Used mattresses in the UK typically sell for £30 to £200 (about $40 to $270). Be realistic about this one: used mattresses are the hardest item in the home to sell, and a great many listings never find a buyer at any price.
What mattresses are worth in the UK
| Condition | Typical | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| New with Tags | £200 | Unused, tags or seals intact |
| Like New | £170 | Barely used, no visible wear |
| Good | £130 | Light signs of use, complete and working |
| Fair | £90 | Heavily used, or a described fault or missing part |
| For Parts | £50 | Not working or incomplete, sold as seen |
Guide ranges converted from sterling at the 2 August 2026 rate, not quotes — sellers set their own price. Grades are seller-declared; WishThrift does not inspect or verify them.
What lifts the price
- Recent purchase with a clear age
- A protector used from new, with no staining
What pulls it down
- Sagging and permanent body impressions
- Unknown age or history
Selling a mattress in the UK
Most private sales settle by bank transfer or cash on collection. Faster Payments clear in seconds, which makes a transfer as safe as cash for the seller — wait for it to land before the item leaves your hands.
Royal Mail, Evri and InPost cover the whole country, and InPost lockers mean neither side has to be in for a delivery. Tracked 48 is the usual default for small parcels.
Distance selling rules bind traders, not private sellers, but an item must still be as described and anything sold as working must actually work.
Two practical things shape a UK sale. Bank holidays and the run-up to Christmas slow collections right down, so build a few extra days in. And postage from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland, the Highlands and the islands carries surcharges that catch sellers out — quote for the buyer’s actual postcode rather than a flat rate.
Working out what yours is worth
- Strip it and photograph the bare surface in daylight
- Lie on it and check for a visible dip
Getting it ready
- Strip it and inspect both sides in daylight for stains, which for most buyers ends the conversation regardless of price.
- Check the edges and the centre for sagging by pressing down along the length — a dipped middle is what buyers are testing for.
Photograph
- The whole mattress bare and flat, shot from above in daylight
- The fire safety label and any make or model tag
- The edges and any mark, dip, tear or repair, close up and uncropped
Put in the description
- Size in feet and centimetres
- Type — open coil, pocket sprung, memory foam or hybrid — and the firmness
- Approximate age, and whether it has always had a protector on it
State size, type and age: “Double Pocket Sprung Mattress, 3 Years Old, No Stains”. Age is the unusual case where volunteering it helps, because a buyer’s first assumption about a used mattress is that it is older than it is. Memory foam, pocket sprung and open coil are all real searches.
Collection only, and never leave it outside in advance — an hour of rain makes it worthless and unsellable. If it does not sell, most councils collect bulky waste for a fee and some retailers take the old one away on delivery of a new one.
It costs nothing to list
There is no listing fee, no selling fee and no commission, so the £200 a buyer pays is the £200 you keep. You and the buyer settle up and arrange the handover between yourselves; WishThrift does not hold the money or ship the item.
Where in the UK
The United Kingdom is a big place and what sells well moves with it. These are the parts of the United Kingdom with their own page for mattresses.
Common questions
Where can I sell a mattress in the UK?
List it free on WishThrift and deal with the buyer direct. There is no selling fee, so the whole amount stays with you. Most private sales settle by bank transfer or cash on collection. Faster Payments clear in seconds, which makes a transfer as safe as cash for the seller — wait for it to land before the item leaves your hands.
Is it firm or soft?
Say the manufacturer’s rating if the label has it, and your own description if not. Firmness is why a buyer is looking at a specific mattress rather than any mattress.
Can you sell a used mattress?
Yes, but be scrupulously honest. Buyers care about age, staining and whether a protector was used far more than about brand.
How long is a mattress worth selling for?
Generally within its first several years. Once there is a visible body impression the support has gone and it is worth very little.
More: how to sell a mattress, what mattresses are worth, or Furniture across the United Kingdom.