How to Sell a Broken Fitness Tracker

A broken fitness tracker is still worth selling — typically £4 to £22 at For Parts, against £15 to £90 in working order.

Can you sell a fitness tracker 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 fitness trackers

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

Discontinued models with withdrawn app support
Degraded batteries needing daily charging
Missing proprietary chargers
Scratched screens and worn straps

Grading it honestly

Fair covers something heavily used, or with a described fault or missing part: around £7 to £40. For Parts covers something not working or incomplete, sold as seen: roughly £4 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:

Confirm the model still works with a current app
Charge fully and record real battery days
Check you have the correct charging cable

Photographing the fault

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

The tracker with the display on
The rear sensor array and charging contacts
The strap and its attachment mechanism
The proprietary charger, plus any scratch on the screen

What to state in the listing

Alongside the fault itself, buyers of broken fitness trackers want these confirmed:

Brand, model and strap size
Tested battery life in days with normal use
Whether the strap is standard width or proprietary
Whether the charger is included, and screen condition

Brand, model and strap: “Fitbit Charge 5, Small Strap, Charger Included”. Model is the search. Say whether the charger is included — almost all are proprietary and a missing one is an expensive nuisance.

What buyers will ask

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

“How many days does the battery last?”

Time it with your normal settings and give the figure. Tracker batteries degrade and an honest number sets the right expectation.

“Is the charger included?”

Confirm. Fitness tracker chargers are almost always proprietary and often discontinued for older models.

“Can I use my own strap?”

Measure the fitting and say whether it takes standard bands. Proprietary strap systems limit the buyer’s options.

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:

Models still supported by a current app
Batteries lasting close to rated days
Original proprietary charger included
Spare and unworn straps

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

Strong January lift with resolutions, and a Christmas peak. Recent models sell within days.

Getting it to the buyer

Tiny and cheap to post. Include the charger and photograph exactly what goes into the parcel.

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 fitness tracker selling guide if yours turns out to be sound.

Frequently asked questions

Is a broken fitness tracker worth anything?

Yes — typically £4 to £22 at For Parts against £15 to £90 working. Repairers and people harvesting one component buy deliberately at this end. Discontinued models with withdrawn app support

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 models still supported by a current app and a repair rarely restores those.

What do buyers ask about a faulty fitness tracker?

The fault itself, in detail. Time it with your normal settings and give the figure. Tracker batteries degrade and an honest number sets the right expectation. The listing that answers it before being asked is the one that sells.