Sell Your Used Headphones — 0% Fees

Used headphones typically sell for £25 to £180, and on WishThrift it costs you nothing to list — no fee, no commission, so you keep the whole amount you agree. Used headphones sell on hygiene and honesty about the earpads, because that is what buyers are quietly worried about and almost no listing addresses it.

The short version

Typical range: £25 – £180 — see the full headphones value guide
What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
Category: Electronics

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.

Clean the earpads and headband thoroughly, and say in the listing that you have. If the pads are perished or flaking, say that too.
Test both drivers with something in stereo to confirm neither channel is dead or crackling.
Find the model number and check whether the earpads are user-replaceable, which is a genuine selling point.

The photographs that sell headphones

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 full pair as they will be sent, from the side
The earpads close up, showing their actual condition
The headband and hinges, which are where headphones crack
The cable, case and any adapters included

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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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

Brand and model exactly, plus whether they are wireless and noise cancelling: “Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones”. Model numbers are how audio buyers search. Add whether the original case is included, because for over-ear headphones that materially affects the price.

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

Exact brand and model number
Wired or wireless, and whether they have active noise cancelling
Earpad condition, and whether replacements are available for the model
What is included: cable, case, charger, adapters

What buyers will actually ask

You will receive the same three messages about headphones. 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.

“What condition are the earpads in?”

Photograph them. Perished pads are common and buyers accept them when told, because replacements are often cheap — but only if you say so first.

“Do both sides work properly?”

Test in stereo before listing and confirm it. A dead channel is the most common fault in used headphones and buyers always ask.

“How is the battery on the wireless ones?”

Charge fully, then time a real session. Give the figure rather than quoting the manufacturer’s original claim.

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 headphones 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 £102 sale — roughly the middle of the range for headphones — 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	£102
Poshmark	−£20	£82
eBay	−£14	£88
Mercari	−£10	£92
Etsy	−£7	£95

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

Consistent all year with a lift before Christmas. Recognised audio brands sell within days; unbranded pairs sit for a long time.

Light, compact and cheap to post. Use the original case if you have it, and pad the hinges — that is where headphones arrive broken.

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 are used headphones worth?

Typically £25 to £180 depending on brand and whether they are wireless and noise cancelling. See the headphones value guide for the condition breakdown.

Do people buy used headphones?

Yes, in large numbers, particularly recognised audio brands where the saving against new is significant. Being explicit about cleaning and earpad condition is what separates a listing that sells from one that does not.

Should I replace worn earpads before selling?

Only if replacements are cheap for your model and the pads are visibly perished. Otherwise photograph them honestly and let the buyer decide — many prefer to fit fresh pads themselves anyway.