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.
Two practical things shape a UK sale. Bank holidays and the run-up to Christmas slow collections right down, so build a few extra days in. And postage from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland, the Highlands and the islands carries surcharges that catch sellers out — quote for the buyer’s actual postcode rather than a flat rate.
Working out what yours is worth
- Test both sticks for drift in a calibration screen
- Press every button and trigger
Sell your Game Controller in the UK
Listing is free and there is no commission and no buyer fee, so the price you agree is the price you keep. Most listings take about a minute to put up.
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 charging port or battery compartment, plus any crack, worn grip or missing rubber
Put in the description
- Whether the sticks drift, tested and stated
- Condition of grips, triggers and buttons
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.
- Selling a game controller in London
- Selling a game controller in Birmingham
- Selling a game controller in Leeds
- Selling a game controller in Glasgow
- Selling a game controller in Sheffield
- Selling a game controller in Manchester
- Selling a game controller in Edinburgh
- Selling a game controller in Liverpool
- Selling a game controller in Bristol
- Selling a game controller in Leicester
- Selling a game controller in Cardiff
- Selling a game controller in Belfast
- Selling a game controller in Coventry
- Selling a game controller in Nottingham
- Selling a game controller in Newcastle upon Tyne
- Selling a game controller in Brighton
- Selling a game controller in Wolverhampton
- Selling a game controller in Derby
- Selling a game controller in Stoke-on-Trent
- Selling a game controller in Swansea
- Selling a game controller in Portsmouth
- Selling a game controller in Sunderland
- Selling a game controller in Northampton
- Selling a game controller in Luton
- Selling a game controller in York
- Selling a game controller in Bolton
- Selling a game controller in Aberdeen
- Selling a game controller in Bournemouth
- Selling a game controller in Norwich
- Selling a game controller in Huddersfield
- Selling a game controller in Southend-on-Sea
- Selling a game controller in Middlesbrough
- Selling a game controller in Reading
- Selling a game controller in Warrington
- Selling a game controller in Oxford
- Selling a game controller in Poole
- Selling a game controller in Preston
- Selling a game controller in Cambridge
- Selling a game controller in Slough
- Selling a game controller in Telford
- Selling a game controller in Stockport
- Selling a game controller in Gloucester
- Selling a game controller in Exeter
- Selling a game controller in Watford
- Selling a game controller in Solihull
- Selling a game controller in High Wycombe
- Selling a game controller in Rotherham
- Selling a game controller in Basingstoke
- Selling a game controller in Doncaster
- Selling a game controller in Basildon
- Selling a game controller in Mansfield
- Selling a game controller in Sutton Coldfield
- Selling a game controller in Crawley
- Selling a game controller in Rochdale
- Selling a game controller in Chelmsford
- Selling a game controller in Eastbourne
- Selling a game controller in Worcester
- Selling a game controller in Lincoln
- Selling a game controller in Barnsley
- Selling a game controller in Oldham
- Selling a game controller in Bath
- Selling a game controller in Stevenage
- Selling a game controller in Redditch
- Selling a game controller in Bury
- Selling a game controller in West Bromwich
- Selling a game controller in Guildford
- Selling a game controller in South Shields
- Selling a game controller in St Albans
- Selling a game controller in Aylesbury
- Selling a game controller in Taunton
- Selling a game controller in Walsall
- Selling a game controller in Newtownabbey
- Selling a game controller in Torquay
- Selling a game controller in Livingston
- Selling a game controller in Canterbury
- Selling a game controller in Kirkcaldy
- Selling a game controller in Durham
- Selling a game controller in Winchester
- Selling a game controller in Ayr
- Selling a game controller in Lisburn
- Selling a game controller in Falkirk
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.