The short version
- Typical range: £15 – £70 — see the full wallpaper steamer value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Tools & DIY
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.
- Fill it and run it to confirm it heats and produces steam, and time how long it takes.
- Check the hose for splits and the plate seal, and look for limescale in the tank.
- Check the cable and confirm any spare plates or attachments are present.
The photographs that sell a wallpaper steamer
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 steamer whole, with hose and plate
- The unit producing steam, in use
- The hose along its length and the plate face
- The tank interior showing scale, plus the cable and rating plate
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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, capacity and heat-up time: “Earlex Wallpaper Steamer, 4L Tank, 8 Minute Heat Up”. Tank capacity is the search because it determines how long you can work before refilling. Say if a large plate or extra attachments are included.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Tank capacity in litres and stated run time per fill
- Heat-up time and wattage
- Hose length and plate size, and any additional plates
- Whether it has been tested, and any limescale or hose damage
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a wallpaper steamer. 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.
Fill it, run it and say how long it took to steam. It is the whole function and it is easily demonstrated.
Run it through your hands while it is warm. Hoses perish and split at the ends, and a split hose scalds rather than steams.
Give the real figure from using it. Buyers are planning a room and want to know how often they will be refilling.
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 wallpaper steamer 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 £42 sale — roughly the middle of the range for a wallpaper steamer — 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 | £42 |
| Poshmark | −£8 | £34 |
| eBay | −£6 | £36 |
| Mercari | −£4 | £38 |
| Etsy | −£3 | £39 |
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 spring and autumn with decorating. Sells quickly at modest prices because buyers need it for one job and do not want to buy new.
Empty the tank completely before posting, both for weight and to prevent leaks. Coil the hose loosely rather than tightly, which stresses the ends where they split.
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 wallpaper steamer worth?
Typically £15 to £70, with larger tanks and known brands above. See the wallpaper steamer value guide.
Are wallpaper steamers worth buying used?
Very much so, and it is worth saying in your listing. Most are used for one or two rooms and then stored for years, so used ones are typically in good condition.
Should I descale it before selling?
If there is visible scale, yes — it takes one cycle with a descaler and it both works better and photographs better. Say you have done it.
See also: what a used wallpaper steamer is worth · browse live tools & diy listings · condition grades explained.