Sell Your Used Cordless Drill — 0% Fees

A used cordless drill typically sells for £30 to £180, and on WishThrift it costs you nothing to list — no fee, no commission, so you keep the whole amount you agree. On a cordless drill you are really selling the battery platform, so state the voltage, the battery capacity and how many batteries are included before anything else.

The short version

Typical range: £30 – £180 — see the full cordless drill value guide
What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
Category: Tools & DIY

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.

Note the battery platform, voltage and the amp-hour rating of each battery.
Charge every battery fully and test how long each holds under load. Degraded batteries are the main reason used cordless tools are cheap.
Test the chuck, both speed settings, the clutch and the charger.

The photographs that sell a cordless drill

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.

The drill with a battery fitted, from the side
All batteries and the charger laid out together
The battery labels showing voltage and amp-hour rating
The chuck and clutch collar, plus the case and any bits

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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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, voltage and batteries: “DeWalt 18V Cordless Drill with 2 x 4.0Ah Batteries and Charger”. Battery count and capacity belong in the title because they are most of the value. Naming the platform matters — buyers already invested in a brand’s batteries search for it specifically.

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

Brand, battery platform and voltage
How many batteries, their amp-hour rating and their tested condition
Whether the charger is included, and whether it is the fast charger
Chuck size, clutch settings, and whether the case and bits are included

What buyers will actually ask

You will receive the same three messages about a cordless drill. 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.

“How are the batteries holding up?”

Charge each one and test under load. Replacement batteries often cost more than a used drill, so this single answer sets the price.

“Is the charger included?”

Confirm it and say whether it is the standard or fast charger. Chargers are platform-specific and not cheap.

“Which battery platform is it?”

Name the brand and voltage. Buyers already owning batteries in that system will pay more for a bare tool than a stranger would.

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 cordless drill 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 £105 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a cordless drill — here is what the commission-charging platforms would take, and what you would keep on each:

Where you sell it	Fee	You keep
WishThrift	£0	£105
Poshmark	−£21	£84
eBay	−£14	£91
Mercari	−£10	£95
Etsy	−£7	£98

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 all year with a spring lift. Trade-brand tools with healthy batteries sell within days; tools with tired batteries need honest pricing.

Postable, but lithium batteries are restricted by some couriers — check before promising, and never post a damaged or swollen battery.

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 cordless drill worth?

Typically £30 to £180 depending on brand, voltage and battery condition. Batteries are much of the value. See the cordless drill value guide.

Can I sell a cordless drill without batteries?

Yes, and there is a real market — buyers already invested in that battery platform actively look for bare tools. Just be explicit in the title that no battery or charger is included.

Can I post lithium batteries?

Some couriers restrict or prohibit them, and rules differ by service. Check before you agree postage with a buyer, and never send a battery that is damaged or swollen.