The short version
- Typical range: £15 – £110 — see the full tennis racket value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Sports & Outdoors
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.
- Press the strings and check whether they still have tension, and note when they were last strung if you know.
- Find the head size in square inches, the unstrung weight and the grip size, usually printed on the frame or butt cap.
- Check the frame for cracks and the grommets for wear, and clean or replace the overgrip.
The photographs that sell a tennis racket
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 racket flat, whole, strings visible
- The throat showing head size, weight and grip size markings
- The strings close up, showing wear or notching
- The frame edges and grommets, plus any chip or crack
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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, head size and grip: “Wilson Pro Staff 97, 4 3/8 Grip, Strung”. Grip size is essential and printed on the butt cap. Say whether the strings are fresh, playable or dead — restringing is a known cost buyers factor in.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Brand, model and head size in square inches
- Unstrung weight and balance if marked
- Grip size, and whether an overgrip is fitted
- String condition and when last strung
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a tennis racket. 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.
Press them and be honest. Dead strings are normal on a used racket and buyers accept the cost when told, but not when surprised.
Read the butt cap. Grip size is as important as shoe size and a wrong one is unusable without a rebuild.
Check the edges and around the grommets carefully. A hairline crack ends the racket’s life and must be disclosed.
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 tennis racket 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 tennis racket — 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
April through August, peaking around the summer tournament season. Recognised models sell within days in season.
Light and easy to post in a long box or racket bag. Protect the frame edges, which is where transit damage happens.
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 tennis racket worth?
Typically £15 to £110, with pro-level frames from recognised makers above. See the tennis racket value guide.
Should I restring before selling?
Usually not. Restringing costs a meaningful amount and most players choose their own string and tension. Say the strings are due and let the buyer price it in.
How do I find the grip size?
It is stamped on the butt cap at the end of the handle, usually as a fraction such as 4 3/8 or a number from 1 to 5. It is the first thing a buyer checks.
See also: what a used tennis racket is worth · browse live sports & outdoors listings · condition grades explained.