How to Sell a Broken Printer

A broken printer is still worth selling — typically £6 to £25 at For Parts, against £25 to £100 in working order.

Can you sell a printer 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 printers

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

Discontinued or very expensive cartridge formats
Dried or blocked inkjet print heads
Discontinued drivers for current operating systems
Very cheap inkjets, worth almost nothing

Grading it honestly

Fair covers something heavily used, or with a described fault or missing part: around £11 to £45. For Parts covers something not working or incomplete, sold as seen: roughly £6 to £25. 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:

Print a test page and check for banding or gaps
Note the cartridge type and check it is still sold
Confirm drivers exist for current operating systems

Photographing the fault

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

The printer whole, from the front, with trays closed
An actual test page it has printed, held next to it
The cartridge bay open, showing what is installed
The model and cartridge numbers, plus the power and USB cables

What to state in the listing

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

Brand, model, and whether inkjet or laser
Cartridge or toner model numbers it takes
Whether it prints, scans and copies, and whether it is wireless
What ink is included and roughly how full, plus which cables are included

Brand, model and cartridge type: “HP Envy 6030 Printer, Uses 305 Cartridges, Wireless”. The cartridge number is genuinely useful because running costs decide the purchase. Say whether it is inkjet or laser and whether it scans and copies.

What buyers will ask

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

“Does it come with ink?”

Say what is installed and roughly how full. Ink often costs more than a used printer, so this is genuinely the main value question.

“Which cartridges does it take?”

Give the numbers. Buyers check the price of consumables before buying any printer, used or new.

“Does the paper feed work properly?”

Run several sheets through and say. Feed roller failure is the usual fault on used printers and causes constant jams.

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 using widely available, affordable cartridges
Laser printers, which have far lower running costs
Duplex and network features
Recent purchase with drivers still supported

If the work would cost more than the gap between £25 and what a sound one fetches, sell it as is broken and let the buyer decide.

When to list it

Lifts in September and January, around school and work cycles. Laser printers and models with cheap cartridges sell fastest.

Getting it to the buyer

Remove the cartridges and tape them separately or the ink leaks in transit, which ruins the printer and the packaging. Heavy for its size, so weigh before quoting.

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 printer selling guide if yours turns out to be sound.

Frequently asked questions

Is a broken printer worth anything?

Yes — typically £6 to £25 at For Parts against £25 to £100 working. Repairers and people harvesting one component buy deliberately at this end. Discontinued or very expensive cartridge formats

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 using widely available, affordable cartridges and a repair rarely restores those.

What do buyers ask about a faulty printer?

The fault itself, in detail. Say what is installed and roughly how full. Ink often costs more than a used printer, so this is genuinely the main value question. The listing that answers it before being asked is the one that sells.