Where to Sell Used Hobby Gear Online
Not sure where to sell your old hobby gear? Here is how to choose the right marketplace and get your unused stuff in front of the right buyers.
So, where do you actually sell this stuff?
You have a box of LEGO you are not building anymore.
A guitar pedal you have not plugged in for two years.
Craft supplies from a project you abandoned.
A stack of board games you never play.
You know someone would probably want this stuff.
The question is:
Where do you sell it?
There are plenty of places to sell used stuff online, but not every marketplace is a great fit for hobby gear.
The right place depends on what you are selling, how much it is worth, and how much work you want to put into the sale.
Start with what you are selling
Different hobbies have different buyers.
You might be selling:
- LEGO sets
- Guitars and pedals
- Craft supplies
- Board games
- D&D books and miniatures
- Model kits
- Trading cards
- Photography equipment
- Hobby tools
- RC equipment
- 3D printing gear
The good news is that used does not mean worthless.
In fact, hobbyists are often specifically looking for used gear because they can get more for their money.
That is what makes hobby gear different from a lot of the random stuff you might sell around your house.
Someone is not just looking for a thing.
They are looking for something for a hobby they already care about.
General marketplaces
Places like Facebook Marketplace and eBay are obvious options.
And they can work really well.
The advantage is reach. Millions of people are already browsing these platforms, so there is a good chance someone will find your listing.
The downside is competition.
Your listing is sitting next to everything else.
Someone looking for a specific guitar pedal might have to sort through dozens of unrelated listings. Someone looking for LEGO might be competing with sellers who have hundreds of sets listed.
General marketplaces are convenient.
They just are not always the most targeted.
Specialty marketplaces
This is where things get interesting.
A hobby-specific marketplace puts your listing in front of people who are already interested in what you are selling.
That matters.
Someone browsing a hobby marketplace is not thinking:
“I wonder if I can find something to buy.”
They are thinking:
“I wonder if anyone is selling the thing I need.”
That is a much better buyer.
You also have the advantage of speaking the same language.
A buyer looking for a particular LEGO set, guitar pedal, or miniature probably already understands what makes that item valuable.
You do not have to explain why a particular piece of hobby gear is worth buying.
They already get it.
A few specialty marketplaces worth knowing about:
- Abandoned Hobby -- built specifically for hobby gear, so every buyer is already a hobbyist
- Reverb -- the go-to for music gear and instruments
- Discogs -- vinyl records and music memorabilia
- BrickLink -- LEGO sets, minifigures, and parts
- BoardGameGeek Marketplace -- board games and tabletop RPGs
- MiniatureMarket -- tabletop miniatures and wargaming gear
Local pickup can make sense too
Not everything should be shipped.
If you are selling:
- A large collection
- A guitar amp
- A workbench
- Large tools
- Bulky equipment
- A huge box of hobby supplies
Local pickup can save you a lot of hassle.
You do not have to find a box.
You do not have to calculate shipping.
You do not have to worry about something getting damaged in transit.
The tradeoff is that you are limiting yourself to buyers who are close enough to pick it up.
For some items, that is absolutely worth it.
How to choose the right marketplace
Ask yourself three questions.
1. Who is most likely to want this?
If the answer is "a hobbyist," you probably want to sell somewhere hobbyists are already looking.
A niche buyer is often better than a huge audience of people who might not care about your item.
2. How much is it worth?
Selling a $10 bag of craft supplies is different from selling a $500 guitar.
Consider how much time you are willing to spend:
- Taking photos
- Writing the listing
- Answering questions
- Packing the item
- Shipping it
- Negotiating
- Dealing with problems
Sometimes getting $10 more for something is not worth another hour of work.
3. Is it easy to ship?
Small, durable items are easy.
Large, fragile, or oddly shaped items are not.
Before you list something, figure out what shipping is actually going to cost.
Otherwise you might make a sale and then discover that shipping ate most of your profit.
If you are selling LEGO, we also have a guide on how to ship LEGO sets safely.
Make your listing easy to find
Once you know where you are selling, make it easy for the right buyer to find you.
Your title should include the information someone would actually search for.
Instead of:
Guitar pedal for sale
Try:
Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal - Used - Excellent Condition
The same thing applies to almost anything else.
Include:
- Brand
- Model
- Set number
- Edition
- Type
- Size
- Other identifying information
The more specific your title is, the easier it is for the right person to find it.
Take better photos
You do not need a fancy camera.
Your phone is probably fine.
Just make sure the photos show what the buyer is actually getting.
Take pictures of:
- The entire item
- Important details
- Labels and model numbers
- Accessories
- Damage or wear
- Everything included in the sale
Do not hide the flaws.
A scratch is much less of a problem when the buyer already knows about it.
Being honest about condition builds trust.
Be clear about what is included
This sounds obvious, but it is one of the easiest ways to avoid confusion.
If you are selling a guitar pedal, for example:
Included:
- Pedal
- Original box
- Instruction manual
Not included:
- Power supply
That takes seconds to write and saves you from answering the same question five times.
Figure out what your gear is worth
One of the hardest parts of selling used hobby gear is figuring out the price.
Do not automatically use what you paid.
And do not just look at what other people are asking.
Look at what similar items are actually selling for.
Condition, rarity, completeness, and demand all matter.
If you are not sure where to start, check out our guide on how to price used hobby gear so it actually sells.
Sell it separately or bundle it?
This is a big one when you are cleaning out a hobby collection.
Selling everything individually can make you more money.
It can also make you want to throw the entire collection in the trash after creating your 17th listing.
Sometimes a bundle makes more sense.
For example:
- Sell five valuable guitar pedals separately
- Sell a collection of miscellaneous guitar cables together
- Sell a complete miniature painting starter kit as one bundle
- Sell rare LEGO sets separately
- Sell a box of common LEGO pieces together
Think about what a buyer would actually want.
If the items naturally go together, a bundle can make the purchase easier.
What if nobody buys it?
Do not immediately assume nobody wants it.
Try changing one thing at a time.
- Take better photos.
- Rewrite the title.
- Add more information.
- Lower the price.
- Bundle it with related items.
- Try another marketplace.
- Offer local pickup.
Sometimes the problem is not the item.
It is just not being seen by the right buyer.
You do not have to sell everything
This is important.
The goal is not to turn every object in your house into a listing.
If something is worth $3 and would take you an hour to photograph, list, package, and ship, maybe it is not worth selling.
Donate it.
Give it to another hobbyist.
Use it in another project.
Or bundle it with something else.
Your time has value too.
The right buyer is out there
The thing you have sitting in a closet might not have much value to you anymore.
That does not mean it has no value.
Your old guitar pedal might be exactly what someone needs to finish their first pedalboard.
Your unused craft supplies might become someone's next project.
Your LEGO collection might give someone else a hobby they have been wanting to try.
That is the nice thing about selling hobby gear.
You are not just getting rid of stuff.
You are passing it on to someone who actually wants it.
Start with five things
You do not need to clean out your entire hobby room today.
Find five things you have not used in a while.
Take some photos.
Figure out what they are worth.
Choose a marketplace.
List them.
See what happens.
Once you have sold a few things, the rest gets much easier.
And if you are looking for a marketplace specifically for buying and selling hobby gear, that is exactly what Abandoned Hobby is for.