The short version
- Typical range: £150 – £700 — see the full saxophone 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.
- Test every key for a proper seal and note any that leak.
- Note the type: alto, tenor, soprano or baritone, and the brand and serial.
- Check the lacquer, look for dents in the bow and bell, and confirm the neck, mouthpiece and case are present.
The photographs that sell a saxophone
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 saxophone assembled, full, on a stand or plain background
- The keywork and pads close up
- The bell and bow, showing lacquer and any dent
- The neck, mouthpiece, ligature and case
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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
Type, brand and condition: “Yamaha YAS-280 Alto Saxophone, Recently Serviced, Case and Mouthpiece”. Type is the first filter — alto and tenor are entirely different purchases. “Recently serviced” is worth real money if true.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Type: alto, tenor, soprano or baritone
- Brand, model and serial number
- Pad condition, and when it was last serviced
- Lacquer condition, any dents, and whether neck, mouthpiece and case are included
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a saxophone. 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.
Say when and by whom if you know. A serviced sax plays; an unserviced one may need a repad costing a large share of its value.
Test each key and report honestly. Leaking pads are the standard used-sax problem and buyers will check.
Confirm, and say which. Mouthpieces vary enormously in value and some are worth listing separately.
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 saxophone 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 £425 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a saxophone — 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 | £425 |
| Poshmark | −£85 | £340 |
| eBay | −£58 | £367 |
| Mercari | −£42 | £383 |
| Etsy | −£28 | £397 |
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
Lifts in September and before Christmas. Recognised student brands sell within days; professional horns sell more slowly at higher prices.
Heavy in its case and fragile. Post only in a hard case with the neck removed and wrapped, and pad the outside of the case.
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 saxophone worth?
Typically £150 to £700 for student and intermediate horns, with professional instruments far above. See the saxophone value guide.
How much does a repad cost?
It is a significant fraction of a student saxophone’s value, which is why pad condition drives the price so strongly. Test the seal on every key and say honestly what you found.
Does lacquer wear reduce the value?
Cosmetically yes, though many players are indifferent and some prefer a worn horn. Mechanical condition matters far more — photograph the lacquer honestly and lead with the pads.
See also: what a used saxophone is worth · browse live music & instruments listings · condition grades explained.