The short version
- Typical range: £60 – £600 — see the full gold watch value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Jewellery & Watches
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.
- Find the hallmark on the case back or lug and photograph it. Solid gold is hallmarked; plated is usually marked GP, rolled gold or with a micron figure.
- Weigh the watch and note whether the bracelet is also gold, since that can be most of the weight.
- Wind or start it and check it runs and keeps time over a day, and note the movement type if the caseback states it.
The photographs that sell a gold watch
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 watch face straight on, in daylight
- The case back with the hallmark or markings, legible
- The watch on a scale with the weight visible
- The bracelet or strap, the clasp, and any scratch or dent
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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
Metal, brand and movement: “9ct Solid Gold Gentleman’s Watch, Automatic, 42g”. State solid or plated in the title — not doing so wastes everyone’s time and reads as evasive. Weight matters because buyers calculate a metal floor price from it.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Whether the case is solid gold or plated, with the hallmark or marking quoted
- Total weight in grams, and whether the bracelet is also gold
- Brand, model and movement type: manual, automatic or quartz
- Whether it runs and keeps time, and when it was last serviced
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a gold watch. 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.
Photograph the hallmark and say exactly what it reads. This is the whole basis of the price and buyers will not proceed without it.
Weigh it and give grams. Buyers use weight and carat to work out a floor value below which they cannot lose.
Run it for a day and report how many seconds or minutes it gained or lost. A vague “it works” is worth much less than a figure.
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 gold watch 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 £330 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a gold watch — 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 | £330 |
| Poshmark | −£66 | £264 |
| eBay | −£45 | £285 |
| Mercari | −£33 | £297 |
| Etsy | −£21 | £309 |
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 all year with a lift before Christmas. Solid gold pieces have a metal floor and rarely sit long when priced honestly; plated watches sell on brand alone.
High value in a small parcel. Confirm cleared funds before it leaves you, use tracked and insured postage, and photograph the watch and the sealed packaging.
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
How do I tell if a gold watch is solid gold?
Look for a hallmark on the case back or lug stating the carat. Plated cases are usually marked GP, rolled gold, or with a micron thickness. Photograph whatever markings are present and quote them exactly rather than interpreting them.
What is a used gold watch worth?
Typically £60 to £600, with solid gold cases from recognised makers far above that. Weight, carat and brand all drive it. See the gold watch value guide.
Should I service it before selling?
Usually not — a service often costs more than it adds. State when it was last serviced if you know, report how well it keeps time, and let the buyer factor in the work.
See also: what a used gold watch is worth · browse live jewellery & watches listings · condition grades explained.