The short version
- Typical range: £60 – £400 — see the full sofa value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Furniture
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 width, depth and height, and measure the sofa’s diagonal too, since that is what determines whether it fits through a doorway.
- Vacuum thoroughly including under the cushions, and clean any marks you reasonably can.
- Check the frame by sitting at each end, and look for a fire-safety label, which UK buyers and many buyers elsewhere expect to see.
The photographs that sell a sofa
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 whole sofa straight on, in daylight, in the room
- A three-quarter angle showing depth and the arms
- The cushions lifted, showing the base and the underside condition
- The fire-safety label, plus any stain, tear or worn patch
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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 material: “3 Seater Grey Fabric Sofa, 200cm Wide”. Width in centimetres belongs in the title because buyers are measuring a specific wall. Say if it is a sofa bed, a recliner or a corner unit — those are separate searches with different buyers.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Width, depth and height in centimetres, plus the diagonal for doorway clearance
- Number of seats, and whether it is a sofa bed, recliner or corner unit
- Material: fabric, leather, faux leather, velvet
- Whether the legs unscrew and whether the fire-safety label is attached
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a sofa. 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 width, depth, height and diagonal. Vague answers here waste an afternoon for both of you when it will not go through the door.
Measure the diagonal and say whether the legs come off. This single detail decides more sofa sales than the price does.
Photograph the cushions lifted and be honest about pets in the home. Buyers with allergies ask specifically and appreciate being told.
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 sofa 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 £230 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a sofa — 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 | £230 |
| Poshmark | −£46 | £184 |
| eBay | −£31 | £199 |
| Mercari | −£23 | £207 |
| Etsy | −£15 | £215 |
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
Sells year round, with lifts around moving season in spring and summer and in the new year. Neutral colours sell considerably faster than bold ones.
Collection only, and be clear in the listing about which floor it is on and whether you can help carry it. Setting that expectation up front prevents the most common cause of a failed sofa handover.
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 sofa worth?
Usually £60 to £400 depending on size, material and condition, with designer and leather pieces above that. See the sofa value guide for the breakdown by condition.
Do I need the fire safety label to sell a sofa?
In the UK, upholstered furniture sold on is expected to carry its fire-safety label, and many buyers will not take one without it. Photograph the label if you have it — its presence genuinely helps the sale.
How do I sell a sofa quickly?
Exact measurements, daylight photographs and an honest note about any marks. Most sofa listings fail on missing dimensions rather than on price, so supplying them puts you ahead of the majority immediately.
See also: what a used sofa is worth · browse live furniture listings · condition grades explained.