The short version
- Typical range: £45 – £300 — see the full violin value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Music & Instruments
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.
- Confirm the size: full, three-quarter, half or smaller, measured by body length.
- Check the bridge is standing correctly, the soundpost is in place, and the pegs hold.
- Inspect the top and back for cracks and open seams, and check the bow hair and stick.
The photographs that sell a violin
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 violin front on, whole, in its case if included
- The bridge and f-holes, showing the soundpost through the hole
- The scroll and pegbox
- The bow, case, and any crack, open seam or repair
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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
Size, contents and condition: “Full Size 4/4 Violin with Bow and Case, Ready to Play”. Size is the first filter, especially for children. “Ready to play” means bridge up, soundpost in, strings on — only say it if true.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Size as a fraction, and body length in centimetres
- Whether it is ready to play, and when it was last set up
- Any crack, open seam or previous repair
- Whether a bow, case, shoulder rest and rosin are included
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a violin. 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.
Give the fraction and the body length. Parents buying for a child filter on size before anything else.
Look through the f-hole; the post stands between the top and back near the bridge foot. A dropped post means the violin needs a luthier before it plays.
Examine the top, back and ribs in raking light. Cracks and open seams are repairable but must be shown.
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 violin 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 £172 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a violin — 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 | £172 |
| Poshmark | −£34 | £138 |
| eBay | −£23 | £149 |
| Mercari | −£17 | £155 |
| Etsy | −£11 | £161 |
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 September as school lessons start, and before Christmas. Student sizes sell fastest in those windows.
Post only in a hard case with the bridge protected and the bow hair slackened. Collection lets a buyer or their teacher try it, which suits both sides.
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 violin worth?
Typically £45 to £300 for student instruments, with older and handmade violins far above. See the violin value guide.
How do I know what size violin I need?
Sizes run from 1/16 up to 4/4 full size and are matched to arm length. Give the fraction and the body measurement so a buyer can check against their own.
Does a crack ruin a violin?
Not necessarily. Cracks and open seams are routine luthier repairs and many instruments have had them. Photograph any you find and describe them — concealment is what causes disputes.
See also: what a used violin is worth · browse live music & instruments listings · condition grades explained.