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 | £220 (~$293) | Unused, tags or seals intact |
| Like New | £187 (~$249) | Barely used, no visible wear |
| Good | £143 (~$190) | Light signs of use, complete and working |
| Fair | £99 (~$132) | Heavily used, or a described fault or missing part |
| For Parts | £55 (~$73) | 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
An account lock is the single biggest one — a device still signed in to an iCloud, Google or Microsoft account cannot be reset and is effectively unusable. After that, battery health and undisclosed third-party repairs.
Run through these before money changes hands — they are the things that decide whether a monitor is worth what is being asked:
- Dead or stuck pixels, which buyers check first
- Backlight bleed visible on dark screens
- Missing stand, which is model-specific and awkward to replace
- Older low-resolution panels
And the things worth paying more for, because they hold their value:
- High refresh rates, which gaming buyers pay a premium for
- Higher resolutions and larger panel sizes
- A panel with no dead pixels or backlight bleed
- Original stand, power lead and video cables
Common faults and fakes
Outright counterfeits are rare outside accessories, where fake chargers and cables are a genuine fire risk. The commoner problem is a device described as working that has a fault the seller knows about.
Ask the seller to factory reset and remove their account BEFORE you pay, and to send a photograph of the settings screen showing it signed out. Ask for the exact model identifier and, on anything with a battery, the battery health figure.
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 monitor, and the answers tell you most of what you need:
Cycle solid colours and photograph. Offering that evidence unprompted separates your listing from most others.
List them. A buyer with a USB-C laptop or an older machine needs to know the ports before travelling.
Confirm the stand and its screws. Replacements are model-specific and awkward to source.
Also worth establishing before you commit:
- Display a full-screen black and a full-screen white image to find pixel faults
- Note the exact resolution, refresh rate and panel size
- Check the stand and all 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
- Full-screen white and full-screen black, evidencing the panel
- The rear label with model number
- The stand, cables and any bezel or screen mark
Details to confirm before you commit
- Screen size, resolution, refresh rate and panel type
- Available inputs: HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, USB-C
- Whether the stand and correct cable are included, and VESA compatibility
- Dead pixel count and any backlight bleed
Live monitor listings
Nothing matching is listed at the moment. Browse electronics 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 in September and before Christmas. Larger and higher-resolution panels sell fastest.
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 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 monitor for what to photograph and how to price, or what monitor is worth at each condition grade.
Frequently asked questions
What should I pay for a used monitor?
Around £26 to £143 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 monitor before buying?
Ask the seller to factory reset and remove their account BEFORE you pay, and to send a photograph of the settings screen showing it signed out. Ask for the exact model identifier and, on anything with a battery, the battery health figure.
Is buying a 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. An account lock is the single biggest one — a device still signed in to an iCloud, Google or Microsoft account cannot be reset and is effectively unusable. After that, battery health and undisclosed third-party repairs.
See also: all buying guides · monitor value guide · selling monitor · Electronics · condition grades.