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 | £400 (~$533) | Unused, tags or seals intact |
| Like New | £340 (~$453) | Barely used, no visible wear |
| Good | £260 (~$346) | Light signs of use, complete and working |
| Fair | £180 (~$240) | Heavily used, or a described fault or missing part |
| For Parts | £100 (~$133) | 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
Size, and whether it will actually get into your home. After that, whether it is solid wood or veneered board, because only one of those survives a house move.
Run through these before money changes hands — they are the things that decide whether a sofa bed is worth what is being asked:
- Stiff or jammed opening mechanisms
- Sagging or stained mattresses
- Bent metal frames in the bed section
- Very heavy units that are hard to move
And the things worth paying more for, because they hold their value:
- Mechanisms that open and close smoothly
- Mattresses with no sagging or staining
- Solid hardwood frames
- Removable, washable covers
Common faults and fakes
Reproduction pieces sold as period or designer originals are the issue here rather than counterfeits — an unattributed ‘mid-century style’ piece is usually exactly that.
Ask for the height, width and depth, whether it dismantles, and whether the original fixings and instructions are present. Measure your doorway before you commit.
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 sofa bed, and the answers tell you most of what you need:
Be honest, including the mattress thickness. Buyers know sofa beds vary hugely and appreciate a straight answer more than a sales pitch.
Open and close it several times and report. A stiff or catching mechanism is the classic sofa bed fault.
Photograph it opened out. Buyers assume the worst about an unphotographed sofa bed mattress, so showing a clean one helps you.
Also worth establishing before you commit:
- Open and close the bed fully several times
- Photograph the mattress laid out flat
- Measure it both as a sofa and as a bed
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 sofa closed, from a corner, in daylight
- Fully opened out as a bed, with the mattress visible
- The mattress surface, showing its actual condition
- The mechanism, plus the fire-safety label and any damage
Details to confirm before you commit
- Dimensions as a sofa and as a bed, in centimetres
- Bed size — single, double or king — and mattress thickness
- Mechanism type, and whether it operates smoothly
- Mattress condition, material, and whether the fire label is present
Live sofa bed listings
Nothing matching is listed at the moment. Browse furniture 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 lifts around moving season and before Christmas when spare beds are wanted. Doubles sell faster than singles.
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 sofa bed 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 sofa bed for what to photograph and how to price, or what sofa bed is worth at each condition grade.
Frequently asked questions
What should I pay for a used sofa bed?
Around £52 to £260 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 sofa bed before buying?
Ask for the height, width and depth, whether it dismantles, and whether the original fixings and instructions are present. Measure your doorway before you commit.
Is buying a sofa bed 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. Size, and whether it will actually get into your home. After that, whether it is solid wood or veneered board, because only one of those survives a house move.
See also: all buying guides · sofa bed value guide · selling sofa bed · Furniture · condition grades.