How to Sell a Damaged Pool Table

A damaged pool table is still worth selling — typically £25 to £150 at For Parts, against £100 to £600 undamaged.

Can you sell a pool table that is damaged?

Yes. Damaged stock has its own buyers: people who repair and restore, people who want the material rather than the object, and people who want a cheaper one and do not mind a flaw. Nobody should be surprised when it arrives.

The damage buyers look for on pool tables

These are the flaws that move a pool table down the grades, and the ones a buyer will check first:

MDF beds, which warp with any damp
Torn or heavily worn cloth
Loose or damaged cushion rubber that kills the bounce
No practical access for removal

Grading it honestly

Fair covers something heavily used, or with a described fault or missing part: around £45 to £270. For Parts covers something not working or incomplete, sold as seen: roughly £25 to £150. 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 flaw properly rather than guessing at it:

Check whether the bed is slate or MDF — slate is far heavier
Roll a ball slowly across to check the level and cushion response
Measure the access route out of the room

Photographing the flaw

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

The whole table from a corner, in the room
The playing surface straight on, showing cloth condition
A pocket and the cushion rubber close up
The frame underneath, showing construction and whether it bolts apart

What to state in the listing

Alongside the flaw itself, buyers of damaged pool tables want these confirmed:

Playing surface size in feet, and external dimensions
Slate or MDF bed, and approximate total weight
Cloth condition, cushion response and pocket condition
Whether it dismantles, which floor it is on, and what accessories are included

Size, bed and access: “7ft Slate Bed Pool Table, Dismantles, Ground Floor”. Size in feet is the primary filter and slate versus MDF is the main price driver. Putting access in the title genuinely brings in buyers who would otherwise skip it.

What buyers will ask

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

“Is the bed slate?”

Check underneath or lift a corner of the cloth. Slate tables play far better and are worth several times an MDF one — they are also enormously heavier.

“How many people to move it?”

Answer honestly. A slate table needs four or more and the slates come out separately. Understating this ends in a failed collection.

“Does it come apart?”

Check whether the frame bolts and the slates lift out. It is the difference between a possible collection and an impossible one.

Is it worth repairing first?

Only where it is cheap and visibly well done — a clumsy repair costs more than the flaw it hides. What lifts the price:

Slate beds rather than MDF
Cloth with no tears, burns or bobbling
Level, undamaged frame and legs
Cues, balls, triangle and rests included

If the work would cost more than the gap between £150 and what a sound one fetches, sell it as is damaged and let the buyer decide.

When to list it

Steady with a lift before Christmas. Slate tables sell to committed buyers year round; MDF tables sell cheaply and slowly.

Getting it to the buyer

Collection only, and this is the one category where you should be almost discouraging about it. State the weight, the floor, the stairs and how many people it needs, so the buyer arrives properly equipped.

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 pool table selling guide if yours turns out to be sound.

Frequently asked questions

Can you sell a damaged pool table?

Yes. A damaged pool table typically is worth £25 to £150 against £100 to £600 undamaged, and there is a real market in repair, restoration and craft stock. MDF beds, which warp with any damp

Is it worth repairing first?

Only where the repair is cheap and visibly done well. What buyers pay for is slate beds rather than MDF — a repair that draws attention to the flaw can leave you worse off.

How should I describe the damage?

Precisely, with a photograph of the flaw itself. Check underneath or lift a corner of the cloth. Slate tables play far better and are worth several times an MDF one — they are also enormously heavier. Vague wording is what produces the message asking for a refund.