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 | £90 (~$120) | Unused, tags or seals intact |
| Like New | £76 (~$102) | Barely used, no visible wear |
| Good | £58 (~$78) | Light signs of use, complete and working |
| Fair | £40 (~$54) | Heavily used, or a described fault or missing part |
| For Parts | £22 (~$30) | 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 an SSD is worth what is being asked:
- High total-bytes-written figures near endurance limits
- Drives showing reallocated or pending sectors
- Small capacities, worth almost nothing
- Unbranded drives with overstated capacity
And the things worth paying more for, because they hold their value:
- Larger capacities and NVMe interfaces
- Low written-bytes figures in the drive health
- Recognised brands with warranty remaining
- Original packaging for safe posting
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 an SSD, and the answers tell you most of what you need:
Run a SMART tool and screenshot the result. Total bytes written is how buyers judge remaining life and supplying it unprompted sets your listing apart.
State the form factor and interface exactly. M.2 NVMe and 2.5in SATA are not interchangeable and the mistake is common.
Securely erase it and say so. Never sell a drive with a simple file delete — the data is recoverable.
Also worth establishing before you commit:
- Run a health check and report the written-bytes figure
- Note the capacity and interface type
- Securely erase the drive before selling
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 drive from the label side, model and capacity visible
- The connector, showing the interface
- A SMART health readout on screen showing hours and data written
- The underside and any thermal pad or heatsink
Details to confirm before you commit
- Capacity, form factor and interface
- Brand, model and read/write speeds
- SMART health percentage, power-on hours and total bytes written
- Whether it has been securely erased
Live SSD 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 all year. Larger capacities and NVMe drives sell fastest; small SATA drives 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 an SSD 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 SSD for what to photograph and how to price, or what SSD is worth at each condition grade.
Frequently asked questions
What should I pay for a used SSD?
Around £13 to £58 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 an SSD 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 an SSD 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 · SSD value guide · selling SSD · Electronics · condition grades.