Very Good condition for a used wool suit means light, honest wear only: the lapels still roll, the seat and knees show no shine, the lining is intact, the buttons and vents work, and nothing smells of storage or cologne. One shiny seat, one lining tear, or one set-in crease drops it to Good.
That boundary is where suits get returned. A seller calls a charcoal two-piece "Excellent, barely worn," the buyer opens the jacket, sees a six-inch lining tear under the arm and a glossy patch across the trousers' seat, and files a not-as-described claim. The suit was a solid 7.0 on a good day. It was listed like an 8.0 and priced like one. Below is how to place a wool suit in the Very Good tier, factor by factor, and where Good begins.
Where Very Good sits on the suit scale
On the GradeThread 1.0–10.0 scale, Very Good covers roughly 7.0 to 7.5. Excellent sits at 8.0 and above, Good at 6.0 to 6.5. For suits, the tier descriptions read like this:
- Excellent (8): worn a handful of times, no visible wear, lining pristine, sharp press.
- Very Good (7): regular but careful wear, small signs visible only on close inspection, everything functional.
- Good (6): visible wear a buyer will notice in photos: shine, soft lapels, a repaired or torn lining, small marks.
A suit is a structured garment, so the Structural Integrity factor carries more weight than it does on a tee. Canvas, shoulder pads, and lapel shape are what a buyer is paying for. They are also the first things wear erodes.
Fabric Condition: seat shine, knees, and surface
Wool wears by abrasion, and abrasion polishes the fibers flat. That polish is seat shine, and it is the most common reason a suit misses Very Good.
Check it under angled light. Hold the trousers so a window or lamp rakes across the seat. Matte wool stays matte. Worn wool throws a sheen that shifts as you tilt it. Then run a thumb across the area: if the nap feels slick rather than textured, the shine is real.
Very Good allows no visible shine at the seat, knees, or inner thigh. Faint pilling at the inner thigh friction zone is acceptable if it brushes off. Elbow shine on the jacket sleeves follows the same rule. Light shine seen only at an angle usually lands at the Very Good/Good line. Shine visible in a straight-on photo is Good.
Also check for moth activity: tiny pinholes or thinned patches near the collar, inside pockets, and along the waistband. Any hole is a Fabric Condition defect that moves the suit to Fair or below unless it is a repaired, disclosed mend.
Structural Integrity: lapel roll, shoulders, and canvas
This is where a suit looks tailored or tired. Check three things:
- Lapel roll. Lay the jacket flat and fold the lapel back along its natural line. In a Very Good suit it rolls softly and holds a curve. A flat, pressed-down lapel with a hard crease at the edge means the canvas has been over-pressed or the jacket was dry-cleaned heavily.
- Shoulder shape. Hang the jacket on a wide hanger. The shoulders should hold their line with no dimples or collapse near the sleeve head.
- Bubbling. Look at the chest and lapel for rippling, which suggests fused interlining separating from the shell. Bubbling is a Good-tier defect at best, and often Fair on a high-value suit.
- Seams and vents. Tug the center back vent, the pocket corners, and the armhole seams. Open seams or stressed stitching drop the suit a tier.
A suit with a tidy, functioning structure and only a slightly soft lapel can still be Very Good. A suit whose canvas has failed is not, regardless of how clean it looks.
Cosmetic Appearance and pressed creases
Pressed creases split into two kinds. A crisp trouser crease or a light pressing fold from storage is normal and steams out. Call that Very Good. A permanent shine-line crease, or a crease scorched in by a hot iron and visible as a glossy stripe, is damage. That is Good at best.
Test a crease by steaming a small hidden area, such as the inside hem. If it relaxes, it was a fold. If it stays glossy, it is set.
Also check for pocket flap wear, stray threads, small snags, and fading at the collar fold. Very Good tolerates one or two tiny cosmetic marks that you can disclose in a sentence. It does not tolerate a visible stain, a dye transfer, or a cleaning mark on the front panels.
Functional Elements: lining, buttons, and zips
Lining is a quiet grade-killer because buyers see it only when they try the jacket on. Slide a hand inside the sleeves and check the armhole, the underarm, and the inside pocket edges. Look for:
- Seam splits at the underarm or along the back
- Pulled threads and frayed pocket bindings
- Shredded sleeve lining from friction at the cuff
- Sweat staining or stiffness at the underarm
Very Good means an intact lining with no tears, at most a loose thread you have trimmed. A small tear or an open seam, even if repairable, moves the suit to Good. Lining wear is also the clearest reason a suit that looks excellent outside gets graded lower overall.
Then check the working parts: all buttons present and secure, matching on the cuffs and front, a trouser zipper that runs and locks, a hook and bar that closes, and a waistband that holds. A missing sleeve button is a functional defect. Cuff buttons that are real buttonholes (surgeon's cuffs) matter to buyers, so note whether they open.
Odor & Cleanliness
Wool holds smell. Check the collar, underarms, and inside pockets. A Very Good suit smells neutral or lightly of dry cleaning. Cedar is fine. Cologne, smoke, mothballs, or a musty closet note is a fail for the tier. Odor that survives airing for 48 hours usually pushes the suit to Good or Fair depending on strength, and you should disclose it plainly.
Also look at the dry-cleaning tag or receipt stub. A recently cleaned suit with fresh pressing can hide wear until it is worn once, so check the structure and lining rather than trusting the finish.
Very Good vs Good: the boundary at a glance
| Factor | Very Good (7) | Good (6) |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric Condition | No seat or knee shine; matte nap | Shine visible at angle or straight on; light thinning |
| Structural Integrity | Lapel rolls; shoulders hold; no bubbling | Flat lapel or minor bubbling; soft shoulders |
| Cosmetic Appearance | Steam-removable creases; one or two tiny marks | Set creases; small stains or visible marks |
| Functional Elements | Lining intact; all buttons and zip work | Lining tear or open seam; missing or loose button |
| Odor & Cleanliness | Neutral or clean-cleaned scent | Faint storage or fragrance note |
Grade by the lowest factor that matters most. One Good-level defect in a high-weight area, like a lining tear on a jacket you are pricing as Very Good, sets the tier. Do not average it away.
What to write in the listing
Match the wording to the tier so buyers know what to expect. For Very Good, a line like this works: "Very Good condition. Lapels roll cleanly, no seat or knee shine, lining intact, all buttons present. Light pressing creases only." For a suit on the line, name the defect: "Good condition. Light seat shine visible at an angle, small lining seam open at the left underarm." Specific beats generous. A disclosed flaw costs you a few dollars at offer time. An undisclosed one costs you the sale, the return shipping, and the feedback.
Photograph the seat under raking light, the open lining, and the lapel roll. Those three shots answer most pre-purchase questions on a suit.
Grade one suit and see the report
If you have a wool suit in the pile that you are tempted to call Excellent, run it through the five factors first. Grade one garment with GradeThread and you get a 1.0–10.0 score, a factor-by-factor condition report, and a certificate buyers can verify. It will show you whether the suit is a Very Good or a Good before a buyer decides for you.