The short version
- Typical range: £40 – £150 — see the full AirPods value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Electronics
Before you photograph it
Ten minutes here is worth more than anything else you will do. Buyers are deciding between your listing and someone else’s, and preparation is what visibly separates the two.
- Charge both buds and the case fully, then time how long a bud lasts in real use. Battery degradation is the main reason used AirPods are cheap.
- Clean the mesh and the case thoroughly. This is the one category where visible earwax ends a sale instantly.
- Unpair them from your devices and remove them from Find My, then confirm the serial on the case matches the buds.
The photographs that sell AirPods
Four photographs do almost all the work. Shoot in daylight, near a window, with the item against something plain — and do not use the flash, which flattens texture and hides exactly what buyers are trying to see.
- Both buds and the case together, open, clean and well lit
- The serial number printed inside the case lid
- The charging contacts and the mesh grilles close up
- Any scuffing on the case hinge, which is where AirPods cases wear
Photograph the flaws too. It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover. Buyers who can see the damage stop imagining something worse.
Writing the title and description
Generation is everything: “Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation with Charging Case”. Buyers filter by generation and will not find a listing that just says AirPods. State plainly whether the case is included and whether it charges wirelessly, since both change the price.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Exact generation, and whether they are standard AirPods or AirPods Pro
- Whether both buds and the charging case are all included and all original
- Realistic listening time per charge from an actual test
- Whether the case supports wireless charging, and which ear tips are included for Pro models
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about AirPods. Answering them in the listing itself removes the back-and-forth, and answering them well when they do arrive is what turns an enquiry into a sale.
Give a tested figure in hours. Original AirPods often degrade to well under two hours, and honesty here sets an accurate price rather than losing the sale later.
Counterfeits are widespread, so photograph the serial inside the case and invite the buyer to check it. WishThrift does not verify items, so your evidence is what the buyer has to go on.
Clean them properly and say so explicitly. It is the single most reassuring sentence you can put in an AirPods listing.
Pricing it so it actually sells
Start from the honest condition grade rather than the price you hope for. WishThrift listings use five grades — New with Tags, Like New, Good, Fair and For Parts — and what each grade means is worth reading before you choose, because grading up is the most expensive mistake sellers make. It does not raise the price; it produces a buyer who arrives expecting something else.
The AirPods value guide prices all five grades for this item. Pick your grade, take the figure, and if you sit between two grades price toward the lower one. Items priced honestly sell faster than items priced hopefully, and on a free platform there is no fee eating the difference anyway.
What you keep, compared
On a £95 sale — roughly the middle of the range for AirPods — here is what the commission-charging platforms would take, and what you would keep on each:
| Where you sell it | Fee | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| WishThrift | £0 | £95 |
| Poshmark | −£19 | £76 |
| eBay | −£13 | £82 |
| Mercari | −£10 | £85 |
| Etsy | −£6 | £89 |
Seller-side rates verified 26 Jul 2026 — Poshmark: 20% commission on sales of $15 and above; eBay: 13.6% final value fee, plus a per-order fee; Mercari: flat 10% selling fee; Etsy: 6.5% transaction fee, plus a listing fee and payment processing. Percentages are applied to the sterling figure above; the fixed per-order and processing charges those platforms add are quoted in their own currency and are not included here, so the real deductions are slightly larger. Full breakdown: marketplace selling fees compared.
Timing and getting it to the buyer
Fast movers when priced sensibly, with a strong lift before Christmas. Values step down each time Apple releases a new generation, so there is little benefit in waiting.
Tiny and easy to post, but also easy to dispute. Photograph the exact items going into the parcel, and confirm payment has cleared before sending.
WishThrift does not process payments or arrange delivery — you and the buyer agree both directly — so confirm payment has cleared before the item leaves your hands, and keep the conversation on the site so there is a record of what was agreed.
Ready to list it? It takes about two minutes, costs nothing, and there is no commission when it sells — create a free account or see how selling works.
Frequently asked questions
What are used AirPods worth?
Typically £40 to £150 depending on generation and battery condition. Pro models hold value best. See the AirPods value guide for the range by condition.
Can I sell AirPods with a weak battery?
Yes, provided you state the real listening time. Plenty of buyers want a cheap pair for calls or short use, and an honest figure attracts exactly those buyers instead of disappointing someone expecting full life.
How do I prove AirPods are genuine?
Photograph the serial number inside the case lid so the buyer can verify it with Apple themselves. WishThrift does not authenticate or inspect items, so the evidence you provide is what the buyer relies on.
See also: what a used AirPods is worth · browse live electronics listings · condition grades explained.