Sell Your Used Dumbbells — 0% Fees

Used dumbbells typically sell for £20 to £150, and on WishThrift it costs you nothing to list — no fee, no commission, so you keep the whole amount you agree. Dumbbells sell by weight, literally — buyers price them per kilogram, so state the total weight and the type before anything else.

The short version

Typical range: £20 – £150 — see the full dumbbells value guide
What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
Category: Sports & Outdoors

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.

Weigh the full set and note whether they are fixed, adjustable or a spinlock set with plates.
Count every plate and collar if adjustable, and check the threads and locking mechanisms work.
Clean off any rust and note whether they are rubber coated, cast iron or vinyl.

The photographs that sell dumbbells

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 full set laid out together
A close view of the grip and the weight markings
All collars, plates and the handle threads
Any rust, chipping or damage to the coating

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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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

Total weight and type: “Adjustable Dumbbell Set, 40kg Total, Cast Iron with Spinlock Collars”. Total weight in kilograms is the primary search term. Say whether they are fixed or adjustable, since that changes both the price and who wants them.

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

Total weight in kilograms, and the breakdown of plates if adjustable
Fixed, adjustable or spinlock, and whether all collars are present
Material: cast iron, rubber coated, vinyl or neoprene
Any rust, chips or damage, and whether a rack or case is included

What buyers will actually ask

You will receive the same three messages about dumbbells. 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.

“What is the total weight?”

Weigh everything and give a kilogram figure. Buyers compare on price per kilogram and cannot do that without it.

“Are all the collars included?”

Count them. Spinlock collars are cheap but their absence makes the set unusable until replaced, and buyers ask.

“Is there any rust?”

Look closely at the bars and plate edges and photograph honestly. Surface rust is common, cleanable and accepted when shown.

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 dumbbells 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 £85 sale — roughly the middle of the range for dumbbells — 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	£85
Poshmark	−£17	£68
eBay	−£12	£73
Mercari	−£8	£77
Etsy	−£6	£79

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

January is the peak by a wide margin, with a secondary autumn lift. Free weights hold value well because they never really wear out.

Extremely heavy for their size, so postage is often uneconomic — always weigh and quote before agreeing. Collection is normal and buyers expect it.

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 dumbbells worth?

Typically £20 to £150 depending on total weight and type, and buyers generally compare on price per kilogram. See the dumbbells value guide for the range.

Does rust reduce the value?

Surface rust on cast iron is normal and cleans off with a wire brush, so it barely affects the price when disclosed. Deep pitting or damaged threads on adjustable sets matter more.

Can I post dumbbells?

Usually not economically. They are dense and heavy, and courier weight surcharges frequently exceed the value of the weights. Collection is the practical option.