The short version
- Typical range: £12 – £60 — see the full heels value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Shoes & Footwear
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.
- Check every heel tip. Worn-through tips exposing metal are both a defect and a floor hazard, and replacing them is inexpensive.
- Inspect the heel covering for lifting or scuffing, which is the wear point on covered heels.
- Clean the soles and the insole. A soiled insole reads as worn far more strongly than the actual wear justifies.
The photographs that sell heels
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 pair side on, standing, so the heel shape and height read clearly
- The soles and heel tips together
- The insole and inside label showing brand and size
- The heel covering close up, plus any scuff, mark or lifting
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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, style and height: “Kurt Geiger Court Heels, Size 5, Black Patent” or “Block Heel Sandals, Nude, EU 38, 7cm”. Heel height in centimetres belongs in the description at least, because a buyer who cannot walk in 10cm will not buy them at any price.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Size as marked, with UK, EU and US equivalents
- Heel height in centimetres, and heel type — stiletto, block, kitten or wedge
- Material of the upper and whether the sole is leather or synthetic
- Condition of the tips, insole and heel covering, stated separately
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about heels. 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.
Measure from the floor to where the heel meets the shoe and give it in centimetres. It is the single most decisive fact and almost nobody includes it.
Answer with evidence rather than an adjective — photograph the sole and the insole and let the buyer read the wear themselves.
Give the insole measurement heel to toe. Court shoes especially vary between brands, and a measurement is the only answer that works for everyone.
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 heels 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 £36 sale — roughly the middle of the range for heels — 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 | £36 |
| Poshmark | −£7 | £29 |
| eBay | −£5 | £31 |
| Mercari | −£4 | £32 |
| Etsy | −£2 | £34 |
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 around party season from November to December and again through wedding season in late spring. Neutral colours in common sizes sell fastest; bold occasion colours take longer but face less competition.
Post boxed, with each shoe wrapped and the heels protected. Thin heels snap in transit when they are loose in a padded bag, so a rigid box is worth the small extra postage.
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 heels worth?
Typically £12 to £60, with designer and barely-worn occasion shoes well above. The heels value guide prices each condition grade.
Should I replace the heel tips before selling?
Yes if the metal is showing. It costs very little at a cobbler, removes the most obvious sign of wear, and usually adds more to the price than the repair costs.
Do occasion shoes worn once sell well?
They are the best case in this category. Say plainly that they were worn once, photograph the sole to prove it, and include the box if you still have it — that combination sells quickly and near the top of the range.
See also: what a used heels is worth · browse live shoes & footwear listings · condition grades explained.