How to Sell a Broken Saxophone

A broken saxophone is still worth selling — typically £38 to £175 at For Parts, against £150 to £700 in working order.

Can you sell a saxophone 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 saxophones

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

Leaking pads, which need a full repad to fix
Dents in the bow and body tube
Sticking keys and bent rods
Missing necks, which are expensive and model-specific

Grading it honestly

Fair covers something heavily used, or with a described fault or missing part: around £68 to £315. For Parts covers something not working or incomplete, sold as seen: roughly £38 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:

Press each key and check the pads seal with a leak light if you can
Look down the body tube for dents
Confirm the neck, mouthpiece and ligature are all there

Photographing the fault

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

The saxophone assembled, full, on a stand or plain background
The keywork and pads close up
The bell and bow, showing lacquer and any dent
The neck, mouthpiece, ligature and case

What to state in the listing

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

Type: alto, tenor, soprano or baritone
Brand, model and serial number
Pad condition, and when it was last serviced
Lacquer condition, any dents, and whether neck, mouthpiece and case are included

Type, brand and condition: “Yamaha YAS-280 Alto Saxophone, Recently Serviced, Case and Mouthpiece”. Type is the first filter — alto and tenor are entirely different purchases. “Recently serviced” is worth real money if true.

What buyers will ask

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

“When was it last serviced?”

Say when and by whom if you know. A serviced sax plays; an unserviced one may need a repad costing a large share of its value.

“Do all the pads seal?”

Test each key and report honestly. Leaking pads are the standard used-sax problem and buyers will check.

“Is the mouthpiece included?”

Confirm, and say which. Mouthpieces vary enormously in value and some are worth listing separately.

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:

Recognised makers with a professional following
Pads sealing properly with no leaks
Original lacquer or an honest, undisturbed finish
Case, mouthpiece, ligature and neck all present

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

Lifts in September and before Christmas. Recognised student brands sell within days; professional horns sell more slowly at higher prices.

Getting it to the buyer

Heavy in its case and fragile. Post only in a hard case with the neck removed and wrapped, and pad the outside of the case.

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 saxophone selling guide if yours turns out to be sound.

Frequently asked questions

Is a broken saxophone worth anything?

Yes — typically £38 to £175 at For Parts against £150 to £700 working. Repairers and people harvesting one component buy deliberately at this end. Leaking pads, which need a full repad to fix

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 recognised makers with a professional following and a repair rarely restores those.

What do buyers ask about a faulty saxophone?

The fault itself, in detail. Say when and by whom if you know. A serviced sax plays; an unserviced one may need a repad costing a large share of its value. The listing that answers it before being asked is the one that sells.