To grade a repaired garment for resale, grade the garment as it stands today, then disclose the repair in one plain line. A repair does not hide a defect, and it does not erase one. It changes which factor you score, and it rarely moves the tier up.
Here is the failure we see most. A seller darns a moth hole on a wool sweater, does it well, and lists it as Excellent with no mention. The buyer finds the mend in ten seconds, opens a not-as-described case, and the seller eats the return. The work was good. The silence was the problem.
Why repairs break seller grading
Sellers tend to make one of two mistakes. They grade the repair, meaning they reward their own effort and round up. Or they grade the original damage, and punish a garment that is now sound. Both are wrong.
A buyer does not care how many hours went into the mend. They care what they receive: how it looks, whether it holds, and whether the seller told them. Grade the garment in your hands, not the story behind it.
Repairs also split into two kinds that deserve different treatment:
- Restorative repairs aim to disappear: invisible mending, a reweave, a replaced zipper in matching color.
- Visible repairs are intentional: contrast-thread darning, patches, sashiko, appliqué.
Neither is a defect-free garment. Both go in the report.
Which factor a repair lands in
GradeThread scores five weighted factors: Fabric Condition, Structural Integrity, Cosmetic Appearance, Functional Elements, and Odor & Cleanliness. A repair usually touches one or two. Knowing which one keeps you from over- or under-scoring.
| Repair type | Primary factor | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Darned hole or reweave | Fabric Condition | Is the surrounding weave thinned? Holes often return at the edge of a mend. |
| Re-sewn seam or reinforced stress point | Structural Integrity | Does the new stitching hold under a gentle pull? Is the old fabric beside it sound? |
| Patch (visible or hidden) | Cosmetic Appearance, plus Fabric Condition underneath | Does the patch sit flat? What is the fabric doing behind it? |
| Replaced zipper, button, or snap | Functional Elements | Does it run smoothly? Is it a close match, or obviously different? |
| Re-hem or taken-in alteration | Structural Integrity and measurements | Is the original length or cut changed? Are there old hem lines or needle holes? |
The key point: a patch is a Cosmetic Appearance call on the surface, but the reason it exists is usually a Fabric Condition problem underneath. Score both.
The six-step check for a repaired garment
Run this sequence before you assign a tier. It takes a few minutes and gives you the facts for the disclosure line.
- Locate every repair. Turn the garment inside out and check under raking light. Hidden mends show up on the reverse as knots, lifted threads, or fusible backing.
- Identify the original damage. Hole, tear, seam failure, worn knee, broken zip. You are grading what caused the repair, not just the repair.
- Test the repair under load. Pull gently across the mend, flex the patch area, run the zipper ten times. A repair that shifts or puckers is a Structural Integrity problem.
- Check the fabric around it. Hold it to light. Thin fabric at the edge of a darn or patch means the next failure is close, and that lowers Fabric Condition even if the mend itself is neat.
- Score the five factors on the garment as it is. Do not add points for craftsmanship. Do not subtract points for the fact that it was once damaged.
- Write the disclosure line and photograph the repair. One sentence on what, where, and how. One close-up and one wide shot showing placement.
If step three fails, the repair is not finished. Redo it before listing, or drop a tier and say so.
Where repairs land by tier
These are working guidelines, not guarantees. Category matters, and a patch on a work jacket reads differently than a patch on a silk blouse.
- NWT and NWOT: not available. A repaired garment is not unworn, and any repair rules these tiers out.
- Excellent: a nearly invisible repair on a sound garment, such as a replaced button or a tiny reweave in a low-visibility spot. If a buyer would need to look for it, it can stay here, but it still gets disclosed.
- Very Good: a clean, visible mend or a well-placed patch on stable fabric, where the repair is noticeable but the garment is structurally sound.
- Good: prominent repairs, multiple repairs, or a mend in a high-wear area like a knee, elbow, or crotch seam where the fabric nearby shows wear.
- Fair: repairs that are holding but thin fabric or compromised structure suggests they may not last, or repairs that change the fit noticeably.
- Poor: failed or failing repairs, or repair on top of heavy damage.
A short rule helps: one clean repair on sound fabric usually costs you one tier step from where the garment would otherwise sit. Multiple repairs or repairs on weak fabric cost more. Treat that as a starting point and let the five factors correct you.
Visible mending: when it helps and when it doesn't
Visible mending, such as contrast-thread darning or sashiko patches, has a real buyer base. Some buyers actively look for it. That does not change the grade. It changes the audience.
Grade the Cosmetic Appearance factor honestly. A neat, deliberate mend is not the same as a messy one, and a buyer who wants a repaired piece will still check the stitching. Describe the style in the listing so that buyers who dislike it can skip, and buyers who like it can find you.
Do not use the word "upcycled" or "handmade" as a substitute for condition. They describe origin. The grade describes state.
Re-hems and alterations
A re-hem is the repair sellers forget to mention, and it causes the most quiet returns. Shortened jeans, taken-up trousers, and tapered sleeves all change measurements.
Check three things:
- Current measurements versus the tag size. A 32 inseam tag with a 29 inseam measurement is the whole story. Put the real number in the listing.
- Old hem lines or needle holes. These are permanent Cosmetic Appearance marks, especially on denim, where a lost original hem also removes the worn edge.
- Whether the alteration is reversible. A let-out seam with spare fabric is a selling point. A cut hem is not.
An alteration that fits the garment better is still an alteration. Disclose it, measure it, and let the buyer decide.
The disclosure line that keeps returns away
Disclosure is short and factual. Say what, where, how, and whether it holds. Compare the two versions below.
- Weak: "Lightly repaired, great condition."
- Strong: "Grade 7.0, Very Good. One 1-inch darn on left sleeve near the elbow, contrast cotton thread, holds under pull. Fabric around the mend is sound. Hem shortened by 2 inches; inseam measures 29 inches."
The strong version answers the buyer's questions before they ask. It also protects you on eBay, where the item specifics and description carry weight in a not-as-described case, and on Poshmark, where buyers can report an item that does not match the listing. A disclosed repair rarely becomes a dispute. An undisclosed one almost always does.
Photograph the repair twice: a close-up that shows the stitching or patch edge, and a wider shot that shows where it sits on the garment. Put both in the first five photos, not buried at the end.
Grade one repaired garment and see the report
If you have a mended piece in your pile, grade it before you price it. Run the six steps, then upload it to GradeThread to see the five-factor report and a tier you can attach to a certificate buyers can verify. It is a quick way to check whether your repair moved the grade the way you expected.