How to Tell if Your Vintage Clothing is Valuable

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If you’re a huge fan of thrifting and just can’t resist a good vintage sale, you may have a wardrobe that is bursting with eclectic pieces from every era imaginable. Vintage clothing is something that will never go out of fashion, and can even increase in value as the years go on. If you have one too many pieces in your wardrobe, you may be considering selling them online. 

This brings us to the question — how can you tell if your vintage clothing is valuable? The last thing you want to do is underprice your precious pieces when you’re letting go of them, which is why finding out their true value is key. In today’s article, we have a look at how you can gauge the value of your vintage clothing, so read on to find out more!

  1. Investigate The Logo

As a general rule of thumb, most believe that if you look at a clothing label or logo and find yourself unfamiliar with it, chances are your item of clothing can be classified as vintage. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t designs, makes, or models are often highly sought after due to their exclusivity. A great way to find out if your clothing and accessories can fetch a high price is to do some research into the brand, label or logo of the items you own. By doing this and price checking online, you will be able to gauge exactly how much your items are worth. 

  1. Where Was It Made?

It’s no surprise that most of our items in 2021 have a high chance of being made in China. One good way to figure out if your vintage clothing is valuable is to pay close attention to where it was made. Back in the day, most clothing and accessories were made in either the USA, Australia, France, Hong Kong, Italy or Great Britain. Clothing production found itself being offshored in the early 90s, so chances are anything you own that was made in one of those 3 countries prior to the 90s has a high chance of being worth a fair amount of money. 

  1. It’s All About Fabric Composition

Did you know that most valuable vintage clothing is made from 100% composition fabrics? In 2021, you’ll find modern blends of fabric that can include a combination of polyester, cotton, linen, rayon and other common fabrics found in most clothing in this day and age. Have a look at the label on your vintage pieces and check if they are made from a singular fabric — clothing items with this composition are almost definitely always worth more than their counterparts. 

  1. Pay Attention To Condition

If you own an extremely valuable item of vintage clothing, you’ll want to ensure that it is in tip-top condition if you’re looking to sell it for a profit. Most vintage clothing, due to their nature and age, may come with pre-existing wear and tear and minor fabric damage. However, if your clothing happens to have large stains, holes or more serious damage, the likelihood of selling it at a good price is very much diminished. If you are unsure about the condition of your clothing, always check with an appraiser before you choose to throw it away or donate it.

  1. Unique Designs, Colours and Patterns

The more unique or unusual your clothing is, the high the price it will fetch. Many vintage designs, colours and patterns are no longer found in modern clothing — a great thing for anyone who has a closet full of pre-loved items. The more unique the design, the higher the value of the garment. Features such as side-snap closures, bias hem tape, metal zippers and pinked seams are also highly favoured when it comes to vintage clothing, so always do your research before selling your clothing…you may just be sitting on something that is worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars! 

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And there you have it: All the pointers you need when it comes to selling your vintage clothing online. We hope that these 5 tried and true tips when it comes to evaluating the value of your pieces have come in handy today!