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 | £50 (~$67) | Unused, tags or seals intact |
| Like New | £42 (~$57) | Barely used, no visible wear |
| Good | £32 (~$43) | Light signs of use, complete and working |
| Fair | £22 (~$30) | Heavily used, or a described fault or missing part |
| For Parts | £12 (~$17) | 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 game controller is worth what is being asked:
- Stick drift, the standard failure
- Worn trigger springs and sticky buttons
- Missing wireless dongles
- Third-party controllers, worth very little
And the things worth paying more for, because they hold their value:
- No stick drift on either analogue stick
- Responsive triggers and bumpers
- Official controllers over third-party
- Original cables and any dongles
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 game controller, and the answers tell you most of what you need:
Test in a menu that shows stick input and report exactly what you see. This is the entire question for a used controller.
Say plainly. Official controllers are worth considerably more and buyers can tell from the photographs anyway.
Mention it. Cables are cheap but a controller arriving without one cannot be charged or paired immediately.
Also worth establishing before you commit:
- Test both sticks for drift in a calibration screen
- Press every button and trigger
- Confirm any dongle or cable is included
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 controller from the front, whole
- A controller-test screen showing stick position at rest
- The grips and the back, showing wear
- The charging port or battery compartment, plus any crack, worn grip or missing rubber
Details to confirm before you commit
- Platform and exact model or generation
- Whether the sticks drift, tested and stated
- Battery type, and whether a charging cable is included
- Condition of grips, triggers and buttons
Live game controller 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 year round with a Christmas lift. Official current-generation controllers sell within days at the right price because new ones are expensive.
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 game controller 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 game controller for what to photograph and how to price, or what game controller is worth at each condition grade.
Frequently asked questions
What should I pay for a used game controller?
Around £10 to £32 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 game controller 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 game controller 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 · game controller value guide · selling game controller · Gaming · condition grades.