Sell Your Used Game Boy — 0% Fees

A used game boy typically sells for £40 to £200, and on WishThrift it costs you nothing to list — no fee, no commission, so you keep the whole amount you agree. Game Boys are collected now rather than played, so the screen condition and whether the battery terminals have corroded matter more than anything else.

The short version

Typical range: £40 – £200 — see the full game boy value guide
What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
Category: Gaming

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.

Open the battery compartment and check for corrosion on the terminals, which is extremely common and must be disclosed.
Power it on with fresh batteries and check the screen for missing lines, which is the classic Game Boy fault.
Identify the exact model: original DMG, Pocket, Color, Advance or SP, and note the shell colour.

The photographs that sell a game boy

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 console powered on, showing a game running and the screen condition
The screen straight on, revealing any missing lines or scratches
The battery compartment, terminals visible
The back, showing the shell condition and any label

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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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

Exact model and colour: “Game Boy Color, Atomic Purple, Working”. Collectors search by model and shell colour, and some colourways are worth multiples of others. Say plainly whether the screen has missing lines and whether the battery terminals are clean.

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

Exact model and shell colour
Screen condition, including any missing lines, scratches or discolouration
Battery terminal condition, and whether there has been any leakage
Whether it has been modified, backlit or recapped, and what is included

What buyers will actually ask

You will receive the same three messages about a game boy. 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.

“Are there missing lines on the screen?”

Power it on and photograph the display. Missing lines are the characteristic Game Boy fault, repairable but a real price factor.

“Is there battery corrosion?”

Open the compartment and photograph the terminals. Corrosion is common, often cleanable, and always worth disclosing.

“Has it been modded?”

Backlit and recapped consoles are worth more to some buyers and less to purists. Either way, say exactly what has been done.

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 game boy 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 £120 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a game boy — 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	£120
Poshmark	−£24	£96
eBay	−£16	£104
Mercari	−£12	£108
Etsy	−£8	£112

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

Steady collector demand year round, rising gently as these age. Original DMG models and unusual colourways sell fastest.

Small and cheap to post. Remove the batteries before sending — a leaking cell in transit ruins the console and the sale.

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 a used Game Boy worth?

Typically £40 to £200 depending on model, colour and condition, with rare colourways and boxed examples far above. See the Game Boy value guide.

Do missing screen lines ruin the value?

They reduce it, but the fault is well known and repairable by reflowing the screen ribbon, so plenty of buyers take it on. Photograph the screen powered on and describe exactly what is missing.

Are modified Game Boys worth more?

It depends on the buyer. Backlit screens and fresh capacitors appeal to players and can add value; collectors often prefer entirely original units. State clearly what has been done and let the market decide.