Banana Republic hats: price by condition
| Condition | Typical |
|---|---|
| New with Tags | £27 (~$36) |
| Like New | £23 (~$31) |
| Good | £18 (~$23) |
| Fair | £12 (~$16) |
| For Parts | £7 (~$9) |
Seller-declared grades, sterling with an approximate US dollar equivalent at £1 ≈ $1.33 (July 2026). What each grade means.
What holds its value across Banana Republic
- 1980s pieces from the original safari and travel-outfitter era, which are collected as period design and have nothing to do with the modern brand
- Italian wool suiting and the Heritage line, which used cloth well above the mainline standard
- Cashmere and merino knitwear, which the label sells in quantity and which holds if it has been looked after
- Leather jackets, which are made in real skin at a price point where many competitors use coated synthetic
What pulls Banana Republic resale value down
- Banana Republic Factory production, the outlet line, which sits well below the mainline and is frequently listed as if it were the same thing
- Pilled knitwear, the commonest fault across the range and very visible on the dark neutrals the label favours
- Faded and shrunk chinos, which are the highest-volume item and the most often mistreated in the wash
- Current-season basics, which are discounted heavily new and have almost no secondhand floor
Identifying and dating yours
- The neck label distinguishes Banana Republic from Banana Republic Factory, and the two sell for very different money
- 1980s pieces carry a completely different label design and often a Made in USA care label, which is what dates them to the collectable era
- The composition label states the wool or cashmere percentage, which is what separates the Heritage pieces from the mainline
What lifts any hat, whatever the label
Hats are sized and shaped to the wearer, so condition of the crown and brim decides whether one suits anyone else.
- Recognised hatters and heritage brands
- Undented crowns and true brims
- Intact sweatbands and linings
- Original hat box
And what pulls one down
- Crushed crowns and warped brims
- Stained or perished sweatbands
- Moth damage in felt
- Sun fading on straw hats
Working out what yours is worth
- Check the crown holds its shape
- Inspect the sweatband inside
- Measure the internal circumference
What to state in the listing
- Internal circumference in centimetres, plus any letter size
- Material and whether it is blocked felt, straw or fabric
- Brim width, and whether the brim is stiff or floppy
- Sweatband condition and any stain, dent or fray
Style, material and size: “Wool Fedora, 58cm, Charcoal” or “Panama Hat, Size L, 57cm”. Circumference in centimetres is the search that actually works. Name the style precisely — fedora, trilby, flat cap and bucket hat are all separate searches.
Preparing and photographing it
- Measure the internal circumference of the band in centimetres.
- Check the sweatband inside for staining and the brim for loss of shape, which is what ages a hat.
- Brush felt with a soft brush in one direction and reshape gently with steam if it has flattened.
- The hat from the front and the side, on a stand or upright
- The inside band, showing the size marking and sweatband
- The brim edge all the way round
- Any maker’s label, plus every stain, dent, fray or misshapen area
When it sells best, and handing it over
Straw and summer hats lift April to July; felt and wool hats October to February. Occasion hats lift before wedding season.
Post in a rigid box, stuffed with paper to hold the crown. A hat in a padded bag arrives crushed and there is no recovering a blocked felt crown.
What buyers ask
Is old Banana Republic worth anything?
The 1980s safari and travel-outfitter era is collected as period design and sells far above the modern range. Anything from the last decade is ordinary mall clothing on the secondhand market.
What is Banana Republic Factory?
The outlet line, made to a lower specification for the factory stores. It is labelled separately and sells for a fraction of mainline stock, so listing one as the other will get a sale disputed.
How much is a Banana Republic hat worth?
Roughly £4 to £27 depending on condition, against £4 to £30 for hats generally. The identification points above are what move a listing to the top of that range.
What the fees would take elsewhere
At the mid-range £15 for a Banana Republic hat, against what the commission marketplaces would deduct:
| Platform | Fee | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Poshmark | −£3 | £12 |
| eBay | −£2 | £13 |
| Mercari | −£2 | £14 |
| Etsy | −£1 | £14 |
| WishThrift | −£0 | £15 |
Seller-side rates verified 26 Jul 2026, percentages only — the per-order and processing charges those platforms add are excluded, so the real gap is wider.
Listing is free and there is no commission — read how to sell a hat for the title, handover and timing, or the general hat value guide if yours is not a Banana Republic.
See also: all Banana Republic value guides · value guides by brand · buying a hat · Clothing · condition grades.