Can you sell a travel system 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 travel systems
These are the faults that move a travel system down the grades, and the first things a buyer will ask about:
- Missing adapters, which are model-specific and costly
- Car seats close to or past their expiry date
- Incomplete sets sold as full travel systems
- Any accident history on the car seat
Grading it honestly
Fair covers something heavily used, or with a described fault or missing part: around £36 to £180. For Parts covers something not working or incomplete, sold as seen: roughly £20 to £100. 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:
- Lay out every component and photograph them together
- Check the car seat’s expiry date moulded into the shell
- Confirm the adapters match both the chassis and the seat
Photographing the fault
Photograph the damage directly and in focus — it is the evidence that the rest of the description is honest:
- All components laid out together in one frame
- The pram configuration and the pushchair configuration, both set up
- The car seat with its expiry date stamp visible
- The adapters, raincover and every accessory included
What to state in the listing
Alongside the fault itself, buyers of broken travel systems want these confirmed:
- Brand and system model, and every component included
- Car seat standard, height or weight range, manufacture and expiry date
- Whether the car seat has ever been in a collision, and whether you are the original owner
- Fold dimensions, and all accessories included
Brand, model and what is included: “Silver Cross Wave Travel System — Pram, Carrycot, Car Seat and Adapters”. Listing every component in the title is what separates a travel system price from a pram price. State the car seat expiry year in the description.
What buyers will ask
Answer these in the listing rather than waiting to be asked:
Answer directly. If it has been in any collision, or if you cannot vouch for its full history, say so — a compromised seat should not be sold for use whatever it looks like.
Count them. Adapters are system-specific, expensive separately, and their absence turns a travel system back into a pram.
Read the stamp on the shell and give the date. Volunteering it builds immediate trust because almost no seller does.
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:
- Complete sets with pushchair, carrycot and car seat
- All adapters included and matched to the seat
- Recognised brands with parts still available
- Car seat still well within its expiry date
If the work would cost more than the gap between £100 and what a sound one fetches, sell it as is broken and let the buyer decide.
When to list it
Consistently strong. Complete systems from recognised brands sell within days; incomplete ones sell as prams for considerably less.
Getting it to the buyer
Bulky and multi-part, so collection is usual. Lay every component out at handover and let the buyer check the inventory against your listing.
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 travel system selling guide if yours turns out to be sound.
Frequently asked questions
Is a broken travel system worth anything?
Yes — typically £20 to £100 at For Parts against £80 to £400 working. Repairers and people harvesting one component buy deliberately at this end. Missing adapters, which are model-specific and costly
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 complete sets with pushchair, carrycot and car seat and a repair rarely restores those.
What do buyers ask about a faulty travel system?
The fault itself, in detail. Answer directly. If it has been in any collision, or if you cannot vouch for its full history, say so — a compromised seat should not be sold for use whatever it looks like. The listing that answers it before being asked is the one that sells.
See also: what travel system is worth by condition · how to sell travel system · condition grades explained · all broken & damaged guides · all selling guides.