Guides / Selling
What is my guitar worth? A UK guide
How to work out what a second-hand guitar will actually sell for in the UK, in four steps. Updated September 2026.
The short answer: what the same model in similar condition has actually sold for recently in the UK. Not what people are asking, and not what it cost new.
1. Work out exactly what it is
Most valuation mistakes happen here. The same body shape can be worth £80 or £1,500 depending on who made it and where.
- Brand and model: read the headstock. An Epiphone Les Paul and a Gibson Les Paul are very different guitars, and so are a Squier Stratocaster and a Fender one.
- Series: Fender alone makes the Player, Player Plus, Vintera, American Professional and more, at very different prices. The series is usually on the headstock or the neck plate.
- Country of manufacture: "Made in USA", "Made in Mexico", "Crafted in Japan" and so on, usually printed near the serial number. It moves the price a lot.
- Year: the serial number (on the headstock or neck plate) tells you roughly when it was made. Fender and Gibson both have well-documented serial formats, so searching "[brand] serial number lookup" will decode it.
2. Look at sold prices, not asking prices
Anyone can ask £600 for a guitar. What matters is what buyers paid.
- eBay: search for the exact model, then tick Sold items and filter the condition to Used. Ignore listings that are clearly different (a different series, a body only, a parts guitar).
- Watch for "Best offer accepted": when a seller accepts an offer, eBay's sold page still shows the original asking price. The real price was lower, so those results make a model look more valuable than it is. Leave them out, or knock them down.
- Reverb: Reverb shows recent transaction prices for many models, which is useful for higher-end and vintage guitars.
- How many: aim for at least four or five recent sales of the same model and series. One sale is a coincidence, not a price.
3. Adjust for your guitar's condition and extras
| Pushes the price up | Pulls the price down |
|---|---|
| Original hard case or gig bag | A repaired or cracked headstock (a big drop, even if it plays fine) |
| All original parts, and the paperwork | Non-original pickups or parts, unless the originals come with it |
| Low fret wear and a good setup | Worn frets, high action or a twisted neck |
| A desirable finish for that model | Crackly pots, dead pickup positions or a loose output jack |
| Clean, with just light playing wear | Extra routing or drilled holes, which can't be undone |
Fix small electrical faults (crackly pots, a loose jack) before you sell; they're cheap. Never hide structural faults like neck, headstock or body cracks: describe them and price for them.
4. Where you sell changes what you get
| Where | Fees to you | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook Marketplace | None for local collection | Quick cash sales, and big items you don't want to post | Haggling, time-wasters and payment scams: take cash or a cleared bank transfer on collection |
| eBay (private seller) | No selling fees for UK private sellers; the buyer pays eBay's buyer protection fee | Reaching buyers across the UK | Postage cost and damage risk: pack guitars properly and insure the parcel |
| Reverb | 5% all-in selling fee for UK sellers | Higher-end and vintage guitars, and buyers who know what they're after | Fewer casual buyers, so cheaper guitars can sit longer |
| Shop trade-in or part-exchange | No fee, but the shop needs its margin | Speed and no hassle | Usually well below a private sale price |
Typical used prices for popular guitars
Working order, UK, from the Gear Flipper price guide. Each page covers what to check, common faults and repair costs.
| Guitar | Used, working order |
|---|---|
| Fender Player Stratocaster | £365-£490 |
| Squier Classic Vibe | £230-£325 |
| Epiphone Les Paul Standard | £225-£425 |
| Gibson Les Paul Studio | £620-£875 |
| Yamaha Pacifica | £105-£170 |
Is it genuine?
Fake Gibsons and Fenders do turn up. Before you buy:
- Compare the headstock shape and logo with official photos.
- Look up the serial number.
- Check the neck joint, finish and hardware quality.
- Be wary of a price far below the ranges above.
Doing this on a listing, automatically
The flipper Chrome extension does steps 1 to 3 on any Marketplace listing: exact model and version, real sold prices (accepted offers left out), faults and profit after fees. Free while in testing: join the testers.