The short version
- Typical range: £18 – £80 — see the full ankle boots value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Shoes & Footwear
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.
- Clean the uppers and the welt, and use a suede brush rather than water on anything napped.
- Check the heel tips. Worn-through tips are cheap to replace at a cobbler and visibly lift what the boots fetch.
- Stuff them with paper so they stand up properly for photographs; slumped boots look far more tired than they are.
The photographs that sell ankle boots
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.
- The pair side on, standing upright, whole
- The soles together, showing tread and heel wear honestly
- The inside label with size and brand, and the heel counter
- Any scuff, crease, split seam or worn tip, close up
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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
Brand, style and size lead: “Clarks Leather Ankle Boots, Size 6, Black” or “Suede Heeled Ankle Boots, Tan, EU 39”. Give the size in the system printed on the boot and add the conversion in the description. Material is a hard filter for many buyers, so real leather or suede belongs in the title when it is true.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Size as marked, plus the UK, EU and US equivalents
- Heel height in centimetres, and whether it is a block, stiletto or flat
- Upper material, and whether the lining is leather or textile
- Insole length measured heel to toe, which is the only sizing figure that travels reliably
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about ankle boots. 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.
Measure the insole heel to toe in centimetres and give that figure. Brand sizing varies enough that the label alone is close to useless, and the measurement answers it for every buyer at once.
Photograph them rather than describing them. Sole wear is what buyers of used boots actually assess, and a clear photo generates fewer questions than any adjective.
Say what the inside label states and photograph it. If there is no label and you are not sure, say you cannot confirm it.
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 ankle boots 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 £49 sale — roughly the middle of the range for ankle boots — 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 | £49 |
| Poshmark | −£10 | £39 |
| eBay | −£7 | £42 |
| Mercari | −£5 | £44 |
| Etsy | −£3 | £46 |
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
Demand builds from September and peaks in October and November. A good pair in a common size sells within a fortnight in season and can sit for months if listed in June.
Light enough to post cheaply, which opens up buyers nationwide. Wrap each boot separately and use a box rather than a bag so the shape survives transit.
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
How much do used ankle boots sell for?
Typically £18 to £80, with recognised brands and real leather at the top. See the ankle boots value guide for pricing across the condition grades.
Is it worth replacing the heel tips before selling?
Often yes. New tips cost very little at a cobbler and remove the single most obvious sign of wear, which usually returns more than the job costs on a mid-price pair.
Should I sell boots that have been resoled?
Yes, and say so — a professional resole on a quality boot is a selling point, not a defect. Photograph the sole and name the repair so the buyer understands what they are getting.
See also: what a used ankle boots is worth · browse live shoes & footwear listings · condition grades explained.