COS Flats Resale Value

COS flats: price by condition

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

1. 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
2. COS sizing runs large and is cut deliberately oversized, so give flat measurements — buyers who have not worn the label before consistently order wrong
3. 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 flats, whatever the label

Flats wear through at the sole quickly because there is so little material, so sole condition is the whole story.

• Leather soles and uppers
• Recognised makers with a following
• Intact soles with no wear-through
• Unstretched backs that still grip

And what pulls one down

• Wear-through at the ball of the foot
• Stretched or collapsed backs
• Cracked leather at the flex point
• Cheap synthetic flats

Working out what yours is worth

1. Photograph the soles, especially the ball of the foot
2. Check the back holds its shape
3. Flex the sole and look for cracking

What to state in the listing

• Size as marked with equivalents, and insole length in centimetres
• Upper and lining material
• Whether they have any arch support or a padded insole
• Insole, heel lining and sole condition

Brand, style and size: “Leather Ballet Flats, Size 38, Tan”. Style names — ballet, pointed, loafer-style — are real searches. Say the material, because leather flats mould comfortably and synthetic ones do not, and buyers know the difference.

Preparing and photographing it

1. Look at the insole for wear through to the board, and at the heel lining for holes.
2. Check the sole at the ball of the foot, which is where flats thin first.
3. Clean them and reshape with tissue so they stand properly for photographs.

1. The pair side on, standing, shaped with tissue
2. The insoles from above, showing wear
3. Both soles, showing thinning at the ball
4. The size label and any scuff, split seam or worn heel lining

When it sells best, and handing it over

Lifts in spring and September. Comfortable branded flats sell year round; fashion flats are seasonal.

Light and cheap to post. Box them with tissue inside so they hold shape rather than arriving flattened.

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 flats worth?

Roughly £8 to £35 depending on condition, against £8 to £35 for flats 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 £21 for COS flats, against what the commission marketplaces would deduct:

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 flats for the title, handover and timing, or the general flats value guide if yours is not a COS.

See also: all COS value guides · value guides by brand · buying flats · Shoes & Footwear · condition grades.