Sell Your Used Kaftan — 0% Fees

A used kaftan typically sells for £12 to £60, and on WishThrift it costs you nothing to list — no fee, no commission, so you keep the whole amount you agree. Kaftans sell on fabric and drape, and because they are cut generously, the measurements matter far more than any size label.

The short version

Typical range: £12 – £60 — see the full kaftan 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.

Measure the width across the chest, the sleeve span and the full length, since sizing is nominal.
Check embroidery, beading and trims for missing elements, which are difficult to replace.
Wash or clean according to the label and check fine fabrics for pulls and snags.

The photographs that sell a kaftan

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 kaftan on a hanger so it drapes, front, whole
The neckline and any embroidery or beadwork close up
The full width laid flat with a tape
The label with composition, plus any snag, missing bead 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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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

Fabric, style and size: “Embroidered Cotton Kaftan, One Size, Beach Cover Up”. Buyers search both for resortwear and for occasion pieces, so say which yours suits. Silk, cotton and chiffon are all distinct searches.

Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:

Chest width, sleeve span and full length measured flat
Fabric composition and whether it is lined or sheer
Any embroidery, beadwork or trim, and whether it is complete
Label size if there is one, and any mark or snag

What buyers will actually ask

You will receive the same three messages about a kaftan. 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.

“What size does it fit?”

Give measurements rather than a size. Kaftans are cut loose and a one-size label tells a buyer almost nothing useful.

“Is it sheer?”

Hold it to the light and say. It determines whether the garment works as a cover-up or as a dress, which is the buyer’s whole decision.

“Is the beading complete?”

Check along the neckline and cuffs and photograph any gaps. Missing beads on an embellished piece are hard to match and worth disclosing.

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 kaftan 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 £36 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a kaftan — 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	£36
Poshmark	−£7	£29
eBay	−£5	£31
Mercari	−£4	£32
Etsy	−£2	£34

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 April to August for resortwear, and before Christmas for occasion pieces. Out of season it will sit, so hold rather than discount.

Light and cheap to post. Fold with tissue for anything beaded or delicate so the embellishment does not catch and pull the fabric.

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 kaftan worth?

Typically £12 to £60, with silk and designer resortwear above. See the kaftan value guide for the condition bands.

Should I give a size or measurements?

Measurements, always, with the label size as secondary. Loose-cut garments in nominal sizes are exactly where labelled sizing is least useful.

Do embellished kaftans sell better?

They can, but only when the embellishment is complete. Photograph the beadwork closely and count any gaps — a missing section is very hard to repair invisibly.