COS cashmere sweaters: 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 cashmere sweater, whatever the label
Cashmere is judged almost entirely on how it has been washed and stored, which is why two identical jumpers can sell for very different amounts.
- Two-ply or heavier construction with real weight to it
- No pilling, or pilling that has been properly removed
- Full-fashioned shoulders and a soft, dense handle
- Classic colours that sell in any season
And what pulls one down
- Moth holes, which are common and immediately visible
- Felting or shrinkage from a hot wash
- Thin single-ply knits that have gone see-through at the elbows
- Stretched cuffs and hems that no longer recover
Working out what yours is worth
- Hold the knit up to the light to reveal moth damage and thin patches
- Check the composition label for the cashmere percentage and ply
- De-pill it carefully before photographing
What to state in the listing
- The exact cashmere percentage, and what the rest of the blend is
- Pit-to-pit and body length laid flat
- Whether there are any moth holes, however small, and how many
- The ply if the label states it, since two-ply wears far better than single
Put the cashmere percentage and the brand in the title, because “100% Cashmere” is the search and a blend is a different product: “100% Cashmere Crew Neck Jumper, Camel, Size M”. If it is a blend, say the percentage rather than letting a buyer assume.
Preparing and photographing it
- De-pill it properly with a cashmere comb or a fabric shaver. This takes twenty minutes and reliably adds to the price.
- Hold it up to a window and check for moth holes, which are small, round and easy to miss under artificial light.
- Hand-wash gently if it needs it, and reshape flat to dry — never hang a wet cashmere sweater.
- Laid flat, front, on a contrasting plain surface
- The composition label showing the cashmere percentage and ply if stated
- A close, well-lit shot of the knit surface after de-pilling, to prove the condition
- Any hole, thin patch or repair, photographed against a light background so the size is clear
When it sells best, and handing it over
Sells from October through February, with a clear peak before Christmas. Outside that window prices soften noticeably, so a summer listing is usually worth holding.
Light, compact and cheap to post, so there is no reason to limit yourself to local buyers. Fold with tissue rather than compressing it hard, and use a waterproof mailing bag.
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 is a COS cashmere sweater worth?
Roughly £20 to £90 depending on condition, against £20 to £90 for cashmere sweaters 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 a COS cashmere sweater, 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 a cashmere sweater for the title, handover and timing, or the general cashmere sweater value guide if yours is not a COS.
See also: all COS value guides · value guides by brand · buying a cashmere sweater · Clothing · condition grades.