark | −£5 | £22 |
| eBay | −£4 | £23 |
| Mercari | −£3 | £24 |
| Etsy | −£2 | £25 |
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
Steady all year with no real season. Common sizes in recognised brands sell within a week or two; unusual leg lengths take longer but attract buyers who are specifically hunting and haggle less.
Cheap and easy to post, which makes jeans one of the best items to sell to buyers outside your area. Roll rather than fold to keep the parcel small.
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
How much can I sell used jeans for?
Most go for £10 to £45, with premium denim brands and genuine vintage well above that. The jeans value guide gives the full range by condition.
Do I need to state measurements as well as the size?
Yes, and it is the single highest-value thing you can add. Label sizes vary enormously between brands and eras, so a measured flat waist and inside leg is what buyers actually use to decide.
Are worn-in jeans worth less?
Not necessarily. Honest fading and whiskering are desirable on quality denim, and vintage pairs often sell for more than crisp ones. Genuine damage — a blown crotch seam or thinning inner thigh — is what lowers the price.
See also: what a used jeans is worth · browse live clothing listings · condition grades explained.