Lacoste Bikinis Resale Value

Lacoste bikinis: 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 Lacoste

• The L1212 pique polo, which has been in production essentially unchanged for decades and is the item buyers search for
• Vintage pieces made in France under the Devanlay licence, printed on the care label, which carry a clear premium over later production
• Older garments labelled Chemise Lacoste, which is the original naming and dates a piece to the earlier era
• Collaboration pieces and the Lacoste Live sub-line, which were made in much smaller runs than the mainline

What pulls Lacoste resale value down

• A frayed, lifted or partly detached crocodile, which is the identifying feature and the first thing anyone looks at
• Stretched or greyed collars on the polos, the normal failure and the reason most used ones sell cheaply
• Faded colours on the brighter polos, which is common and very visible
• Current mainline basics in common sizes, which compete directly with a new one on sale

Identifying and dating yours

1. Lacoste sizes are numbered 2 to 8 rather than lettered, so state the UK equivalent and the flat chest measurement — this is the commonest cause of a return on the label
2. The crocodile should be tightly and evenly embroidered with defined teeth and eye; buyers compare it against reference photographs
3. The care label gives the country of manufacture, and Made in France places a garment in the earlier, more valuable period

What lifts any bikini, whatever the label

Swimwear separates are the most hygiene-sensitive clothing category, and the liner is what buyers ask about.

• Hygiene liners intact on bottoms
• Elastic still firm in straps and legs
• Recognised swim and resort brands
• Matching sets sold together

And what pulls one down

• Missing hygiene liners
• Chlorine damage showing as thinning
• Slack elastic and stretched straps
• Split sets sold as singles

Working out what yours is worth

1. Confirm the hygiene liner is present and state it
2. Stretch the elastic and check recovery
3. Hold the fabric to the light for thinning

What to state in the listing

• Size of each piece, and underband and hip measured flat
• Style of top and bottom
• Whether the hygiene liner is present, and whether pads are included
• Elastic condition, fading and any chlorine damage

Brand, sizes and style: “Seafolly Bikini, Top 12 Bottom 10, Triangle”. Top and bottom sizes are often different and stating both saves a message. Style names — triangle, bandeau, high waisted — are all real searches.

Preparing and photographing it

1. Check the elastic at the leg openings and the underband, and stretch it to see whether it recovers.
2. Confirm the hygiene liner is present and intact in the bottoms.
3. Check for chlorine damage and sun fading, and look for pilling on the seat, which is where swimwear wears.

1. Both pieces laid flat together, front
2. The reverse of both pieces
3. The hygiene liner in the bottoms
4. Labels with sizes and composition, plus any fade, pilling, snag or stretched elastic

When it sells best, and handing it over

Sharply seasonal, from April to July with a small winter-holiday window in December. Out of season it will barely be seen, so hold it until spring.

The cheapest thing on the site to post. Wash it, say so, and send it in a clean sealed bag inside the envelope — presentation matters disproportionately for swimwear.

What buyers ask

What size is a Lacoste 5?

Lacoste uses its own 2 to 8 numbering rather than S to XL, and a 5 is roughly a UK medium to large depending on the cut. Always give the flat chest measurement as well, because this numbering causes more returns than anything else on the label.

Are old Lacoste polos worth more?

Pieces made in France under the Devanlay licence, and older ones labelled Chemise Lacoste, carry a real premium. The care label is what tells you which you have.

How much is a Lacoste bikini worth?

Roughly £7 to £31 depending on condition, against £6 to £28 for bikinis 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 £19 for a Lacoste bikini, 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 bikini for the title, handover and timing, or the general bikini value guide if yours is not a Lacoste.

See also: all Lacoste value guides · value guides by brand · buying a bikini · Clothing · condition grades.