How to Sell a Broken Soundbar

A broken soundbar is still worth selling — typically £10 to £50 at For Parts, against £40 to £200 in working order.

Can you sell a soundbar 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 soundbars

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

Missing subwoofers, which are paired to the bar
Failed HDMI ports
Lost remotes on models with no app control
Very basic bars, which sell for very little

Grading it honestly

Fair covers something heavily used, or with a described fault or missing part: around £18 to £90. For Parts covers something not working or incomplete, sold as seen: roughly £10 to £50. 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:

Confirm the subwoofer pairs and works
Test every input
Check the remote or app control functions

Photographing the fault

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

The soundbar and subwoofer together
The rear panel showing all inputs
The remote and any wall brackets or cables included
The speaker grille, plus any dent, scuff or damage

What to state in the listing

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

Brand, model and channel configuration
Whether the subwoofer is included and pairs reliably
Connection types: HDMI ARC, optical, Bluetooth
Whether the remote, brackets and cables are included

Brand, channels and contents: “Samsung 3.1 Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer and Remote”. Channel configuration is the primary spec. Say whether the subwoofer and remote are included — both are near-impossible to source separately and buyers ask immediately.

What buyers will ask

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

“Is the subwoofer included?”

Say so and confirm it pairs. A soundbar without its matched sub is worth far less and cannot be paired with another.

“Is the remote included?”

Check. Many soundbars cannot be fully configured without their own remote, and replacements are model-specific.

“Does it have HDMI ARC?”

Check the rear panel and say. It is how most buyers will connect it and its absence limits them to optical.

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:

Complete systems with subwoofer and rear speakers
Recognised audio brands
Working HDMI and optical inputs
Original remote and wall brackets

If the work would cost more than the gap between £50 and what a sound one fetches, sell it as is broken and let the buyer decide.

When to list it

Steady with a strong Christmas lift. Bars with a working wireless subwoofer sell fastest.

Getting it to the buyer

Long and awkward to post, so measure before quoting. Use the original box if you have it; a soundbar flexes and the drivers suffer in a loose parcel.

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 soundbar selling guide if yours turns out to be sound.

Frequently asked questions

Is a broken soundbar worth anything?

Yes — typically £10 to £50 at For Parts against £40 to £200 working. Repairers and people harvesting one component buy deliberately at this end. Missing subwoofers, which are paired to the bar

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 complete systems with subwoofer and rear speakers and a repair rarely restores those.

What do buyers ask about a faulty soundbar?

The fault itself, in detail. Say so and confirm it pairs. A soundbar without its matched sub is worth far less and cannot be paired with another. The listing that answers it before being asked is the one that sells.