What happens when your jean zipper stops working, gets caught mid-way, the teeth pull away, the zipper pull breaks off, the slider pulls off, or it doesn’t stay closed. Should the zipper be replaced or can it be repaired Replacement: At Steph's Mom, the cost is $15 to $25 plus cost of zipper. Replacement should be done when teeth are missing, the zipper tape is torn or when the pin that the slider feeds through is missing or torn from the tape. Replacing jean zippers is a tedious chore.  First I carefully unpick the zipper and all surrounding stitches . Then I sew the new zipper in and replace all top stitching.  Total process can take up to an hour.  As with any zipper replacement, the worth of the replacement is a personal choice.  Repairs cost $5 to $10 depending on what is needed. Repairs can be done when the zipper keeps getting stuck, the zipper slider works but once zipped up, the zipper comes apart, the slider comes off or the stoppers at the top of your zipper is missing. There are no guarantees with a zipper fix and if that fails a new zipper would have to be sewn in at the replacement cost.