Ercol Wardrobes Resale Value

Ercol wardrobes: 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 Ercol

• The Windsor range in elm and beech, particularly the stacking chairs and the Studio Couch, which are the pieces collectors specifically want
• Original untouched finishes, including the honey-coloured lacquer, which is what buyers of mid-century furniture are looking for
• Pieces still carrying the blue paper label or the stamped model number, which date them and confirm what they are
• Solid elm tops with figured grain, since elm was phased out after Dutch elm disease and cannot be replaced

What pulls Ercol resale value down

• Painted and chalk-painted pieces, which were extremely fashionable for a decade and which collectors discount heavily — stripping rarely returns the original colour
• Loose joints on the stick-back chairs, where the spindles have worked free of the seat and the chair racks under load
• Woodworm in elm, which is common in stored pieces and needs treating and declaring rather than hiding
• Sun-bleached tops where one half has faded against the other, which cannot be evened out without refinishing the whole piece

Identifying and dating yours

1. The model number is stamped into the underside of a seat or the back of a frame, and it identifies the design precisely — photograph it
2. Older pieces carry a blue paper label underneath; a surviving label is worth showing because it confirms both the maker and the period
3. Elm and beech look different: elm shows a strong wandering grain on the seat while beech is finer and straighter, and elm is worth more

What lifts any wardrobe, whatever the label

Wardrobes are bulky and most modern ones cannot be moved twice, so the practical question of dismantling shapes the price.

• Solid wood construction that dismantles and rebuilds
• Antique and mid-century pieces with a following
• Intact hanging rails, shelves and working doors
• Original keys for lockable pieces

And what pulls one down

• Particleboard construction that will not survive dismantling
• Doors that no longer hang square
• Missing shelves, rails or fittings
• Very large single-piece units that will not fit through doors

Working out what yours is worth

1. Measure height, width and depth, and check your own doorways
2. Confirm whether it dismantles and whether you have the fittings
3. Open and close every door to check the hang

What to state in the listing

• External height, width and depth in centimetres
• Internal hanging height, and how many rails and shelves
• Solid wood, veneer or flat-pack board
• Whether it dismantles, and whether the fittings are included

Doors, size and material: “3 Door Solid Pine Wardrobe with Mirror, 180cm Tall”. Height matters because buyers have ceilings and stairwells to think about. If it dismantles, say so in the title — it hugely widens the pool of buyers who can physically take it.

Preparing and photographing it

1. Measure the external height, width and depth, and the internal hanging height, which is what buyers actually need.
2. Check whether it dismantles and whether you have the fittings. A flat-pack wardrobe that has been built once often will not survive a second build — say so if that is the case.
3. Test the doors, runners and any mirror, and clean the interior.

1. The wardrobe closed, straight on, whole
2. Doors open, showing the hanging space, shelves and rail
3. The top and sides, showing any scuffs or water damage
4. Any damage to the base, feet or runners

When it sells best, and handing it over

Peaks in spring and summer with house moves. Solid wood pieces sell well all year; flat-pack units are abundant and often sell only at low prices or free collection.

Collection only and genuinely heavy. Be explicit about which floor it is on, whether there are stairs and whether it is already dismantled, so the buyer arrives with the right vehicle and enough hands.

What buyers ask

Is it worth stripping a painted Ercol chair before selling?

Rarely. Stripping is laborious and the original lacquer colour does not come back, so most sellers do better describing it honestly as painted and pricing it as such.

How do I tell genuine Ercol from a similar chair?

Look underneath. Genuine pieces carry a stamped model number and often a blue label, and the Windsor seats are shaped from a single solid piece rather than glued boards.

How much is an Ercol wardrobe worth?

Roughly £65 to £390 depending on condition, against £50 to £300 for wardrobes 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 £227 for an Ercol wardrobe, 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 a wardrobe for the title, handover and timing, or the general wardrobe value guide if yours is not an Ercol.

See also: all Ercol value guides · value guides by brand · buying a wardrobe · Furniture · condition grades.