COS boots: price by condition
| Condition | Typical |
|---|---|
| New with Tags | £90 (~$120) |
| Like New | £76 (~$102) |
| Good | £58 (~$78) |
| Fair | £40 (~$54) |
| For Parts | £22 (~$30) |
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 COS
- Oversized wool and wool-blend coats, which are the label’s signature and the thing buyers search it for by name
- Archive and limited-edition pieces, which are produced in small runs and are the only part of the range with a collectors’ element
- Plain, structured tailoring in neutral colours, which dates far more slowly than anything printed and stays saleable for years
- Heavier knitwear in merino and wool blends, which holds its shape where the cheaper high-street equivalents do not
What pulls COS resale value down
- Pilled knitwear, which is the commonest fault and shows immediately against the plain colours the label favours
- Faded blacks and washed-out greys, which are most of the range and where fading is most obvious
- Anything with a broken or replaced signature button or fastening, since the hardware is deliberately minimal and any substitute shows
- Basic jersey pieces, which are cheap enough new that a used one rarely justifies the postage on its own
Identifying and dating yours
- The neck label reads COS rather than any sub-line, and the care label carries a product code buyers can search to confirm the season
- COS sizing runs large and is cut deliberately oversized, so give flat measurements — buyers who have not worn the label before consistently order wrong
- Photograph the shoulder seams and the inside of the coat, because the construction is most of why somebody chooses this label secondhand
What lifts any boots, whatever the label
Good boots are built to be resoled, which is why quality pairs hold value long after cheaper ones have been thrown away.
- Goodyear-welted or stitched construction that can be resoled
- Recognised makers with resoling services available
- Uppers with no cracking across the vamp
- Original laces, box and any dust bags
And what pulls one down
- Cemented soles that cannot be replaced
- Cracked leather across the flex point
- Worn heel blocks and thin soles
- Salt staining from winter wear
Working out what yours is worth
- Look at the sole edge for a welt stitch line
- Flex the vamp and check for cracking
- Check the heel block and sole thickness
What to state in the listing
- Brand, model and size with the sizing system stated
- Leather or synthetic, and whether the sole is welted or cemented
- Sole and heel wear, and whether they have been resoled before
- Whether they are waterproof or steel toe capped, if relevant
Brand, style and size: “Dr. Martens 1460 Boots, UK 8, Black Leather”. If they are Goodyear welted, put that in the title — buyers who know footwear search for it and pay more. State the sizing system, and say whether they are leather or synthetic.
Preparing and photographing it
- Clean and condition the leather. Boots respond visibly to a wipe and a coat of polish, and it costs almost nothing.
- Look at the sole edge: a line of stitching around the welt means the boots are resoleable, which is a major selling point.
- Check the heel wear, the sole tread and the insole, and photograph the size stamp inside or on the sole.
- Both boots side on, upright, on a plain surface
- The soles, showing tread, heel wear and whether there is a stitched welt
- The size stamp, legible
- The leather uppers close up, plus any scuff, crack or separation
When it sells best, and handing it over
Autumn and winter are strongest, with a clear peak from September to December. Quality welted boots hold value all year; fashion boots follow the season closely.
Heavier than shoes so postage costs a little more, but still straightforward. Wrap each boot separately and check the parcel weight before quoting the buyer a postage price.
What buyers ask
Does COS clothing hold its value?
Reasonably, and better than most of the high street, because the designs are plain enough not to date. Coats and tailoring do best; plain jersey basics are barely worth listing on their own.
What size should I list a COS coat as?
Give the label size and the flat measurements together. COS is cut oversized and the label size alone misleads more buyers on this brand than on almost any other.
How much are COS boots worth?
Roughly £20 to £90 depending on condition, against £20 to £90 for boots 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 £55 for COS boots, against what the commission marketplaces would deduct:
| Platform | Fee | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Poshmark | −£11 | £44 |
| eBay | −£7 | £48 |
| Mercari | −£6 | £50 |
| Etsy | −£4 | £51 |
| WishThrift | −£0 | £55 |
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 boots for the title, handover and timing, or the general boots value guide if yours is not a COS.
See also: all COS value guides · value guides by brand · buying boots · Shoes & Footwear · condition grades.