The short version
- Typical range: £30 – £180 — see the full workbench 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.
- Check the top for flatness, deep gouges and burn marks, and note whether it can be planed or replaced.
- Test the bench for racking by pushing it sideways, and tighten every bolt.
- Check any vice for jaw alignment and smooth screw action, and note whether it is included.
The photographs that sell a workbench
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 whole bench from a three-quarter angle
- The worktop surface from above
- The vice, if fitted, jaws open
- The frame joints and feet, plus any damage or racking
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 It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover.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, size and features: “Solid Beech Workbench, 150x60cm, with Record Vice”. Worktop dimensions are the search, and a named vice is a genuine value item in its own right. Say whether it is fixed or folding.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Worktop length, depth and working height
- Top material and thickness
- Whether a vice, dog holes or storage are included
- Frame material, stability, and whether it dismantles
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about a workbench. 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.
Lay a straight edge across it and say. A cupped or gouged top can often be planed, but the buyer needs to know what they are taking on.
Push it firmly sideways. Racking is the main complaint about cheaper benches and it is what buyers of a solid bench are paying to avoid.
Say so, and name it if it is a known make. A good cast vice can be worth a substantial share of the whole listing.
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 workbench 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 workbench — 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
Lifts in spring and before Christmas. Solid timber benches with a decent vice sell within a fortnight; flat-pack benches compete on price.
Very heavy. Collection with two people, and say whether it dismantles — a solid bench through a standard doorway is a real consideration.
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 workbench worth?
Typically £30 to £180, with solid beech benches and quality vices well above. See the workbench value guide for the bands.
Does a marked worktop reduce the value?
Very little. A workbench top is meant to be worked on and buyers expect marks. Deep gouges and cupping matter more, since they affect whether work sits flat.
Is the vice worth selling separately?
Sometimes, if it is a sought-after cast make and the bench itself is ordinary. Check what the vice fetches alone before bundling it.
See also: what a used workbench is worth · browse live tools & diy listings · condition grades explained.