The short version
- Typical range: £6 – £25 — see the full sports bra value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Clothing
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.
- Stretch the band and straps and watch them return. Elastic that stays stretched has done its job and the garment should not be sold as supportive.
- Wash it and check the fabric for pilling, thinning and any lingering odour, which synthetic sportswear holds.
- Note the support level and whether it has removable pads, and check they are present.
The photographs that sell a sports bra
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 bra laid flat, front, whole
- The band stretched slightly, showing it recovers
- The straps and any adjusters or clasp
- The label with size, brand and composition, plus any pilling, mark or missing pad
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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, size and support level: “Sweaty Betty Sports Bra, Size M, High Impact”. Support level is a genuine search because it determines what the bra is usable for. Say whether the pads are included, since they are frequently missing.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Size as labelled, and underband measured flat
- Support level — low, medium or high impact
- Whether pads are removable and included
- Elastic condition, described honestly
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a sports bra. 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.
Stretch and release the band and describe what happens. A sports bra with tired elastic does not do its job, and that is the whole purpose of the garment.
Check the pockets and say. Replacement pads are cheap but rarely a perfect match, so buyers want to know.
Read the label or the maker’s description. Someone buying for running cannot use a low-impact bra, however good the price.
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 sports bra 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 £15 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a sports bra — 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 | £15 |
| Poshmark | −£3 | £12 |
| eBay | −£2 | £13 |
| Mercari | −£2 | £13 |
| Etsy | −£1 | £14 |
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 January and again in spring. Recognised activewear brands sell within a fortnight; unbranded sports bras are best bundled.
Very cheap to post. Wash before sending and say so in the listing — for intimate activewear that reassurance genuinely converts.
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
Will people buy a used sports bra?
Yes, particularly branded activewear, provided it is freshly washed and the elastic is sound. Say plainly that it has been washed and describe the elastic honestly.
What is a used sports bra worth?
Typically £6 to £25, with premium activewear brands above. See the sports bra value guide.
How do I know if the elastic is finished?
Stretch the underband and let go. If it returns snappily it has life left; if it stays slack it does not, and the honest thing is to recycle it rather than list it as supportive.
See also: what a used sports bra is worth · browse live clothing listings · condition grades explained.