How to Sell a Broken Dash Cam

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

Can you sell a dash cam 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 dash cams

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

Failed or degraded memory cards
Missing mounts and power cables
Overheated units with swollen batteries
Very low resolution cameras

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:

Record a test clip in daylight and at night
Check the suction mount still holds
Confirm the memory card and cables are included

Photographing the fault

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

The camera whole, with its mount
A still frame from actual footage it has recorded
The mount, cable and any hardwire kit
The model marking and card slot, plus any scratch on the lens

What to state in the listing

Alongside the fault itself, buyers of broken dash cams want these confirmed:

Brand, model, resolution and frame rate
Whether it is front only or front and rear
Features — GPS, parking mode, Wi-Fi
What is included, and confirmation the card has been formatted and the device reset

Brand, model and resolution: “Nextbase 322GW Dash Cam, 1080p, with Mount and Card”. Resolution is the search and front-and-rear is a distinct and higher category. Say whether a memory card is included, since cameras will not record without one.

What buyers will ask

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

“Have you cleared the footage?”

Format the card in the camera and confirm you have. Dash cam footage shows your home, your routes and your registration plate.

“Is a memory card included?”

Say so and give the capacity and class. Dash cams need high-endurance cards and a standard one fails quickly under constant rewriting.

“What is the night footage like?”

Record a clip after dark and describe it honestly. Night quality is where cheap dash cams disappoint and where buyers focus.

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:

Higher resolutions and good night performance
Front and rear camera sets
Hardwire kits and memory cards included
Recognised brands with firmware support

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 autumn as conditions worsen. Front-and-rear kits and models with parking mode sell fastest.

Getting it to the buyer

Small and cheap to post. Include the mount and the specific power cable, which is usually a long shaped lead and awkward to replace.

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 dash cam selling guide if yours turns out to be sound.

Frequently asked questions

Is a broken dash cam 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. Failed or degraded memory cards

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 higher resolutions and good night performance and a repair rarely restores those.

What do buyers ask about a faulty dash cam?

The fault itself, in detail. Format the card in the camera and confirm you have. Dash cam footage shows your home, your routes and your registration plate. The listing that answers it before being asked is the one that sells.