Lacoste Cardigans Resale Value

Lacoste cardigans: 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 cardigan, whatever the label

Cardigans are judged on the buttons and the button band, because those carry the strain and are what fails first.

• Natural fibres with good weight and drape
• All original buttons present and matching
• Button bands that lie flat with no gaping
• Recognised knitwear labels

And what pulls one down

• Missing or mismatched replacement buttons
• Stretched, gaping button bands
• Pilling on the front where it rubs
• Thin acrylic knits, which sell for very little

Working out what yours is worth

1. Count the buttons and check they all match
2. Button it fully and check the band lies flat
3. Check the composition label

What to state in the listing

• Fibre composition and knit weight
• Pit-to-pit and body length laid flat
• Whether all buttons are present and any spare included
• Any pilling, holes or stretched cuffs

Fibre, style and size: “Lambswool Button Through Cardigan, Navy, Size 12”. Fibre is the price driver and belongs first. Say whether it is chunky, fine knit or a longline, since those suit different buyers.

Preparing and photographing it

1. Check every button is present and firmly attached, and look for a spare sewn inside the placket.
2. De-pill the fabric, especially under the arms and at the cuffs.
3. Read the composition: wool, cashmere, cotton and acrylic sit at very different prices.

1. Laid flat, front, buttoned
2. The composition label
3. The buttons and buttonholes close up
4. Cuffs, elbows and any hole, pill or stretch

When it sells best, and handing it over

Autumn through late winter, with a peak before Christmas. Natural fibre cardigans hold value; acrylic ones sell cheaply.

Light and cheap to post. Fold rather than hang so the shoulders do not stretch, and use a waterproof bag for natural fibres — wool and cashmere absorb any damp in transit and arrive smelling musty, which buyers notice immediately.

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 cardigan worth?

Roughly £9 to £44 depending on condition, against £8 to £40 for cardigans 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 £26 for a Lacoste cardigan, 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 cardigan for the title, handover and timing, or the general cardigan value guide if yours is not a Lacoste.

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