The short version
- Typical range: £20 – £85 — see the full cycling shoes value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Shoes & Footwear
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 cleat pattern — two-bolt or three-bolt — and photograph the sole plate.
- Note whether cleats are included and how worn they are, since they are a consumable.
- Test the closure system, whether laces, ratchets or a BOA dial, and check the sole for cracks.
The photographs that sell cycling shoes
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 pair side on, standing
- Both soles, showing the bolt pattern clearly
- The closure system close up
- The size marking and any crack, scuff or worn cleat
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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, cleat system and size: “Shimano Road Cycling Shoes, 3 Bolt SPD-SL, EU 43”. The bolt pattern is the critical compatibility fact. Say road or mountain, since two-bolt mountain shoes are walkable and three-bolt road shoes are not.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Size in EU, with UK equivalent, and insole length
- Cleat pattern — two-bolt or three-bolt — and the system name if known
- Whether cleats are included and their condition
- Sole material, closure type and any crack or wear
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about cycling shoes. 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.
Photograph the sole plate and say two-bolt or three-bolt. A buyer with the wrong pedals cannot use them at all, so this is the whole compatibility question.
Say so and describe their wear. Cleats are consumables and a worn set is not much use, but a fresh set is a real saving.
Say which. Carbon soles are stiffer and worth considerably more, and serious cyclists filter on it.
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 cycling shoes 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 £52 sale — roughly the middle of the range for cycling shoes — 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 | £52 |
| Poshmark | −£10 | £42 |
| eBay | −£7 | £45 |
| Mercari | −£5 | £47 |
| Etsy | −£3 | £49 |
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
Lifts from March to August with the cycling season. Quality road shoes sell within a fortnight in season and slowly in winter.
Post boxed. Remove the cleats if they are heavily worn and say so, or leave them fitted and describe their condition — either is fine as long as it is stated.
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 are used cycling shoes worth?
Typically £20 to £85, with carbon-soled road shoes well above. See the cycling shoes value guide for the bands.
Will they fit my pedals?
That depends on the bolt pattern, not the brand. Two-bolt systems suit mountain and touring pedals, three-bolt suit road pedals. Photograph the sole so the buyer can check against their own setup.
Do cleats wear out?
Yes, they are consumables and walking in them accelerates it. Say honestly how worn the included cleats are, since a fresh set costs real money.
See also: what a used cycling shoes is worth · browse live shoes & footwear listings · condition grades explained.