How to Sell a Broken Cross Trainer

A broken cross trainer is still worth selling — typically £18 to £88 at For Parts, against £70 to £350 in working order.

Can you sell a cross trainer 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 cross trainers

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

Grinding or knocking from worn bearings
Dead consoles on integrated displays
Wobbling frames under load
Very heavy one-piece frames

Grading it honestly

Fair covers something heavily used, or with a described fault or missing part: around £32 to £158. For Parts covers something not working or incomplete, sold as seen: roughly £18 to £88. 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:

Use it through the full resistance range and listen
Check the console powers up and reads
Work out how far it dismantles

Photographing the fault

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

The machine assembled, side on, whole
The console lit and displaying a reading
The pedal arms and joints where they meet the frame
The flywheel housing, plus which room and floor it is in

What to state in the listing

Alongside the fault itself, buyers of broken cross trainers want these confirmed:

Brand, model, and resistance type
Stride length, and maximum user weight
Assembled footprint, height and weight
Which floor it is on, and whether it dismantles

Brand, resistance and stride: “NordicTrack Cross Trainer, Magnetic, 18in Stride, Ground Floor”. Stride length matters to taller users and is almost never stated. Putting the floor it is on in the title sounds odd but genuinely brings in buyers who would otherwise scroll past.

What buyers will ask

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

“How heavy is it?”

Give the figure from the manual. Most cross trainers need two people and a van, and a buyer arriving alone in a car is a wasted afternoon for both of you.

“Does it squeak?”

Use it for five minutes and listen. Squeaking pedal arms are the classic fault and the buyer will hear it immediately.

“Does it come apart?”

Check whether the arms and mast detach. It decides whether the machine fits through your door and into their vehicle.

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:

Smooth, quiet action with no rubbing
Working console and resistance control
Recognised brands with parts available
Designs that dismantle for transport

If the work would cost more than the gap between £88 and what a sound one fetches, sell it as is broken and let the buyer decide.

When to list it

January dominates, with a smaller autumn lift. A cross trainer listed in June sells slowly and for noticeably less, so holding until the new year is usually worth it.

Getting it to the buyer

Collection only, and access is the whole negotiation. State the floor, the stairs and whether you can help lift. Being honest loses you some enquiries and saves many wasted appointments.

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 cross trainer selling guide if yours turns out to be sound.

Frequently asked questions

Is a broken cross trainer worth anything?

Yes — typically £18 to £88 at For Parts against £70 to £350 working. Repairers and people harvesting one component buy deliberately at this end. Grinding or knocking from worn bearings

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 smooth, quiet action with no rubbing and a repair rarely restores those.

What do buyers ask about a faulty cross trainer?

The fault itself, in detail. Give the figure from the manual. Most cross trainers need two people and a van, and a buyer arriving alone in a car is a wasted afternoon for both of you. The listing that answers it before being asked is the one that sells.