How to Sell a Broken Laptop

A broken laptop is still worth selling — typically £30 to £175 at For Parts, against £120 to £700 in working order.

Can you sell a laptop 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 laptops

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

Mechanical hard drives, which make an otherwise fine machine feel obsolete
A battery that only runs while plugged in
Cracked hinges or a flexing chassis, common on older budget models
Pre-installed manufacturer software the buyer has to clear out

Grading it honestly

Fair covers something heavily used, or with a described fault or missing part: around £54 to £315. For Parts covers something not working or incomplete, sold as seen: roughly £30 to £175. 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:

Note the exact processor, memory and storage from the system information panel
Run the battery down from full and time it honestly
Search sold listings for that processor generation rather than the brand alone

Photographing the fault

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

Open, powered on, showing the desktop so the screen is provably working
Closed lid and the base, showing scuffs, dents and any missing feet
The keyboard straight on, since worn key legends are an obvious wear signal buyers look for
The specification screen, plus the charger you are including

What to state in the listing

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

Processor model and generation, RAM in GB, and storage type and size
Screen size and resolution
Realistic battery life unplugged, or plainly that it needs mains power
Whether the original charger is included, and the operating system installed

Buyers search by processor and RAM, so lead with them: “Dell XPS 13, i7 16GB RAM 512GB SSD, Windows 11”. Screen size belongs in there too. If the battery is weak or it only runs plugged in, say so in the title rather than the small print — you will get fewer messages but far better ones.

What buyers will ask

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

“How long does the battery last?”

Give a real figure from an actual test. Vague reassurance here is the fastest way to a dispute, because the buyer will find out on day one.

“Is the charger included?”

Say yes or no in the listing. A missing proprietary charger can cost the buyer £40 and they will deduct more than that if surprised.

“Can it handle gaming or video editing?”

Answer with the actual specification rather than a yes. State the processor, RAM and whether it has a dedicated graphics card, and let them judge.

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:

A recent processor generation and an SSD rather than a mechanical drive
16GB of memory or more, which keeps a machine usable for years longer
A clean, bright screen with no dead pixels or backlight bleed
Original charger, and a battery that still holds a working day

If the work would cost more than the gap between £175 and what a sound one fetches, sell it as is broken and let the buyer decide.

When to list it

A steady seller all year with a clear lift in late August and September as students buy. Well-specified machines sell within a week; older or vaguely described ones can sit for months.

Getting it to the buyer

Post it double-boxed with the screen protected, or hand it over locally so the buyer can boot it up in front of you. A working demonstration at handover removes almost every possible dispute.

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 laptop selling guide if yours turns out to be sound.

Frequently asked questions

Is a broken laptop worth anything?

Yes — typically £30 to £175 at For Parts against £120 to £700 working. Repairers and people harvesting one component buy deliberately at this end. Mechanical hard drives, which make an otherwise fine machine feel obsolete

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 a recent processor generation and an SSD rather than a mechanical drive and a repair rarely restores those.

What do buyers ask about a faulty laptop?

The fault itself, in detail. Give a real figure from an actual test. Vague reassurance here is the fastest way to a dispute, because the buyer will find out on day one. The listing that answers it before being asked is the one that sells.