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WishThrift

How to Sell a Used Camera Flash

A used camera flash typically sells for £20 to £110, and on WishThrift it costs you nothing to list — no fee, no commission, so you keep the whole amount you agree. Flashguns sell on mount compatibility above everything — a flash for one camera system is useless on another, and getting that wrong wastes everyone’s time.

The short version

Before you photograph it

Ten minutes here is worth more than anything else you will do. Buyers are deciding between your listing and someone else’s, and preparation is what visibly separates the two.

  • Identify the mount and system precisely, since a Canon-fit flash will not meter on a Nikon body and may not be safe to fit.
  • Fit fresh batteries, fire it repeatedly at full power and note the recycle time.
  • Check the foot and contacts for wear, and the tube for discolouration from heavy use.

The photographs that sell a camera flash

Four photographs do almost all the work. Shoot in daylight, near a window, with the item against something plain — and do not use the flash, which flattens texture and hides exactly what buyers are trying to see.

  1. The flash whole, standing on its foot
  2. The mounting foot and contacts close up
  3. The head tilted and rotated, showing movement
  4. The flash tube through the diffuser, plus the model marking and any damage

Photograph the flaws too. It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover. Buyers who can see the damage stop imagining something worse.

Writing the title and description

Brand, model and system fit: “Godox V860II Flash, Canon Fit, TTL, with Battery”. System compatibility is the whole listing. Guide number and TTL support are the specification buyers compare, so include both.

Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:

  • Brand, model and exact system compatibility
  • Guide number, and whether it supports TTL and high-speed sync
  • Head movement — tilt, swivel, zoom
  • Battery type, whether one is included, and recycle time as observed

What buyers will actually ask

You will receive the same three messages about a camera flash. Answering them in the listing itself removes the back-and-forth, and answering them well when they do arrive is what turns an enquiry into a sale.

“Will it work on my camera?”

State the system fit precisely. Some third-party flashes fire on any hot shoe but only meter on one system, and that distinction matters.

“How fast does it recycle?”

Fire it at full power a few times and time it. Recycle time tells buyers how hard the flash has been used and whether the capacitors are tired.

“Is a battery included?”

For flashes with proprietary battery packs, say so. They are expensive and model specific, and the flash is unusable without one.

Pricing it so it actually sells

Start from the honest condition grade rather than the price you hope for. WishThrift listings use five grades — New with Tags, Like New, Good, Fair and For Parts — and what each grade means is worth reading before you choose, because grading up is the most expensive mistake sellers make. It does not raise the price; it produces a buyer who arrives expecting something else.

The camera flash value guide prices all five grades for this item. Pick your grade, take the figure, and if you sit between two grades price toward the lower one. Items priced honestly sell faster than items priced hopefully, and on a free platform there is no fee eating the difference anyway.

What you keep, compared

On a £65 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a camera flash — here is what the commission-charging platforms would take, and what you would keep on each:

Where you sell itFeeYou keep
WishThrift£0£65
Poshmark−£13£52
eBay−£9£56
Mercari−£6£59
Etsy−£4£61

Seller-side rates verified 26 Jul 2026 — Poshmark: 20% commission on sales of $15 and above; eBay: 13.6% final value fee, plus a per-order fee; Mercari: flat 10% selling fee; Etsy: 6.5% transaction fee, plus a listing fee and payment processing. Percentages are applied to the sterling figure above; the fixed per-order and processing charges those platforms add are quoted in their own currency and are not included here, so the real deductions are slightly larger. Full breakdown: marketplace selling fees compared.

Timing and getting it to the buyer

Steady year round with a lift before wedding season and Christmas. Current models with TTL sell within days.

Post with the batteries removed, packed padded. Include any diffuser, stand and case, which are easily lost and cost real money to replace.

WishThrift does not process payments or arrange delivery — you and the buyer agree both directly — so confirm payment 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? It takes about two minutes, costs nothing, and there is no commission when it sells — create a free account or see how selling works.

Frequently asked questions

What is a used camera flash worth?

Typically £20 to £110, with TTL models and known brands above. See the camera flash value guide for the bands.

Are third-party flashes as good?

Modern third-party flashes are widely used professionally and often offer more for the money. Say the brand and model and let buyers research it — there is no need to be defensive about it.

Is it safe to use an old flash on a new camera?

Some very old flashes use high trigger voltages that can damage modern electronics. If yours is decades old, say so and let the buyer check the trigger voltage for their camera.

See also: what a used camera flash is worth · browse live cameras & photography listings · condition grades explained.