Sell Your Used Binoculars — 0% Fees

Used binoculars typically sell for £15 to £90, and on WishThrift it costs you nothing to list — no fee, no commission, so you keep the whole amount you agree. Binoculars are described by two numbers and judged by whether the two barrels are still aligned — a knocked pair gives double vision and that is not a home repair.

The short version

Typical range: £15 – £90 — see the full binoculars value guide
What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
Category: Cameras & Photography

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.

Look through them at a distant straight edge. If the image doubles or your eyes strain, the barrels are out of collimation.
Check the lenses and prisms for fungus, scratches and internal dust by holding them to a light.
Test the focus wheel and the dioptre adjustment through their full range.

The photographs that sell binoculars

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 binoculars whole, from the front
The specification marking on the body, legible
Both objective lenses, angled to show coatings and any scratch
The case, caps and strap, plus any dent or worn covering

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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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

Specification and brand: “Nikon 10×42 Binoculars, Roof Prism, Waterproof”. The two numbers — magnification and objective diameter — are the search. Say roof or porro prism and whether they are waterproof, both of which buyers filter on.

Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:

Magnification and objective lens diameter
Prism type, and whether waterproof or nitrogen filled
Field of view and close focus distance if stated
Optical condition including collimation, fungus and scratches, plus what accessories are included

What buyers will actually ask

You will receive the same three messages about binoculars. 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.

“Are they still aligned?”

Look at a distant straight line with both eyes. Doubling or eye strain means they are out of collimation, which needs a specialist to correct.

“Is there any fungus?”

Hold them up to a bright light and look through the objectives. Fungus spreads and etches coatings permanently, so it must be disclosed.

“What do the numbers mean?”

The first is magnification, the second the objective diameter in millimetres. Larger objectives gather more light, which matters at dawn and dusk.

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 binoculars 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 £52 sale — roughly the middle of the range for binoculars — 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	£52
Poshmark	−£10	£42
eBay	−£7	£45
Mercari	−£5	£47
Etsy	−£3	£49

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

Lifts in spring for birdwatching and in autumn for wildlife and sport. Quality optics hold value strongly and sell year round.

Post in the original case if you have it, padded. Include caps and strap, which are model specific and annoying to replace.

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 binoculars worth?

Typically £15 to £90, with premium optics far above. See the binoculars value guide for the condition bands.

What does 10×42 mean?

Ten times magnification and 42mm objective lenses. Bigger objectives gather more light for low-light use; higher magnification narrows the field of view and shows shake more.

Can misaligned binoculars be fixed?

Collimation is a specialist job and often costs more than a mid-range pair is worth. Test yours and describe the result honestly rather than leaving the buyer to discover it.