How to Sell a Broken Baby Monitor

A broken baby monitor is still worth selling — typically £5 to £22 at For Parts, against £20 to £90 in working order.

Can you sell a baby monitor that does not work?

Yes. Repairers, people replacing one component and buyers who want a project all shop deliberately at this end. None of them will accept a fault they discover after paying.

What actually goes wrong with baby monitors

These are the faults that move a baby monitor down the grades, and the first things a buyer will ask about:

Degraded parent unit batteries
Missing chargers, which are usually proprietary
Discontinued app-based models no longer supported
Audio-only units, which sell for very little

Grading it honestly

Fair covers something heavily used, or with a described fault or missing part: around £9 to £40. For Parts covers something not working or incomplete, sold as seen: roughly £5 to £22. Grades are seller-declared and nobody inspects them for you, so grading up does not raise what you get — it produces a buyer who arrives expecting something else. All five grades explained.

Working out what you actually have

Establish the fault properly rather than guessing at it:

Charge the parent unit fully and time how long it lasts
Test the camera and night vision in a dark room
Confirm both chargers are present

Photographing the fault

Photograph the damage directly and in focus — it is the evidence that the rest of the description is honest:

Both units together, powered on and paired, screens lit
The parent unit screen showing a live picture
Both power supplies, mounts and accessories laid out
The model number on the back of each unit, plus any scuff or crack

What to state in the listing

Alongside the fault itself, buyers of broken baby monitors want these confirmed:

Brand, model number and whether audio or video
Whether it works standalone or needs a phone app that is still supported
Parent unit battery life as you actually observe it now
What is included — both power supplies, mount, spare camera

Brand, model and type: “Motorola Video Baby Monitor, 5in Screen, Model MBP…” or “Audio Only Baby Monitor, DECT”. Say video or audio, and whether it is a standalone camera-and-parent-unit pair or app based, because that distinction decides whether it still works at all.

What buyers will ask

Answer these in the listing rather than waiting to be asked:

“Does it need an app?”

Answer directly. App-dependent monitors become useless when support ends, so if yours needs one, say which and confirm it is still available and accepting new accounts.

“Have you unpaired it from your account?”

Factory reset it and confirm. A monitor still bound to your account is both a privacy problem for you and unusable for the buyer.

“How long does the parent unit last on a charge?”

Time it and give a real figure. Rechargeable parent units degrade first, and an honest two hours is better than a claimed eight.

Is it worth repairing first?

Usually not, unless it is cheap and you can evidence it. What lifts the price is condition and completeness, which a repair rarely restores:

Video models with clear picture and night vision
Parent unit batteries still holding a night’s charge
Both units, chargers and any wall mounts included
Recent models still supported by their app

If the work would cost more than the gap between £22 and what a sound one fetches, sell it as is broken and let the buyer decide.

When to list it

Steady year round with a lift in spring and early autumn. Standalone video monitors from known brands sell within a week; app-dependent models are much harder and worth less.

Getting it to the buyer

Small and easy to post. Include both power supplies — they are often proprietary voltages and a monitor arriving without its charger is effectively broken.

WishThrift does not process payments, arrange delivery or hold funds. Confirm the money 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? Free to list, no commission, and neither side pays a buyer-protection fee — create a free account, or read the full baby monitor selling guide if yours turns out to be sound.

Frequently asked questions

Is a broken baby monitor worth anything?

Yes — typically £5 to £22 at For Parts against £20 to £90 working. Repairers and people harvesting one component buy deliberately at this end. Degraded parent unit batteries

Should I repair it before selling?

Usually not, unless the repair is cheap and you can evidence it. The things that genuinely lift the price are video models with clear picture and night vision and a repair rarely restores those.

What do buyers ask about a faulty baby monitor?

The fault itself, in detail. Answer directly. App-dependent monitors become useless when support ends, so if yours needs one, say which and confirm it is still available and accepting new accounts. The listing that answers it before being asked is the one that sells.