The short version
- Typical range: £120 – £700 — see the full laptop value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Electronics
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.
- Note the processor, RAM and storage exactly. On Windows this is System Information; write down the numbers rather than approximating.
- Run it unplugged and time roughly how long the battery lasts. A stated figure, even an honest two hours, beats silence.
- Back up your files, then do a full factory reset so it arrives at a clean setup screen.
The photographs that sell a laptop
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.
- Open, powered on, showing the desktop so the screen is provably working
- Closed lid and the base, showing scuffs, dents and any missing feet
- The keyboard straight on, since worn key legends are an obvious wear signal buyers look for
- The specification screen, plus the charger you are including
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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
Buyers search by processor and RAM, so lead with them: “Dell XPS 13, i7 16GB RAM 512GB SSD, Windows 11”. Screen size belongs in there too. If the battery is weak or it only runs plugged in, say so in the title rather than the small print — you will get fewer messages but far better ones.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Processor model and generation, RAM in GB, and storage type and size
- Screen size and resolution
- Realistic battery life unplugged, or plainly that it needs mains power
- Whether the original charger is included, and the operating system installed
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a laptop. 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.
Give a real figure from an actual test. Vague reassurance here is the fastest way to a dispute, because the buyer will find out on day one.
Say yes or no in the listing. A missing proprietary charger can cost the buyer £40 and they will deduct more than that if surprised.
Answer with the actual specification rather than a yes. State the processor, RAM and whether it has a dedicated graphics card, and let them judge.
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 laptop 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 £410 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a laptop — 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 | £410 |
| Poshmark | −£82 | £328 |
| eBay | −£56 | £354 |
| Mercari | −£41 | £369 |
| Etsy | −£27 | £383 |
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
A steady seller all year with a clear lift in late August and September as students buy. Well-specified machines sell within a week; older or vaguely described ones can sit for months.
Post it double-boxed with the screen protected, or hand it over locally so the buyer can boot it up in front of you. A working demonstration at handover removes almost every possible dispute.
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 laptop worth?
Usually £120 to £700 depending on age and specification. Processor generation, RAM and whether it has an SSD matter far more than cosmetic condition. See the laptop value guide.
Should I factory reset before selling?
Yes, always, and after backing up. A full reset removes your accounts and files and leaves the buyer at a clean setup screen. Never hand over a machine still signed into your email or cloud storage.
Does a broken battery make a laptop unsellable?
No. Plenty of buyers want a machine that lives on a desk permanently plugged in. Say clearly that it needs mains power, price it accordingly, and it will still sell.
See also: what a used laptop is worth · browse live electronics listings · condition grades explained.