How to Sell a Broken Sterilizer

A broken sterilizer is still worth selling — typically £2 to £11 at For Parts, against £10 to £45 in working order.

Can you sell a sterilizer that does not work?

Yes. Repairers, people replacing one component and buyers who want a project all shop deliberately at this end. None of them will accept a fault they discover after paying.

What actually goes wrong with sterilizers

These are the faults that move a sterilizer down the grades, and the first things a buyer will ask about:

Heavy limescale on the element
Missing racks and tongs
Cracked lids
Microwave sterilisers, which sell for very little

Grading it honestly

Fair covers something heavily used, or with a described fault or missing part: around £4 to £20. For Parts covers something not working or incomplete, sold as seen: roughly £2 to £11. Grades are seller-declared and nobody inspects them for you, so grading up does not raise what you get — it produces a buyer who arrives expecting something else. All five grades explained.

Working out what you actually have

Establish the fault properly rather than guessing at it:

Descale it fully and photograph the clean interior
Run a cycle to confirm it heats and switches off
Confirm racks, tongs and lid are present

Photographing the fault

Photograph the damage directly and in focus — it is the evidence that the rest of the description is honest:

The steriliser whole, lid on
The interior with the basket in, descaled
The control panel and model marking
The accessories laid out, plus any scale, crack or discoloured element

What to state in the listing

Alongside the fault itself, buyers of broken sterilizers want these confirmed:

Type — electric steam, microwave or cold water — and bottle capacity
Brand, and which bottle types it accommodates
Cycle time, and whether it has an auto shut-off
Whether tongs, basket and measuring cup are included, and that it has been tested

Type and capacity: “Electric Steam Steriliser, 6 Bottle Capacity, Tommee Tippee”. Capacity in bottles is the search, and the brand matters because bottle shapes differ — buyers check whether their bottles will fit.

What buyers will ask

Answer these in the listing rather than waiting to be asked:

“Will my bottles fit?”

Give the internal dimensions and the brand. Wide-neck bottles fit some sterilisers and not others, and it is the main compatibility question.

“Has it been descaled?”

Descale it and say so. Limescale is what makes a used steriliser look and perform badly, and it is one cycle of work.

“Are the tongs included?”

Check and say. Tongs are model specific, easily lost and genuinely useful, so their presence is worth stating.

Is it worth repairing first?

Usually not, unless it is cheap and you can evidence it. What lifts the price is condition and completeness, which a repair rarely restores:

Electric steam sterilisers with clear elements
Recognised bottle and nursery brands
Complete with racks, tongs and lids
Larger capacities taking multiple bottles

If the work would cost more than the gap between £11 and what a sound one fetches, sell it as is broken and let the buyer decide.

When to list it

Steady year round. Electric steam sterilisers from known brands sell within days because they are a standard purchase for every new baby.

Getting it to the buyer

Light and easy to post. Empty it completely and pack the basket inside the unit with padding so it does not crack against the walls.

WishThrift does not process payments, arrange delivery or hold funds. Confirm the money 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? Free to list, no commission, and neither side pays a buyer-protection fee — create a free account, or read the full sterilizer selling guide if yours turns out to be sound.

Frequently asked questions

Is a broken sterilizer worth anything?

Yes — typically £2 to £11 at For Parts against £10 to £45 working. Repairers and people harvesting one component buy deliberately at this end. Heavy limescale on the element

Should I repair it before selling?

Usually not, unless the repair is cheap and you can evidence it. The things that genuinely lift the price are electric steam sterilisers with clear elements and a repair rarely restores those.

What do buyers ask about a faulty sterilizer?

The fault itself, in detail. Give the internal dimensions and the brand. Wide-neck bottles fit some sterilisers and not others, and it is the main compatibility question. The listing that answers it before being asked is the one that sells.