How Do You Condition Grade Your Shirts? | The VaultUpdated 10 hours ago

Every pre-owned football shirt we list is carefully assessed by our in-house team using a consistent and transparent grading system.

Our goal is simple — to give collectors and fans complete confidence in what they’re buying.

The final condition grade of each shirt is always displayed in the product title and description so you know exactly what to expect before purchasing.

How We Assess Shirt Condition

Each shirt is inspected across several key criteria before being assigned its final grade.

Material – The overall structure and feel of the fabric, including thickness, flexibility and durability.

Wear – Signs of use such as bobbling, pulls, snags or fraying. High-wear areas such as the inner neck are also checked.

Colour – Vibrancy and accuracy of the original shirt colours.

Labels – The presence and condition of size tags, wash labels and neck branding.

Detail – The quality and condition of design elements such as club badges, sponsor logos, sleeve patches and namesets.

Our Shirt Condition Grades

Once these checks are completed, the shirt receives an overall condition grade based on the following five-star system:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [Perfect / New] – No defects

⭐⭐⭐⭐ [Excellent] – 1–2 very minor flaws

⭐⭐⭐ [Good] – Noticeable wear or small defects

⭐⭐ [Fair] – Heavy wear or visible damage

⭐ [Poor] – Major flaws, damage or heavy fading

Additional Inspection

Behind the scenes, every shirt goes through a detailed internal scoring process based on these five criteria.

The individual inspection scores are recorded and noted on the swing tag attached to the shirt — a small but professional detail that reflects the care and attention we give to every item we sell.

This is just one more way we provide transparency and help you buy with confidence.