Used backpacks in Melbourne typically sell for A$29 to A$135 (about $20 to $94). Backpacks are bought on litre capacity and whether the zips still run, so state the litres and test every zip before you photograph it.
Selling a backpack in Melbourne
Melbourne has the strongest vintage and op-shop culture in Australia and a large student population across several universities, so buying second hand here is entirely ordinary. It is also the country’s music city, which keeps instruments, amps and records moving in a way they do not everywhere.
Students arrive in February and leave in November, which inverts the northern-hemisphere rhythm. The inner suburbs also carry a lot of share-house accommodation, and share houses reshuffle constantly rather than seasonally.
The tram network covers the inner suburbs densely and is how most small handovers happen. The city is flat, which makes collecting a bike or a chest of drawers by car straightforward, though inner-suburb streets are narrow and permit parking is tightly enforced.
On anything stored in a garage or shed, check for damp. The winters here are wetter and colder than the city’s reputation suggests, and fabric and particle board both suffer for it.
Handing it over in Melbourne
Australia Post covers everywhere, but distance pricing is real and interstate parcels cost meaningfully more than local ones.
What backpacks are worth
What lifts the price
- Undamaged straps, buckles and hip belt
- Waterproof coatings that have not delaminated
What pulls it down
- Delaminated waterproof lining flaking inside
- Frayed shoulder straps and worn stitching at the anchor points
Working out what yours is worth
- Run every zip fully open and closed
- Inspect the stitching where the straps meet the body
Getting it ready
- Find or estimate the capacity in litres, which is often printed on a label inside or on the back panel.
- Empty every pocket, clean the base and shoulder straps, and check for fraying at the seams.
Photograph
- The shoulder straps and back panel, showing wear
- The zips and buckles, plus the base and any fraying or stain
Put in the description
- Condition of every zip, buckle and strap anchor
- Whether it is cabin approved, and whether a rain cover or hip belt is included
Brand, capacity and purpose: “Osprey Farpoint 40L Travel Backpack, Cabin Size”. Litre capacity is the primary search. Say whether it is cabin sized, laptop compatible or hiking specific, because those are separate searches with different buyers.
Listing is free and there is no selling fee, so the whole amount the buyer pays stays with you. You and the buyer agree the handover between yourselves.
Same region (Victoria)
Common questions
Where can I sell a backpack in Melbourne?
List it free here and arrange the handover with the buyer yourself. The tram network covers the inner suburbs densely and is how most small handovers happen. The city is flat, which makes collecting a bike or a chest of drawers by car straightforward, though inner-suburb streets are narrow and permit parking is tightly enforced.
Is it cabin sized?
Check the dimensions against common airline limits and say what you measured, without promising it will be accepted — airlines differ.
How much is a backpack worth in Melbourne?
Most used backpacks change hands for A$29 to A$135 (about $20 to $94). Condition and completeness move that figure more than anything else.
More: selling a backpack across Australia, what backpacks are worth, everything second hand in Melbourne, or Bags & Handbags in Melbourne.
Guide range converted from sterling at the 2 August 2026 rate, not a quote — sellers set their own price.