Used desktop PCs in the UK typically sell for £100 to £500 (about $135 to $675). Desktop PCs are priced by their components, so list every part — buyers add them up, and a vague specification always gets a low offer.
What desktop PCs are worth in the UK
| Condition | Typical | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| New with Tags | £500 | Unused, tags or seals intact |
| Like New | £425 | Barely used, no visible wear |
| Good | £325 | Light signs of use, complete and working |
| Fair | £225 | Heavily used, or a described fault or missing part |
| For Parts | £125 | Not working or incomplete, sold as seen |
Guide ranges converted from sterling at the 2 August 2026 rate, not quotes — sellers set their own price. Grades are seller-declared; WishThrift does not inspect or verify them.
What lifts the price
- Recent processors with an upgrade path
- Discrete graphics cards rather than integrated
What pulls it down
- Mechanical hard drives only
- Proprietary office machines that cannot be upgraded
Selling a desktop PC in the UK
Most private sales settle by bank transfer or cash on collection. Faster Payments clear in seconds, which makes a transfer as safe as cash for the seller — wait for it to land before the item leaves your hands.
The UK has the deepest second-hand habit of any of our markets — charity shops, car boot sales and online resale have been mainstream here for decades, so buyers arrive already comfortable with used goods and already know roughly what things are worth.
Royal Mail, Evri and InPost cover the whole country, and InPost lockers mean neither side has to be in for a delivery. Tracked 48 is the usual default for small parcels.
Distance selling rules bind traders, not private sellers, but an item must still be as described and anything sold as working must actually work.
Working out what yours is worth
- List the exact processor, graphics card, memory and storage
- Confirm the machine posts and runs stably
Getting it ready
- List the processor, RAM, storage type and size, motherboard and any graphics card.
- Back up, factory reset or reinstall the operating system, and clean the dust from the case and filters.
Photograph
- The tower from the front and side
- The system information screen showing processor and RAM
- The rear I/O, plus any included keyboard, mouse or cables
Put in the description
- Processor model, RAM amount and speed, storage type and size
- Motherboard, power supply wattage and case size
- Whether it has a dedicated graphics card, and which
Processor, RAM and storage: “Desktop PC — i5-10400, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 11”. Buyers search component names. Say whether it has a dedicated graphics card or integrated graphics, since that decides whether it games at all.
Heavy and vulnerable in transit — components shift and coolers break loose. Collection with a live boot is preferable, and buyers usually want it.
It costs nothing to list
There is no listing fee, no selling fee and no commission, so the £500 a buyer pays is the £500 you keep. You and the buyer settle up and arrange the handover between yourselves; WishThrift does not hold the money or ship the item.
Where in the UK
The United Kingdom is a big place and what sells well moves with it. These are the parts of the United Kingdom with their own page for desktop PCs.
Common questions
Where can I sell a desktop PC in the UK?
List it free on WishThrift and deal with the buyer direct. There is no selling fee, so the whole amount stays with you. Most private sales settle by bank transfer or cash on collection. Faster Payments clear in seconds, which makes a transfer as safe as cash for the seller — wait for it to land before the item leaves your hands.
Is Windows activated?
Check and say. A genuine activated licence saves the buyer a real cost and is worth stating.
How do I price a used desktop PC?
By components. Price the graphics card and processor first, since that is how buyers assess the machine.
Does adding an SSD help?
Considerably. It moves an otherwise dated machine into the usable-today bracket for very little outlay.
More: how to sell a desktop PC, what desktop PCs are worth, or Electronics across the United Kingdom.