Sell Your Used Vacuum Cleaner — 0% Fees

A used vacuum cleaner typically sells for £30 to £180, and on WishThrift it costs you nothing to list — no fee, no commission, so you keep the whole amount you agree. Used vacuums sell on suction and hygiene, and on cordless models the battery is the whole question — so give a tested runtime rather than the box figure.

The short version

Typical range: £30 – £180 — see the full vacuum cleaner value guide
What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
Category: Kitchen & Appliances

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.

Empty and wash the bin, and clean or replace the filters. A dirty filter looks like neglect and kills suction.
Test suction on carpet and hard floor, and check the brush bar spins freely and is clear of hair.
On a cordless model, charge fully and time the actual runtime on the standard power setting.

The photographs that sell a vacuum cleaner

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 vacuum whole, upright, with the main tool attached
The bin and filters, clean
The brush bar, clear of hair and debris
Every attachment and the charger or dock included

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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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

Type, brand and model: “Dyson V11 Cordless Vacuum, 45min Tested Runtime”. Cordless, upright and cylinder are different searches. Putting a tested runtime in the title is unusual and immediately credible, because everyone knows the advertised figure is optimistic.

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

Type: cordless, upright, cylinder or robot
Brand, model, and bin capacity
Tested runtime on the standard setting, for cordless models
Which attachments, filters, charger or dock are included

What buyers will actually ask

You will receive the same three messages about a vacuum cleaner. 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.

“How long does the battery last?”

Time it on the normal power setting and give the real figure. Battery degradation is the main reason used cordless vacuums are cheap.

“Have the filters been cleaned or replaced?”

Wash or replace them and say which. It is cheap, it restores suction, and it makes the machine present far better.

“Is it good for pet hair?”

Answer with the tool included rather than a yes. A motorised pet tool is the thing that actually matters and buyers ask specifically.

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 vacuum cleaner 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 £105 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a vacuum cleaner — 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	£105
Poshmark	−£21	£84
eBay	−£14	£91
Mercari	−£10	£95
Etsy	−£7	£98

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

Steady all year with a lift in spring. Cordless models from recognised brands sell within days; older corded machines sell slowly and cheaply.

Awkward rather than heavy. Cordless models post reasonably well if the wand is detached; older cylinder vacuums are usually collected.

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 vacuum cleaner worth?

Typically £30 to £180, with cordless models from recognised brands well above older corded ones. See the vacuum cleaner value guide.

Can I sell a vacuum with a weak battery?

Yes, if you state the tested runtime honestly. Replacement batteries are available for most popular models, so buyers factor it in readily when they know the real figure.

Should I replace the filters before selling?

Washing them is usually enough and takes minutes. New filters are cheap for most models and genuinely improve how the machine performs and presents, so it is worth doing if yours are past washing.