Sell Your Used Generator — 0% Fees

A used generator typically sells for £80 to £500, and on WishThrift it costs you nothing to list — no fee, no commission, so you keep the whole amount you agree. Generators must be run outdoors only, and that is worth stating in your listing rather than assuming — carbon monoxide from a generator used in a garage or indoors kills people every year.

The short version

Typical range: £80 – £500 — see the full generator value guide
What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
Category: Tools & DIY

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.

Start it and run it under some load, and note the hours if it has a meter.
Check the oil, drain the fuel before transport, and note the fuel type and tank capacity.
Test every socket with something you can see working, and check the RCD or breaker if fitted.

The photographs that sell a generator

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 whole generator from a three-quarter angle
The control panel with every socket and the breaker visible
The engine, plate and hours meter if fitted
The fuel tank, oil filler and any rust, leak or damage

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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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

Output, type and fuel: “2.5kW Petrol Generator, Inverter, 4 Stroke”. Output in watts or kilowatts is the search, and inverter models are a distinct and higher bracket because they produce clean power for electronics. Say the fuel type and whether it has been serviced.

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

Continuous and peak output in watts
Fuel type, tank capacity and approximate run time
Whether it is an inverter generator, and what sockets it has
Running hours if known, service history, and that it has been tested under load

What buyers will actually ask

You will receive the same three messages about a generator. 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.

“Does it start easily?”

Start it from cold and answer from that. Stale fuel is the usual reason a stored generator will not start, and a machine that starts readily is worth substantially more.

“Is it an inverter model?”

Say plainly. Inverter generators produce power clean enough for laptops and sensitive electronics, and buyers who need that will not risk a conventional set.

“What output is it?”

Give continuous and peak figures. Buyers are matching it to a specific load, and quoting only the peak figure is misleading.

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 generator 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 £290 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a generator — 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	£290
Poshmark	−£58	£232
eBay	−£39	£251
Mercari	−£29	£261
Etsy	−£19	£271

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

Lifts in autumn and winter around storm season and power cuts, and in summer for events and camping. Tested working machines sell quickly whenever demand spikes.

Drain the fuel before transport — a fuelled generator on its side leaks and is a fire risk. Collection is usual given the weight.

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

Is it safe to run a generator indoors?

No, and it is worth saying so in your listing. Generators produce carbon monoxide, which is colourless and odourless and kills quickly in enclosed spaces. They must be run outdoors, well away from doors, windows and vents, never in a garage or shed even with the door open.

What is a used generator worth?

Typically £80 to £500, with inverter models and larger outputs well above. See the generator value guide for the bands.

Should I drain the fuel before selling?

Yes, before any transport. It is also worth doing before storage, since stale petrol gums up carburettors and is the most common reason a stored generator will not restart.