The short version
- Typical range: £20 – £400 — see the full militaria value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Art & Collectibles
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.
- Identify exactly what the item is. Deactivated firearms, edged weapons, ordnance and certain insignia are all regulated differently and some cannot be sold or posted at all.
- For anything deactivated, find the certificate and check it meets the current specification, since older deactivations are no longer accepted in many jurisdictions.
- Do not clean, polish or re-blue anything. Original finish and honest patina are most of the value to a collector.
The photographs that sell militaria
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 item whole, on a plain background, in even light
- All maker’s marks, proof marks, unit stamps and dates, legibly
- Any deactivation certificate or paperwork
- Every dent, repair, replacement part or area of wear
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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
Item, nation, period and markings: “WWI British Officer’s Compass, Marked 1917”. Collectors search by nation, conflict and unit. State plainly if a piece is a reproduction; the reproduction market is legitimate and honest labelling is what keeps it that way.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- What the item is, its nation of origin and period
- All markings, transcribed and photographed
- Whether original, a period reproduction, or a modern copy
- Any legal paperwork, and any restriction you are aware of on sale or carriage
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about militaria. 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.
Answer with evidence — markings, construction, finish — and say where you got it. Reproductions in this field are excellent, so collectors weigh evidence rather than assurances.
Check carrier rules and the law at both ends before you promise anything. Edged weapons, deactivated firearms and ordnance are variously restricted, refused or unlawful to send.
Say so if it has, by you or a previous owner. Over-cleaning is a serious value fault in militaria and collectors identify it immediately.
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 militaria 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 £210 sale — roughly the middle of the range for militaria — 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 | £210 |
| Poshmark | −£42 | £168 |
| eBay | −£29 | £181 |
| Mercari | −£21 | £189 |
| Etsy | −£14 | £196 |
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 to a dedicated collector audience year round, with lifts around major anniversaries. Correctly identified marked pieces sell quickly; generic unattributed items are slow.
Check the legal position before agreeing any carriage, and sell only to adults where age restrictions apply. For anything restricted, a documented in-person handover to an eligible buyer is the safer route.
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
Is it legal to sell militaria?
Most of it, yes — medals, uniforms, insignia and field equipment are widely traded. But deactivated firearms, edged weapons, live or inert ordnance and certain political insignia are restricted or prohibited, and the rules differ sharply between countries. Establish what your item is and what applies before listing it.
What is militaria worth?
Typically £20 to £400, with documented, named and unit-marked pieces far above. See the militaria value guide for the condition breakdown.
Should I polish medals before selling?
No. Polishing removes the original finish and softens the detail, and collectors pay less for a polished medal than a naturally toned one. Leave it exactly as it is.
See also: what a used militaria is worth · browse live art & collectibles listings · condition grades explained.