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 | £350 (~$466) | Unused, tags or seals intact |
| Like New | £298 (~$396) | Barely used, no visible wear |
| Good | £228 (~$303) | Light signs of use, complete and working |
| Fair | £158 (~$210) | Heavily used, or a described fault or missing part |
| For Parts | £88 (~$117) | 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 monitor is worth what is being asked:
- Dead or stuck pixels
- Backlight bleed and IPS glow at the corners
- Missing stands, which are model-specific
- Older low refresh panels
And the things worth paying more for, because they hold their value:
- High refresh rates and low response times
- Panels with no dead pixels or backlight bleed
- Adaptive sync support
- Original stand and all cables
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 monitor, and the answers tell you most of what you need:
Cycle through solid colour test screens and photograph the results. Offering that evidence unprompted sets your listing well apart.
Display a full black image in a dark room and photograph it. Some bleed is normal on IPS panels and buyers accept it when shown.
Confirm you have the stand and its screws. Replacements are model-specific and awkward, so this genuinely affects the sale.
Also worth establishing before you commit:
- Display full-screen black and white images to find faults
- State the exact resolution, refresh rate and panel type
- Confirm the stand and cables are present
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 monitor on, displaying a normal image, straight on
- A full-screen white image and a full-screen black image, to evidence the panel
- The rear label showing the model number
- The stand, cables and any bezel or screen damage
Details to confirm before you commit
- Screen size, resolution, refresh rate and panel type
- Exact model number, and whether it supports FreeSync or G-Sync
- Dead or stuck pixel count, and any backlight bleed
- Whether the stand, screws and correct cable are included
Live gaming monitor 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 autumn. High refresh rate and 1440p panels sell fastest; older 1080p 60Hz monitors are abundant and cheap.
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 monitor 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 monitor for what to photograph and how to price, or what gaming monitor is worth at each condition grade.
Frequently asked questions
What should I pay for a used gaming monitor?
Around £46 to £228 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 monitor 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 monitor 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 monitor value guide · selling gaming monitor · Gaming · condition grades.