How to Sell a Broken Electric Guitar

A broken electric guitar is still worth selling — typically £20 to £112 at For Parts, against £80 to £450 in working order.

Can you sell an electric guitar 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 electric guitars

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

Neck warp or a truss rod that has run out of adjustment
Refinishing, which can sharply reduce value on collectable instruments
Replaced pickups or tuners where originals are expected
Fret wear deep enough to need a re-fret

Grading it honestly

Fair covers something heavily used, or with a described fault or missing part: around £36 to £202. For Parts covers something not working or incomplete, sold as seen: roughly £20 to £112. 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:

Sight down the neck from the headstock to check for relief or twist
Play every fret listening for buzzing or dead notes
Check whether the pickups, tuners and bridge are original

Photographing the fault

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

The full guitar front on against a plain background
The headstock showing brand, model and serial
The frets along the neck, angled to reveal wear
The pickups, controls and bridge, plus any modification or damage

What to state in the listing

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

Brand, model, finish and year or era if known
Country of manufacture, from the serial number
Whether the pickups, tuners, bridge and electronics are original
Fret wear, neck condition, and whether a case or gig bag is included

Brand, model and finish: “Fender Player Stratocaster, Sunburst, MIM 2019”. Country of manufacture matters enormously on electric guitars and belongs in the title where you know it. Say clearly if anything is non-original, because modified guitars sell fine when disclosed and badly when discovered.

What buyers will ask

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

“Is everything original?”

List any changed parts. Modifications are common and often improvements, but the buyer is pricing an original instrument unless you say otherwise.

“How worn are the frets?”

Photograph them angled in good light. A refret is a significant cost, so buyers assess this carefully and appreciate clear pictures.

“Do all the controls work without crackling?”

Plug in and sweep every pot and switch. Scratchy pots are cheap to clean but must be mentioned rather than left to be discovered.

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:

A straight neck with a working truss rod
Original pickups and hardware rather than later replacements
Recognised makers and models with an established following
The original case, especially on older instruments

If the work would cost more than the gap between £112 and what a sound one fetches, sell it as is broken and let the buyer decide.

When to list it

Steady all year with a Christmas lift. Recognised brands and models hold value strongly and sell within days when priced sensibly; unbranded instruments move slowly.

Getting it to the buyer

Slacken the strings and post in a hard case only, with the headstock heavily padded. Many buyers prefer to collect and play it first, which is entirely reasonable at these prices.

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 electric guitar selling guide if yours turns out to be sound.

Frequently asked questions

Is a broken electric guitar worth anything?

Yes — typically £20 to £112 at For Parts against £80 to £450 working. Repairers and people harvesting one component buy deliberately at this end. Neck warp or a truss rod that has run out of adjustment

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 a straight neck with a working truss rod and a repair rarely restores those.

What do buyers ask about a faulty electric guitar?

The fault itself, in detail. List any changed parts. Modifications are common and often improvements, but the buyer is pricing an original instrument unless you say otherwise. The listing that answers it before being asked is the one that sells.