The short version
- Typical range: £10 – £45 — see the full mini dress 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 shoulder to hem, bust, waist and hip laid flat.
- Check the zip, any lining, and whether the fabric has stretch.
- Inspect the underarms and hem for marks, and the seams for pulls.
The photographs that sell a mini dress
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.
- On a hanger, full length, front
- Flat with a tape running shoulder to hem
- The fabric close up, showing stretch and texture
- The zip, lining and any mark or snag
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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
Style, fabric and size: “Bodycon Mini Dress, Ribbed Jersey, Size 10, 82cm Long”. Length in the title removes the main uncertainty. Say whether it is lined and whether the fabric stretches, since both change the fit considerably.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Shoulder-to-hem length in centimetres, and the height it sat at on you
- Bust, waist and hip laid flat
- Fabric composition, stretch and whether it is lined
- Neckline, sleeve length and fastening
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a mini dress. 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.
Give the shoulder-to-hem measurement and your height. That combination answers it better than any size label.
Check the composition for elastane and say. It decides whether the size is forgiving or exact.
Check and answer. Unlined light fabrics can be sheerer than they look in photographs.
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 mini dress 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 a mini dress — 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
Peaks in summer and before the party season. Occasion styles lift sharply in December.
Very light and cheap to post. Fold with tissue in the creases for anything satin or bias cut, and say you have — buyers let a dress hang before judging it if they know it was folded rather than crushed.
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 mini dress worth?
Typically £10 to £45, with designer and occasion pieces above. See the mini dress value guide.
What measurements should I give?
Shoulder-to-hem length first, then bust, waist and hip laid flat. Length is what decides whether the dress works for the buyer at all.
Does stating my height help?
Considerably. On a mini, knowing the dress hit mid-thigh on someone five foot six tells a buyer more than any measurement alone.
See also: what a used mini dress is worth · browse live clothing listings · condition grades explained.