The short version
- Typical range: £15 – £60 — see the full pet carrier value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Pet Supplies
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 it thoroughly inside and out and remove any bedding, then check the door latch and hinges.
- Look for the airline approval marking or IATA compliance on the shell if it has one, and note the model.
- Check the ventilation openings and the fixing bolts that hold the two halves together are all present.
The photographs that sell a pet carrier
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 carrier whole, from a three-quarter angle, door closed
- The door latch and hinge mechanism close up
- The interior through the open door, clean
- Any airline or compliance marking, plus any crack, missing bolt or worn strap
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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
Size, type and approval: “Medium Plastic Pet Carrier, IATA Airline Approved” or “Soft Fabric Cat Carrier, Top Loading”. Airline approved belongs in the title when true — it is a specific search by people with a flight booked. Give internal dimensions.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Internal length, width and height, and the maximum animal weight if stated
- Type — rigid plastic, fabric, or wire — and whether it is top or front loading
- Whether it carries an airline or IATA compliance marking
- Whether all bolts, the door and any strap or bedding are present
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a pet carrier. 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.
Only say yes if there is a marking on the shell, and photograph it. Airlines refuse non-compliant carriers at check-in, so a wrong claim causes real harm.
Give internal dimensions and any stated weight limit. The animal needs to stand and turn, and only the owner can judge that against their pet.
Say whether the halves separate. Rigid carriers that split into two are far easier to clean and that is worth mentioning.
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 pet carrier 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 £37 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a pet carrier — 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 | £37 |
| Poshmark | −£7 | £30 |
| eBay | −£5 | £32 |
| Mercari | −£4 | £33 |
| Etsy | −£2 | £35 |
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 before summer and Christmas holidays when people travel, and after Christmas when new pets arrive. Airline-approved carriers sell fastest and hold price best.
Light and postable, though bulky — measure the box before quoting, because volumetric weight often decides the cost rather than the actual weight. Local collection is usually simpler.
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 pet carrier worth?
Typically £15 to £60, with airline-approved rigid carriers at the top and small fabric ones at the bottom. The pet carrier value guide prices each grade.
How do I know if a carrier is airline approved?
Look for an IATA or airline compliance marking moulded into the shell, and check the airline’s own current requirements — they differ and they change. If there is no marking, do not claim it.
Will buyers accept a used carrier?
Readily, provided it is visibly clean and the door latch is sound. Carriers get used a handful of times a year, so most used ones have plenty of life left.
See also: what a used pet carrier is worth · browse live pet supplies listings · condition grades explained.