What a fair price looks like
Condition on WishThrift is described by the seller against five grades, and nobody inspects it on your behalf — so the description and the photographs are what you are buying on.
| Condition | Typical | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| New with Tags | £900 (~$1,199) | Unused, tags or seals intact |
| Like New | £765 (~$1,019) | Barely used, no visible wear |
| Good | £585 (~$779) | Light signs of use, complete and working |
| Fair | £405 (~$540) | Heavily used, or a described fault or missing part |
| For Parts | £225 (~$300) | Not working or incomplete, sold as seen |
Sterling guide ranges with an approximate US dollar equivalent at £1 ≈ $1.33 (July 2026). Sellers set their own asking price; these are a starting point for judging an offer. All five grades explained.
The checklist before you pay
Missing proprietary cables and power supplies, controller stick drift, and optical drives that spin but no longer read.
Run through these before money changes hands — they are the things that decide whether a gaming PC is worth what is being asked:
- Older graphics cards, which set the ceiling on the whole build
- Heavy dust build-up and failing fans
- Underpowered or unbranded power supplies
- Cases too small for a buyer to upgrade later
And the things worth paying more for, because they hold their value:
- A recent, higher-tier graphics card
- A current-generation processor with an upgrade path
- Fast NVMe storage and 16GB or more of memory
- Clean cable management and dust-free filters
Common faults and fakes
Counterfeit cartridges are common in retro titles and usually give themselves away on label print quality and the screws used on the shell.
Ask for a photograph of the console powered on with a game running, and for a list of exactly which cables and controllers are included.
WishThrift does not authenticate, inspect or grade anything, and no marketplace check replaces your own. If a seller will not answer a direct question about condition or origin, that is the answer.
Questions to ask the seller
These are the three that get asked most often about a gaming PC, and the answers tell you most of what you need:
List every component by exact model. Buyers price a PC by summing the parts, so vagueness costs you money directly.
Answer directly. It is asked on every PC sale with a discrete card, and a clear answer is worth more than the card looking clean.
Give a benchmark result or a real figure from a named game at a named resolution. Concrete numbers sell machines.
Also worth establishing before you commit:
- List the exact GPU, CPU, memory and storage
- Run a benchmark and quote the result
- Clean the interior and photograph it properly
Photographs to ask for
If the listing does not already show these, ask — a seller who has the item will send them in minutes:
- The full tower, front and side, ideally with the side panel showing the interior
- The interior with the GPU visible
- A benchmark result on screen, showing score and temperatures
- The rear I/O and the power supply label showing wattage
Details to confirm before you commit
- Full component list: GPU, CPU, motherboard, RAM, storage, PSU wattage, case
- Benchmark score and load temperatures from your own test
- Whether Windows is installed and activated
- Whether any part is second hand, was used for mining, or is out of warranty
Live gaming PC listings
Nothing matching is listed at the moment. Browse gaming for what is live now, or everything on the site — stock changes daily and new listings are free to post, so it is worth checking back.
When to buy
Steady with lifts before Christmas and in early autumn. Machines with current-generation graphics sell within days; older builds need realistic pricing.
Prices move against that cycle for a buyer: the cheapest time to buy is when sellers are listing most, not when demand peaks.
Paying and collecting safely
WishThrift does not process payments, hold funds or offer buyer protection — you agree the price and the method with the seller directly, which is what keeps the platform free on both sides. Meet somewhere public where you can, inspect before you pay, and keep the conversation on the site so there is a record of what was agreed. Be wary of any seller who wants to move the conversation elsewhere before you have agreed anything.
Selling one instead?
If you already have a gaming PC sitting unused, it is free to list and there is no commission — the price you agree is the amount you keep. Read how to sell gaming PC for what to photograph and how to price, or what gaming PC is worth at each condition grade.
Frequently asked questions
What should I pay for a used gaming PC?
Around £162 to £585 in good condition, more for barely-used examples and less for anything with a described fault. Compare against the seller’s photographs rather than the grade alone.
How do I check a gaming PC before buying?
Ask for a photograph of the console powered on with a game running, and for a list of exactly which cables and controllers are included.
Is buying a gaming PC second hand safe?
Yes, with the ordinary care any private sale needs. WishThrift does not authenticate, inspect or hold funds, so inspect before you pay where you can, meet somewhere public, and keep the conversation on the site. Missing proprietary cables and power supplies, controller stick drift, and optical drives that spin but no longer read.
See also: all buying guides · gaming PC value guide · selling gaming PC · Gaming · condition grades.