The short version
- Typical range: £30 – £180 — see the full leather jacket 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.
- Wipe it down with a barely damp cloth and let it dry naturally, away from any radiator.
- Work the zips. A seized main zip is the single most common reason a leather jacket sells cheap or not at all.
- Turn out the pockets and check the lining under the arms, which is where it splits first.
The photographs that sell a leather jacket
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.
- Full front with the jacket zipped, on a hanger so the shoulders sit properly
- The lining, especially under the arms and across the back
- A close-up of the leather surface in daylight, showing grain and any patina
- Every zip pull, plus any crack, scuff or repair
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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
State the leather type and the cut, because both are searched: “Real Leather Biker Jacket, Black, Size 12” or “Sheepskin Flight Jacket, Brown, Large”. If it is faux, say faux in the title. Buyers who discover it at handover will walk away, and you will have wasted both your afternoons.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Whether it is real leather, suede, sheepskin or faux — state this plainly
- Pit-to-pit and sleeve length, since leather has no give and sizing is unforgiving
- The lining condition, described honestly, including any splits
- Whether the zips and press studs all work
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a leather jacket. 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.
Answer directly and point to the photograph of the inner label. If you genuinely do not know, say that instead of guessing — a wrong claim ends the sale at the door.
Photograph it rather than describing it. Lining damage is cheap to repair and buyers price it in calmly when they can see the extent.
Give pit-to-pit, shoulder and sleeve measurements. Leather does not stretch to forgive a wrong guess, so vague answers here produce returns you cannot accept.
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 leather jacket 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 £105 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a leather jacket — 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 | £105 |
| Poshmark | −£21 | £84 |
| eBay | −£14 | £91 |
| Mercari | −£10 | £95 |
| Etsy | −£7 | £98 |
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
Strongest from September to November. A good biker or bomber in a common size usually sells within two to three weeks; unusual sizes and colours take longer but hold their price.
Heavy and bulky, so postage costs real money — get a quote before you agree a price. Local collection is often easier, and lets the buyer try it on, which converts far better for leather than photographs ever will.
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 does a used leather jacket sell for?
Typically £30 to £180. Genuine leather in good condition sits in the middle, designer and shearling pieces at the top, and faux leather well below. The leather jacket value guide breaks it down by condition.
How do I tell real leather from faux?
Real leather has an irregular grain, creases softly rather than folding sharply, and usually carries a hide or “genuine leather” stamp on the inner label. If you cannot tell, photograph the label and the grain closely and let the buyer judge rather than making a claim you cannot support.
Is it worth repairing the lining before selling?
Rarely. A lining repair costs more than it adds, and buyers discount it far less than the repair bill. Photograph the damage and price accordingly — that sells faster than a fixed lining and a higher price.
See also: what a used leather jacket is worth · browse live clothing listings · condition grades explained.