Sell Your Used Printer — 0% Fees

A used printer typically sells for £25 to £100, and on WishThrift it costs you nothing to list — no fee, no commission, so you keep the whole amount you agree. Printers are worth almost nothing without ink, and the real question a buyer has is what the cartridges cost — so name the cartridge numbers, not just the printer model.

The short version

Typical range: £25 – £100 — see the full printer value guide
What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
Category: Electronics

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.

Print a test page and photograph it, which proves the printer works and shows the print quality.
Find the cartridge model numbers and note whether any ink is included and roughly how full.
Check the paper feed by running several sheets, since feed rollers are the common failure point.

The photographs that sell a printer

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 printer whole, from the front, with trays closed
An actual test page it has printed, held next to it
The cartridge bay open, showing what is installed
The model and cartridge numbers, plus the power and USB cables

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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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, model and cartridge type: “HP Envy 6030 Printer, Uses 305 Cartridges, Wireless”. The cartridge number is genuinely useful because running costs decide the purchase. Say whether it is inkjet or laser and whether it scans and copies.

Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:

Brand, model, and whether inkjet or laser
Cartridge or toner model numbers it takes
Whether it prints, scans and copies, and whether it is wireless
What ink is included and roughly how full, plus which cables are included

What buyers will actually ask

You will receive the same three messages about a printer. 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.

“Does it come with ink?”

Say what is installed and roughly how full. Ink often costs more than a used printer, so this is genuinely the main value question.

“Which cartridges does it take?”

Give the numbers. Buyers check the price of consumables before buying any printer, used or new.

“Does the paper feed work properly?”

Run several sheets through and say. Feed roller failure is the usual fault on used printers and causes constant jams.

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 printer 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 £62 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a printer — 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	£62
Poshmark	−£12	£50
eBay	−£8	£54
Mercari	−£6	£56
Etsy	−£4	£58

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 school and work cycles. Laser printers and models with cheap cartridges sell fastest.

Remove the cartridges and tape them separately or the ink leaks in transit, which ruins the printer and the packaging. Heavy for its size, so weigh before quoting.

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 printer worth?

Typically £25 to £100, with laser and multifunction models above. See the printer value guide for the condition bands.

Should I include the ink?

Yes if you have it, and say how full. It is often the largest part of the value, and a printer with no ink is a much smaller purchase than one ready to use.

How do I post a printer safely?

Remove the cartridges and bag them separately, tape the lid and trays shut, and double box it. Ink left in a printer during transit leaks and is very difficult to clean up.