How to Sell a Broken Computer Mouse

A broken computer mouse is still worth selling — typically £2 to £11 at For Parts, against £8 to £45 in working order.

Can you sell a computer mouse 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 computer mouses

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

Double-clicking from worn switches
Peeling or sticky rubber grip coating
Worn PTFE feet
Generic office mice

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:

Click each button repeatedly checking for double registers
Inspect the grip coating for peeling
Check the feet are intact

Photographing the fault

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

The mouse from above and the side
A click-test result showing no double clicks
The underside, showing the sensor and feet condition
The model label and cable or dongle, plus any worn coating

What to state in the listing

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

Brand, model, and wired or wireless
Sensor type and DPI if it is a gaming mouse
Whether the dongle, cable or charging lead is included
That it has been tested for double-clicking, plus feet and coating condition

Brand, model and connection: “Logitech MX Master 3, Wireless, with Dongle”. Gaming mice sell on sensor and weight, office mice on comfort and battery life. Say whether the dongle is included, because many wireless mice will not connect without their specific receiver.

What buyers will ask

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

“Does it double click?”

Test it properly and say. Switch failure causing double clicks is the standard end-of-life fault and buyers will find it within minutes.

“Is the dongle included?”

Confirm it. Many wireless mice use a proprietary receiver and are unusable without it, though some also support Bluetooth — say which.

“Is the coating peeling?”

Photograph the grip areas. Soft-touch coatings degrade into a sticky finish over time and it is unpleasant enough that buyers ask.

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:

Recognised gaming and ergonomic brands
Click switches with no double-clicking
Intact grip coating with no peeling
Wireless models with good battery life

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 with a lift in September and January. Premium office and gaming mice sell within days; basic mice are worth very little.

Getting it to the buyer

Very cheap to post. Include the dongle and any charging cable, and pack so the scroll wheel is not under pressure.

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 computer mouse selling guide if yours turns out to be sound.

Frequently asked questions

Is a broken computer mouse worth anything?

Yes — typically £2 to £11 at For Parts against £8 to £45 working. Repairers and people harvesting one component buy deliberately at this end. Double-clicking from worn switches

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 recognised gaming and ergonomic brands and a repair rarely restores those.

What do buyers ask about a faulty computer mouse?

The fault itself, in detail. Test it properly and say. Switch failure causing double clicks is the standard end-of-life fault and buyers will find it within minutes. The listing that answers it before being asked is the one that sells.