Used game controllers in the UK typically sell for £15 to £50 (about $20 to $67). Controllers sell constantly because they break constantly, and the only question a buyer really has is whether the sticks drift.
What game controllers are worth in the UK
| Condition | Typical | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| New with Tags | £50 | Unused, tags or seals intact |
| Like New | £42 | Barely used, no visible wear |
| Good | £32 | Light signs of use, complete and working |
| Fair | £22 | Heavily used, or a described fault or missing part |
| For Parts | £12 | 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
- No stick drift on either analogue stick
- Responsive triggers and bumpers
What pulls it down
- Worn trigger springs and sticky buttons
- Missing wireless dongles
Selling a game controller 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.
Second-hand demand peaks in January, in the weeks before Christmas, and at the start of the academic year in September.
Working out what yours is worth
- Test both sticks for drift in a calibration screen
- Press every button and trigger
Getting it ready
- Test both sticks in a controller-test menu and watch for any movement when you are not touching them.
- Clean the grips and around the sticks, and check the charging port or battery compartment.
Photograph
- The controller from the front, whole
- The grips and the back, showing wear
- The charging port or battery compartment, plus any crack, worn grip or missing rubber
Put in the description
- Platform and exact model or generation
- Whether the sticks drift, tested and stated
- Battery type, and whether a charging cable is included
Platform, model and colour: “PS5 DualSense Controller, White, No Drift”. Platform compatibility is the search. The phrase no drift is worth including only if you have actually tested for it, because it is the first thing the buyer will check.
Cheap and easy to post in a padded box. Reset the controller and unpair it from your console first so it pairs cleanly for the buyer.
It costs nothing to list
There is no listing fee, no selling fee and no commission, so the £50 a buyer pays is the £50 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 game controllers.
Common questions
Where can I sell a game controller 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.
Does it come with a cable?
Mention it. Cables are cheap but a controller arriving without one cannot be charged or paired immediately.
What is stick drift?
The analogue stick registering movement when untouched. It is the standard controller failure and the first thing buyers test.
Does a missing dongle matter?
On wireless controllers that need one, yes — it is paired and proprietary, and without it the controller may be unusable.
More: how to sell a game controller, what game controllers are worth, or Gaming across the United Kingdom.