Sell Your Used Vintage Camera — 0% Fees

A used vintage camera typically sells for £30 to £300, and on WishThrift it costs you nothing to list — no fee, no commission, so you keep the whole amount you agree. Vintage cameras split sharply into working tools and shelf pieces, so decide which yours is and say so plainly — both sell, but to entirely different buyers at different prices.

The short version

Typical range: £30 – £300 — see the full vintage camera value guide
What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
Category: Cameras & Photography

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.

Test what you can: shutter, wind-on, aperture blades and focus. Report exactly what works and what does not.
Check the lens for fungus and haze by shining a torch through it.
Note the model, approximate era and any serial numbers, and photograph the maker’s markings.

The photographs that sell a vintage camera

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 camera from a three-quarter angle, whole
The lens looking through the front element against light
The top plate and maker’s markings, legible
The open back or film chamber, plus any dent, brassing or damage

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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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

Maker, model and status: “Rolleiflex TLR, c.1955, Shutter Working, Display or Use”. Say whether it is tested working or sold as a display piece — that single distinction decides which buyer you attract and prevents the most common complaint in this category.

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

Maker, model, approximate era and serial number
Exactly which functions have been tested and work
Lens condition: fungus, haze, separation, scratches
Whether it comes with a case, strap or original accessories

What buyers will actually ask

You will receive the same three messages about a vintage camera. 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.

“Does it actually work?”

Test what you can and be precise about what you did not test. “Shutter fires at all speeds, meter untested” is far more useful than “working”.

“Is there fungus in the lens?”

Torch it in a dark room and look for branching threads. Fungus spreads and etches coatings, so buyers need to know.

“Is it display only?”

Say so if that is the honest answer. Display buyers exist and pay fairly, and they are far happier than a photographer who expected a working camera.

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 vintage camera 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 £165 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a vintage camera — 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	£165
Poshmark	−£33	£132
eBay	−£22	£143
Mercari	−£16	£149
Etsy	−£11	£154

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 collector and decorator demand year round. Recognisable classic models sell fastest, and working examples command a clear premium over display pieces.

Pack carefully — old cameras are heavier and more fragile than they look, and bellows and rangefinders damage easily. Remove any old battery before posting.

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

Are old cameras worth anything?

Many are, particularly well-known classics and anything medium format. Working examples are worth considerably more than display pieces, and testing before you list is the cheapest way to raise your price.

What is a used vintage camera worth?

Typically £30 to £300, with desirable models far above. See the vintage camera value guide for the range by condition.

Should I clean an old camera before selling?

Wipe the body gently, but do not attempt to clean internal glass or dismantle anything. Amateur cleaning of vintage optics damages coatings and destroys more value than the dirt ever did.