The short version
- Typical range: £20 – £90 — see the full microwave value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Kitchen & Appliances
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 interior thoroughly, including the roof and the waveguide cover, and wash the turntable and roller ring.
- Check the door closes squarely and the seal and latch are undamaged, since that is the safety-critical part.
- Heat a mug of water for a minute to confirm it works, and note the wattage and model from the rear plate.
The photographs that sell a microwave
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 unit front on, door closed, clean
- The interior with the door open, showing the roof and the turntable in place
- The door seal and latch close up
- The rating plate showing make, model and wattage, plus any dent, rust spot or scratched panel
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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
Wattage and type: “800W Solo Microwave, 20L, Silver” or “Combination Microwave Oven and Grill, 900W”. Wattage is the search term and combination models are a separate market. Include the external dimensions, because most buyers are fitting it into a specific gap.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Wattage, internal capacity in litres and external dimensions
- Type — solo, grill, convection or combination
- Whether the turntable, roller ring and any accessories are included
- That it has been tested, and the state of the door, seal and interior
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a microwave. 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.
Say so and photograph it in place. Replacement plates are model specific and surprisingly expensive relative to a used microwave.
Check the latch and seal and answer directly. A damaged door or seal is the one fault that makes a microwave genuinely unsafe rather than merely tired.
Read the rear plate rather than guessing. It is the number people search on and the one that decides whether their usual cooking times will work.
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 microwave 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 £55 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a microwave — 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 | £55 |
| Poshmark | −£11 | £44 |
| eBay | −£7 | £48 |
| Mercari | −£6 | £49 |
| Etsy | −£4 | £51 |
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, with lifts in September when students move and around house moves. Clean, tested units sell within days because they are usually the cheapest working option a buyer can find.
Postable but bulky and easily damaged, so a well-padded box and a taped door are essential. Local collection is usually the sensible route at this price point.
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 microwave worth?
Typically £20 to £90, with combination and convection models at the top and small solo units at the bottom. The microwave value guide prices each grade.
Is it safe to sell a microwave with a damaged door?
No. The door and seal contain the microwave energy, so a bent door, broken latch or damaged seal makes the unit unsafe to use and it should be recycled rather than sold.
Does rust inside matter?
Yes. Rust on the interior cavity or on the waveguide cover can cause arcing. Photograph it, describe it, and if it is more than a small spot, treat the unit as scrap rather than stock.
See also: what a used microwave is worth · browse live kitchen & appliances listings · condition grades explained.