Quick Answer: Check in this order: shoulder fit, underarm lining, fabric composition on the label, button shanks and buttonholes, pocket corners, and the hem. Shoulder is the only unfixable problem, so it goes first. Underarm lining tears are the most common defect and are cheap to repair. A high synthetic content in something sold as wool is the one thing that should end the inspection immediately.

Secondhand coats are the best value in any thrift shop, which is exactly why the bad ones are so expensive to learn from.

Why start with the shoulder?

Because it is the only thing you cannot change.

A tailor can shorten sleeves, take in a waist, shorten a hem, replace a lining, and swap every button. What a tailor cannot practically do is alter shoulder width on a coat, because the sleeve head, the canvas, and often a shoulder pad are all set into that seam.

What to look for: the shoulder seam should sit at the outer edge of your shoulder, or deliberately past it if the coat is cut oversized. A seam sitting inside your shoulder line means the coat is too small regardless of how it buttons.

Test the movement, not just the look. Reach both arms forward as if holding a steering wheel. If the coat pulls hard across the back, the shoulder is too narrow and it will be uncomfortable over knitwear.

Then check with a layer on. A coat tried over a t-shirt in a warm shop will be tried in real life over a knit. Add roughly the bulk you will actually wear underneath, or bring a knit with you if you are shopping seriously.

If the shoulder passes, everything else on the coat is negotiable. That is why it takes ten seconds and comes first.

What are the actual failure points to inspect?

Five, in descending order of cost to fix.

The fabric composition label

A coat sold as wool that is mostly polyester will pill, hold no shape, and be cold. Find the label — usually in a side seam — and read it. Above about seventy percent wool behaves like wool. Below fifty percent, walk away. If the label has been cut out, feel the cloth: wool has weight and springs back when crushed in a fist; synthetic stays creased.

The underarm lining

The most common defect on any secondhand coat and one of the cheapest repairs. Turn the coat inside out or reach up the sleeve. A tear here is a bargaining point, not a dealbreaker.

Button shanks and buttonholes

Good buttons sit on a shank — a small stem that lets the button sit over the buttonhole layer. Shanks signal a better coat. Check the buttonholes for fraying, which is a more expensive fix than the buttons themselves.

Pocket corners

This is where a coat wears out first, because hands go in and out thousands of times. A small split at the corner is repairable; a wide hole with the lining showing through has usually taken the surrounding fabric with it.

The hem and the cuff edge

Look for shine, which indicates wear, and for a hem that has been let down previously, which leaves a permanent line.

What about smell, moths, and stains?

Three conditions with very different prognoses.

Smell is usually fixable and usually free. Most thrift shop smell is storage rather than the garment. Airing for a few days outdoors in shade removes most of it, and a professional clean handles the rest. The exception is smoke, which sits deep in wool and often survives cleaning.

Moth damage is the real risk in wool. Look for small round holes, and check the underarm, the inside of the collar, and any folded area. One or two holes can be invisibly rewoven at a cost; a scattering of holes means active infestation and you should not bring the coat home.

If you buy any wool secondhand, isolate it. Bag it, freeze it for several days, or take it directly for cleaning before it goes near your wardrobe. A single garment can introduce moths to an entire closet, which is by far the most expensive possible outcome of a cheap purchase.

Stains divide into two kinds. Water-based marks on wool usually clean out. Oil and grease often do not, particularly if a previous owner has already tried heat on them.

And check the collar fold specifically. Body oils accumulate there and the mark is often invisible on dark cloth in shop lighting. Take the coat toward a window and look along the fold at an angle.

What Nobody Tells You About Thrifting Coats

The best coats arrive at the end of a season, not the start. People clear out when they put things away, so the deepest wool inventory appears in spring. Shopping for a winter coat in November is competing with everyone else for what is left.

Old coats are often physically heavier, and that is the point. Cloth weight has fallen across the industry over decades. A coat that feels notably heavy for its size usually has a denser cloth, which is precisely what makes it warm and long-lasting.

Men’s sections are worth checking. Coats are the least body-specific garment category, and an oversized silhouette is a deliberate look rather than a compromise. Shoulder is still the test, but the range of good wool available widens enormously.

Factor a professional clean into the price every time. Nearly every secondhand wool coat needs one before it is wearable. Treat it as part of the purchase price and the decision stays honest.

Vintage sizing runs small, sometimes by two sizes or more. Ignore the label entirely and go by the shoulder and the chest. A label is a historical document, not a measurement — and this is the single most common reason people walk past coats that would have fitted them perfectly.

FAQ: Thrifting Outerwear Questions, Answered

How much should a lining replacement cost?

It varies by area, but it is typically a fraction of what a comparable new coat would cost, and far less than the value of a good wool shell. Get a quote from one local tailor once and you will be able to make this decision instantly forever after.

Is it safe to buy a coat with a small moth hole?

One isolated hole in an otherwise clean coat is usually old damage and can be rewoven. Several holes, or any sign of larvae or webbing in the seams, means active infestation — leave it, and do not bring it home to check.

What is the single best value category in a thrift shop?

Structured wool coats, without much competition. They depreciate fast, they are built to last decades, the fit tolerance is wide, and almost every defect except shoulder width is repairable.

Should I dry clean before or after alterations?

Before. A tailor should not have to handle a dirty garment, and cleaning can shrink cloth very slightly, which would change a fresh alteration. Clean, then alter, then wear.

TL;DR:

• Check the shoulder first — it is the only unfixable problem on a coat.
• Read the fabric composition label; below fifty percent wool is not worth the rail space.
• Underarm lining tears and missing buttons are cheap fixes and good bargaining points.
• Isolate any secondhand wool before it enters your wardrobe, because moths are the expensive risk.

If you want a coat for this winter, the rails are fullest right now with what people cleared out in spring. Two minutes of inspection is the whole difference between a bargain and a bag in the hallway.