The short version
- Typical range: £80 – £450 — see the full electric guitar value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Music & Instruments
Before you photograph it
Ten minutes here is worth more than anything else you will do. Buyers are deciding between your listing and someone else’s, and preparation is what visibly separates the two.
- Plug it in and test both pickups, every switch position, and all volume and tone controls for crackle.
- Check the fret wear, particularly in the first five frets, and sight the neck for relief and twist.
- Note whether anything has been modified — replacement pickups, tuners or bridge — because buyers care and will spot it.
The photographs that sell an electric guitar
Four photographs do almost all the work. Shoot in daylight, near a window, with the item against something plain — and do not use the flash, which flattens texture and hides exactly what buyers are trying to see.
- The full guitar front on against a plain background
- The headstock showing brand, model and serial
- The frets along the neck, angled to reveal wear
- The pickups, controls and bridge, plus any modification or damage
Photograph the flaws too. It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover. Buyers who can see the damage stop imagining something worse.
Writing the title and description
Brand, model and finish: “Fender Player Stratocaster, Sunburst, MIM 2019”. Country of manufacture matters enormously on electric guitars and belongs in the title where you know it. Say clearly if anything is non-original, because modified guitars sell fine when disclosed and badly when discovered.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Brand, model, finish and year or era if known
- Country of manufacture, from the serial number
- Whether the pickups, tuners, bridge and electronics are original
- Fret wear, neck condition, and whether a case or gig bag is included
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about an electric guitar. Answering them in the listing itself removes the back-and-forth, and answering them well when they do arrive is what turns an enquiry into a sale.
List any changed parts. Modifications are common and often improvements, but the buyer is pricing an original instrument unless you say otherwise.
Photograph them angled in good light. A refret is a significant cost, so buyers assess this carefully and appreciate clear pictures.
Plug in and sweep every pot and switch. Scratchy pots are cheap to clean but must be mentioned rather than left to be discovered.
Pricing it so it actually sells
Start from the honest condition grade rather than the price you hope for. WishThrift listings use five grades — New with Tags, Like New, Good, Fair and For Parts — and what each grade means is worth reading before you choose, because grading up is the most expensive mistake sellers make. It does not raise the price; it produces a buyer who arrives expecting something else.
The electric guitar value guide prices all five grades for this item. Pick your grade, take the figure, and if you sit between two grades price toward the lower one. Items priced honestly sell faster than items priced hopefully, and on a free platform there is no fee eating the difference anyway.
What you keep, compared
On a £265 sale — roughly the middle of the range for an electric guitar — here is what the commission-charging platforms would take, and what you would keep on each:
| Where you sell it | Fee | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| WishThrift | £0 | £265 |
| Poshmark | −£53 | £212 |
| eBay | −£36 | £229 |
| Mercari | −£26 | £239 |
| Etsy | −£17 | £248 |
Seller-side rates verified 26 Jul 2026 — Poshmark: 20% commission on sales of $15 and above; eBay: 13.6% final value fee, plus a per-order fee; Mercari: flat 10% selling fee; Etsy: 6.5% transaction fee, plus a listing fee and payment processing. Percentages are applied to the sterling figure above; the fixed per-order and processing charges those platforms add are quoted in their own currency and are not included here, so the real deductions are slightly larger. Full breakdown: marketplace selling fees compared.
Timing and getting it to the buyer
Steady all year with a Christmas lift. Recognised brands and models hold value strongly and sell within days when priced sensibly; unbranded instruments move slowly.
Slacken the strings and post in a hard case only, with the headstock heavily padded. Many buyers prefer to collect and play it first, which is entirely reasonable at these prices.
WishThrift does not process payments or arrange delivery — you and the buyer agree both directly — so confirm payment has cleared before the item leaves your hands, and keep the conversation on the site so there is a record of what was agreed.
Ready to list it? It takes about two minutes, costs nothing, and there is no commission when it sells — create a free account or see how selling works.
Frequently asked questions
What is a used electric guitar worth?
Typically £80 to £450, with well-known brands and desirable models well above that. Country of manufacture and originality drive the price. See the electric guitar value guide.
Do modifications reduce the value?
Usually yes on collectable instruments, where originality is much of the value, and sometimes not at all on working guitars where a quality upgrade is welcomed. Either way, list every change — buyers find them and value honesty.
Is it worth setting the guitar up before selling?
A basic setup is cheap and makes the instrument play noticeably better for anyone who tries it, which matters if buyers collect. A full refret or electronics overhaul rarely returns its cost.
See also: what a used electric guitar is worth · browse live music & instruments listings · condition grades explained.