The short version
- Typical range: £6 – £30 — see the full polo shirt 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.
- Check the collar sits flat. A collar that has curled from washing cannot be reliably restored and must be shown honestly.
- Look at the placket buttons and the underarm area for thinning and staining.
- Iron the collar and placket before photographing — ten seconds of work that changes the photograph entirely.
The photographs that sell a polo shirt
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 shirt laid flat, front, collar arranged naturally
- The collar close up, showing whether it lies flat
- The placket buttons and cuffs
- The label with brand and size, plus any mark, bobbling or thinning
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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, colour and size: “Ralph Lauren Polo Shirt, Navy, Size L”. Brand is most of the value in this category and buyers search it directly. Say the fit — classic, custom or slim — where the maker uses those terms, because they differ significantly.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Chest measured flat and length from shoulder, plus label size
- Fabric composition and whether it is piqué or jersey
- Fit description if the brand uses one
- Collar condition, and any bobbling, mark or thinning
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a polo shirt. 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.
Photograph it flat. Collar curl is the standard wear point and buyers judge the whole shirt by it.
Describe what you can evidence — where you bought it, the label detail, any hologram or code — and photograph the labels. WishThrift does not verify items, so give the evidence rather than an assurance.
Chest flat and length. Polo sizing varies a lot between brands and between a classic and a slim fit.
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 polo shirt 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 £18 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a polo shirt — 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 | £18 |
| Poshmark | −£4 | £14 |
| eBay | −£2 | £16 |
| Mercari | −£2 | £16 |
| Etsy | −£1 | £17 |
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. Branded polos sell year round; unbranded ones are seasonal and best bundled.
Very cheap to post. Fold with the collar supported so it arrives flat rather than creased across the collar stand.
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 polo shirt worth?
Typically £6 to £30, with recognised brands at the top and unbranded shirts best sold in bundles. See the polo shirt value guide.
Can a curled collar be fixed?
Ironing helps temporarily but the curl usually returns, because it comes from the interfacing inside distorting. Show it honestly rather than pressing it flat for one photograph.
Should I bundle unbranded polo shirts?
Yes. Individually they are worth less than the postage, but three or four in the same size sell perfectly well as a bundle.
See also: what a used polo shirt is worth · browse live clothing listings · condition grades explained.