How to Sell a Broken PS5

A broken PS5 is still worth selling — typically £55 to £95 at For Parts, against £220 to £380 in working order.

Can you sell a PS5 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 PS5s

These are the faults that move a PS5 down the grades, and the first things a buyer will ask about:

Missing HDMI or power cables, which buyers must replace immediately
A noisy or dust-clogged fan, easily heard on a video call before sale
Console-only sales with no controller
Visible discolouration on the white panels

Grading it honestly

Fair covers something heavily used, or with a described fault or missing part: around £99 to £171. For Parts covers something not working or incomplete, sold as seen: roughly £55 to £95. 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:

Check the model number on the sticker underneath
Count what you actually still have: controllers, cables, box, games
Compare against sold listings for the same edition and revision

Photographing the fault

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

The console standing as it will be handed over, front and side
Everything included, laid out together in one frame
The rear ports and the model sticker
The controller’s thumbsticks close up, since drift is the first thing buyers ask about

What to state in the listing

Alongside the fault itself, buyers of broken PS5s want these confirmed:

Disc Edition or Digital Edition, and the model revision if you know it
Exactly what is included: stand, screw, power cable, HDMI, controllers, games
Whether the controller has any stick drift
Whether the console has been opened, repaired or re-pasted

Edition and what is included: “PS5 Disc Edition with Controller and All Cables”. Disc versus Digital is the primary filter and the price difference is substantial, so it must be in the title. If you are including games or a second controller, put that in too — bundles genuinely sell faster.

What buyers will ask

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

“Does the controller have stick drift?”

Test both sticks in a menu before listing and answer plainly. Drift is extremely common, cheap to disclose and expensive to hide.

“Is the stand included?”

Check you have the base and the small screw. It is a tiny part that buyers specifically ask about because replacements are awkward to source.

“Has it been opened or repaired?”

Say so if it has. A repaired console is perfectly sellable when disclosed, and a warranty sticker a buyer spots later is not.

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:

Both controllers, cables and the original box
Disc edition, which consistently sells for more than the digital version
Recent revisions with the lighter, quieter chassis
Any bundled games still in their cases

If the work would cost more than the gap between £95 and what a sound one fetches, sell it as is broken and let the buyer decide.

When to list it

Consistently strong, with a sharp lift from November into December. Bundles with extra controllers or popular games sell noticeably faster than bare consoles.

Getting it to the buyer

Heavy and awkward but postable if well boxed — the original box is ideal if you kept it. Local collection lets the buyer see it boot and test the controller, which removes most disputes on a console sale.

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 PS5 selling guide if yours turns out to be sound.

Frequently asked questions

Is a broken PS5 worth anything?

Yes — typically £55 to £95 at For Parts against £220 to £380 working. Repairers and people harvesting one component buy deliberately at this end. Missing HDMI or power cables, which buyers must replace immediately

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 both controllers, cables and the original box and a repair rarely restores those.

What do buyers ask about a faulty PS5?

The fault itself, in detail. Test both sticks in a menu before listing and answer plainly. Drift is extremely common, cheap to disclose and expensive to hide. The listing that answers it before being asked is the one that sells.