Sell Your Used Fishing Gear — 0% Fees

Used fishing gear typically sells for £25 to £200, and on WishThrift it costs you nothing to list — no fee, no commission, so you keep the whole amount you agree. Fishing tackle sells best sorted by discipline, because a coarse angler has no use for sea gear — so group it properly before you photograph anything.

The short version

Typical range: £25 – £200 — see the full fishing gear 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.

Sort by discipline: coarse, carp, fly, sea or predator. Mixed lots sell for far less.
Test every reel for smooth retrieve and check the line, and inspect rod rings for cracks.
Lay out the tackle box contents and count what is actually there.

The photographs that sell fishing gear

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, grouped by type
The reels close up, showing brand and condition
The rod rings and handles
The tackle box contents, plus any rust, crack or missing part

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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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

Discipline and contents: “Carp Fishing Bundle — 2 Rods, Reels, Alarms, Tackle Box”. Naming the discipline is what gets the right buyer. List the significant brands, since tackle brands carry real value differences.

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

Discipline the gear suits
Exactly what is included, item by item
Rod lengths and test curves, and reel models
Condition of reels, rings and any rust or damage

What buyers will actually ask

You will receive the same three messages about fishing gear. 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 discipline is it for?”

Say it in the first line. Coarse, carp, fly and sea anglers need entirely different gear and a mixed lot appeals to nobody.

“Do the reels run smoothly?”

Wind each one and feel for grinding. Reel condition is where most of the value sits in a tackle bundle.

“Are the rod rings intact?”

Run a cotton bud through each ring and check for cracks that catch. A cracked ring cuts line and buyers check.

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 fishing gear 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 £112 sale — roughly the middle of the range for fishing gear — 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	£112
Poshmark	−£22	£90
eBay	−£15	£97
Mercari	−£11	£101
Etsy	−£7	£105

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

March through September, peaking in spring. Carp and sea gear sell year round to committed anglers.

Rods are long and need a tube or length surcharge. Reels and tackle post easily. Consider splitting the listing if postage on rods is prohibitive.

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 used fishing gear worth?

Typically £25 to £200 per bundle depending on discipline and brands. See the fishing gear value guide.

Should I split the tackle up?

Sort by discipline at minimum. Quality reels are often worth listing individually, while terminal tackle and consumables are better bundled.

Does old tackle still sell?

Yes. Well-made reels and rods last decades and some vintage tackle is actively collected. Photograph any maker’s markings so collectors can identify it.