The short version
- Typical range: £15 – £100 — see the full knife set value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Kitchen & Appliances
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.
- Check each blade for chips along the edge and for rust or pitting near the bolster.
- Confirm the set is complete against the block, and note any knife that has been replaced with a different make.
- Wash and dry them fully. Do not sharpen aggressively before selling; a clumsy re-grind takes value off a good knife.
The photographs that sell a knife set
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 whole set laid out together, blades visible, on a plain surface
- The block or case, showing every slot and whether any is empty
- One blade close up along its edge, showing sharpness and any chip
- The maker’s stamp on the blade or tang, plus any rust, chip or loose handle
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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
Maker and piece count: “Global 5 Piece Knife Set with Block” or “Japanese Damascus Chef Knife Set, 3 Pieces”. Named makers are the search here and carry most of the value; steel type and full tang construction are worth stating when true.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Maker, model or range, and how many pieces
- Blade lengths, and steel type if marked
- Whether the block, case or sharpening steel is included
- Condition of each edge and handle, and any rust, chip or replaced piece
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a knife set. 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.
Sight along each edge under a light and say. Small chips grind out; a large chip near the tip is a permanent change to the knife’s shape.
Photograph the stamp on the blade. On knives the maker is most of the value, and buyers will identify a good one from the mark faster than from your description.
Check your carrier’s rules first. Several services restrict or refuse bladed articles, and the ones that accept them require specific packaging and adult signature on delivery.
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 knife set 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 £57 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a knife set — 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 | £57 |
| Poshmark | −£11 | £46 |
| eBay | −£8 | £49 |
| Mercari | −£6 | £51 |
| Etsy | −£4 | £53 |
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 before Christmas and in January. Named Japanese and German makers sell within days; unbranded block sets are slow and compete on price alone.
If you post, use a carrier that permits bladed articles, sheath or card-wrap every edge, and use a signed service. For local handover, sell only to an adult — that is a legal requirement, not a preference.
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
Is it legal to sell a used knife set?
Selling kitchen knives second hand is lawful, but supplying a bladed article to anyone under 18 is a criminal offence, and carriers impose their own restrictions on sending them. Sell only to adults and check the carrier’s rules before agreeing to post.
What is a used knife set worth?
Typically £15 to £100, with named Japanese and German makers considerably above. See the knife set value guide for the condition breakdown.
Should I sharpen them before selling?
A light hone is fine. Do not attempt a heavy re-grind — a badly reprofiled edge is worth less than a blunt original one, and serious buyers sharpen their own knives anyway.
See also: what a used knife set is worth · browse live kitchen & appliances listings · condition grades explained.