The short version
- Typical range: £12 – £45 — see the full laptop bag value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Bags & Handbags
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.
- Measure the padded laptop compartment internally — length, width and depth — rather than quoting a screen size.
- Check the padding has not compressed flat and the zips run cleanly.
- Check the strap, handles and base, and turn out the pockets.
The photographs that sell a laptop bag
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 bag from the front, whole
- The laptop compartment open with a tape measure inside
- The zips and strap attachment points
- The base and interior pockets, plus any wear, fray or worn padding
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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
Type, fit and brand: “Leather Laptop Bag, Fits 15in, Padded, Shoulder Strap”. State the internal compartment size as well as the screen size it fits — modern thin laptops vary enormously and the measurement is what actually answers the question.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Internal laptop compartment dimensions
- External dimensions and weight empty
- Material, and number of pockets and compartments
- Whether it has a trolley sleeve, and the strap and zip condition
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a laptop bag. 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.
Give the internal compartment measurements. A 15-inch label means little across different makes, and the measurement answers it for everyone.
Press it and say. Compressed padding is the point at which a laptop bag stops protecting anything.
Check the back panel. It is a genuine feature for anyone who travels and is rarely mentioned.
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 laptop bag 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 £28 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a laptop bag — 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 | £28 |
| Poshmark | −£6 | £22 |
| eBay | −£4 | £24 |
| Mercari | −£3 | £25 |
| Etsy | −£2 | £26 |
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 September and January around work and study cycles. Leather and known brands sell steadily.
Light and cheap to post. Stuff it lightly so the padding does not crease in transit.
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 is a used laptop bag worth?
Typically £12 to £45, with leather and designer bags above. See the laptop bag value guide for the bands.
Should I give the screen size or the measurements?
Both, with the internal measurements as the real answer. Laptop dimensions vary widely at the same screen size and buyers who have been caught out check the numbers.
Does compressed padding matter?
It is the whole point of the bag, so yes. Describe it honestly — a bag with flattened padding is a document carrier rather than a laptop bag.
See also: what a used laptop bag is worth · browse live bags & handbags listings · condition grades explained.