Sell Your Used Tent — 0% Fees

A used tent typically sells for £30 to £200, and on WishThrift it costs you nothing to list — no fee, no commission, so you keep the whole amount you agree. Tents sell on capacity and whether they are dry, so the single most persuasive thing you can do is pitch it, photograph it up, and confirm every pole and peg is there.

The short version

Typical range: £30 – £200 — see the full tent 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.

Pitch it in a garden or park. It confirms completeness, reveals damage, and gives you the photograph that sells it.
Count the poles and pegs against the manual, and check the guy lines are all present.
Check the seams and the groundsheet for leaks, and make sure it is bone dry before packing — a damp tent grows mould in the bag.

The photographs that sell a tent

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 tent pitched, from an angle showing its full shape
The interior, showing the sleeping area and any inner compartments
The poles, pegs and guy lines laid out together
The seams, groundsheet and any tear, patch or worn zip

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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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

Capacity, brand and season rating: “Vango 4 Man Tent, 3 Season, Complete with Poles and Pegs”. Capacity is the primary search. “Complete with poles and pegs” is worth stating explicitly, because missing poles are the standard problem with used tents.

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

Capacity in persons, and the actual pitched dimensions
Brand, model and season rating
Whether all poles, pegs and guy lines are present
Waterproof rating if known, and the condition of seams, zips and groundsheet

What buyers will actually ask

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

“Is it complete with all poles and pegs?”

Count them against the manual and confirm. Missing poles are the classic used tent problem and often model-specific to replace.

“Is it still waterproof?”

Say when it was last used and whether it kept water out. If the seams need resealing, say so — it is a cheap job buyers accept.

“Has it been stored dry?”

Answer honestly. A tent packed away damp develops mould and a musty smell that never fully leaves, and buyers can smell it immediately.

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 tent 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 £115 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a tent — 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	£115
Poshmark	−£23	£92
eBay	−£16	£99
Mercari	−£12	£103
Etsy	−£7	£108

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

Sharply seasonal: April through August, peaking before summer holidays and festivals. A tent listed in November sells slowly and cheaply.

Packs small and posts easily, which is unusual for camping gear. Weigh the packed bag before quoting, since family tents are heavier than they look.

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 tent worth?

Typically £30 to £200 depending on capacity, brand and condition. Complete sets from recognised outdoor brands sit at the top. See the tent value guide.

Should I pitch a tent before selling it?

Yes — it is the highest-value thing you can do. It proves completeness, reveals any damage before a buyer finds it, and gives you a photograph that immediately outclasses every listing showing a bag on a floor.

Can I sell a tent with a small tear?

Yes. Repair tape and patches are cheap and standard practice among campers. Photograph the tear, describe its size, and price accordingly.