The short version
- Typical range: £25 – £120 — see the full winter coat 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 care label: if it is dry-clean only and visibly grubby, get it cleaned. A clean winter coat sells for noticeably more.
- Test the main zip along its whole length, and check for missing toggles, buttons or a detachable hood.
- Look at the cuffs and collar edge, which is where wool pills and where padding wears through first.
The photographs that sell a winter coat
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 length on a hanger, front, with the coat done up
- The inner label showing composition and care instructions
- The hood and collar, including whether the hood detaches and whether the fur is real or synthetic
- Cuffs and hem, plus any pilling, staining 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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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
Lead with warmth and material, because that is the search: “Wool Blend Winter Coat, Camel, Size 14” or “Padded Parka with Faux Fur Hood, Black, Mens L”. Adding the season it suits — a mild autumn coat versus a genuine cold-weather parka — filters out the wrong buyers before they message you.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- The outer composition, especially the wool or down percentage
- Whether the hood detaches, and whether any fur trim is real or faux
- Pit-to-pit and full length from shoulder to hem
- Whether it is waterproof, showerproof or neither
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a winter coat. 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 with the fill and lining rather than an opinion. “Down-filled with a quilted lining” tells them more than “very warm”.
Check the base of the trim: real fur grows from skin, synthetic is stitched into a fabric backing. Photograph it and say which.
Be honest if the coating has worn off with washing. Buyers accept it readily when told, and are furious when they discover it in the rain.
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 winter coat 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 £72 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a winter coat — 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 | £72 |
| Poshmark | −£14 | £58 |
| eBay | −£10 | £62 |
| Mercari | −£7 | £65 |
| Etsy | −£5 | £67 |
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
A short, sharp season. Listings from late September to December sell fastest and hold price; the same coat in March sells for noticeably less. If you have missed the window, storing it until autumn genuinely pays.
Bulky and heavy, so postage is expensive — vacuum bags reduce the parcel considerably. Collection suits these well, and lets the buyer check the fit over a jumper, which is how they will actually wear it.
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 winter coat worth?
Usually £25 to £120, driven mostly by material and brand. Wool and down sit at the top, polyester padding at the bottom. See the winter coat value guide for the condition breakdown.
When is the best time to sell a winter coat?
Late September through December, when buyers are actively looking and prices are highest. Selling in spring typically costs you a third of the value, so storing it until autumn is usually worth doing.
Should I dry-clean it before listing?
If it is dry-clean only and looks tired, yes — it is one of the few cases where cleaning reliably pays for itself. If it is machine washable and already clean, do not bother.
See also: what a used winter coat is worth · browse live clothing listings · condition grades explained.