You can sell a broken TV in Australia, but you should not expect much, and you should check two things before you list it: whether the fault is covered by your consumer rights, and whether free recycling is a better use of your time. This guide sets out what a broken TV is worth and why, who buys one, how to describe it honestly, and where to take it if nobody wants it. It is for households and small businesses with a dead or cracked set. We publish no prices, because we could not find a reliable source for what broken TVs sell for in Australia, and we say where our evidence runs out. ScrapTrade operates a scrap marketplace and has a commercial interest in the scrap trade.
First, check whether you should be selling it at all
If the TV is relatively new, the fault may not be yours to bear. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says that when a product has a major problem, the consumer can choose a refund or a replacement, or can keep it and ask for compensation for the drop in value. When the problem is minor, the seller chooses between repair, replacement and refund. The ACCC also says consumer guarantees can last longer than a manufacturer's warranty, and that you do not need the original packaging for a faulty product, though a business may ask for proof of purchase such as a receipt.
Large items are awkward. The ACCC's guidance on who pays for returning a bulky product such as a wide-screen TV is not consistent across its publications, so check the current wording or your state consumer protection agency before you assume either way. The ACCC does not resolve individual disputes. We are not lawyers, and this is a summary of ACCC material as it appeared in our searches, so confirm it for your case. The point is simple: a TV that failed early may be worth far more as a refund or replacement than as a part-out.
What a broken TV is actually worth
A broken TV is worth less than a working one and usually less than people hope, for a practical reason: most of its value is in parts that may or may not still work, and the rest is a small amount of mixed material.
Inside a flat-screen set there is a glass panel with layered films, a metal frame, plastic housing, several circuit boards and wiring, and a backlight. LED-backlit sets do not contain mercury, whereas older LCD sets used fluorescent lamps that did. The circuit boards carry recoverable copper, gold and silver, and research on flat-screen recycling points to indium in the panel as a valuable metal. One German processing example reported that plastics were about 35 percent of the material recovered from flat-screen displays, ferrous metals about 30 percent and non-ferrous metals about 15 percent. That is one stream, not a standard breakdown, and it tells you the set is mostly bulky, low-value material. We did not find a source for what a recycler pays per TV.
So there are two sources of value. A working main board, power board or panel can be worth something to a repairer, which is why "sell broken TV for parts" is a real search. The materials, meanwhile, are worth little unless you have many sets. We found no Australian data on how strong the parts market is.
How much demand is there?
Not much, and it is worth being honest about that. According to Ubersuggest data for Australia, "sell broken tv" is searched about 40 times a month, "sell old tv" about 30, and "sell broken tv for parts" about 10. The wider term "broken tv" is searched about 480 times a month, but those searchers are mostly looking for repair help, not a buyer. Related searches such as "tv recycling near me" (about 480 a month) show that many people want to dispose of a TV, not sell it. Treat selling as an option for a set with a specific fault and a known model, not a way to make money from every dead TV.
Who buys a broken TV
- Repairers and parts sellers. The people most likely to pay are those who can use a board or a panel. They want the exact model number and a clear description of the fault. We found no Australian directory of such buyers.
- Classified sites and online marketplaces. A listing described honestly as faulty or for parts can attract a repairer. State the fault and do not call it "working".
- E-waste and scrap buyers. Businesses that deal in quantity may take sets as a lot. If you have many TVs, you can list them on the ScrapTrade marketplace or create a free account. For the single set at home, this route is not usually worth the effort.
How to describe it so it sells
- Give the model number and screen size, from the label on the back.
- Describe the fault in plain words: no picture, no sound, cracked panel, lines on screen, backlight failure, will not turn on.
- Say what works, such as the remote, the stand and the cables, and what is missing.
- Photograph the front, the back label and the damage.
- Say it is for parts or repair, and let the buyer collect it. A bulky TV is expensive to post.
If nobody wants it, recycle it free
Australia has a national scheme for exactly this. The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme provides free recycling of televisions and computers for households and small businesses, according to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) as summarised in our searches. It covers colour and black-and-white televisions, and charges can apply to larger businesses or at drop-off points outside the scheme. You can find a drop-off through Recycle Mate, through Planet Ark's Recycling Near You or from your local council, and the approved operators are TechCollect, E-Cycle Solutions and Activ Group. We could not open the government pages directly, so confirm locations and what each point accepts before you travel.
Several states also ban e-waste from landfill, so a dead TV should not go in the bin. We cover the rules and what happens to a TV after you hand it in in Where Old Electronics Go After You Hand Them In. For the loose end of selling electronics generally, see the best way to sell old electronics online in Australia.
Do not take a TV apart yourself to harvest parts. Panels and power boards can be damaged and some components can hold a charge, and a buyer wants a set that arrives in one piece.
For laptops, phones and monitors, see Sell Broken Laptops, Phones and Monitors.
For the complete guide to selling broken, faulty, old or used electronics, see Sell Broken, Faulty or Old Electronics.
What we could not verify
- What broken TVs sell for in Australia. We found no reliable source, so we give no price.
- How many Australian repairers buy TVs for parts.
- The current details of the television and computer scheme. We relied on search summaries of government pages that we could not open.
- Who pays to return a bulky faulty TV. ACCC publications are not consistent.
- Whether a particular recycler pays for sets. The free scheme does not.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell a broken TV for cash?
Sometimes, to a repairer or parts buyer, if you describe the fault and the model honestly. Expect a low offer, and we cannot give a typical price.
Who buys broken TVs?
Repairers and parts sellers are the likeliest buyers, and e-waste buyers take them in lots. Most households end up recycling.
I have a TV with a broken screen. Is it worth anything?
A cracked panel makes it a parts or recycling item. A working main board or power board may still interest a repairer for the same model.
Is there a free way to get rid of a broken TV?
Yes. The national television and computer recycling scheme is free for households and small businesses. Check the drop-off points near you.
Sources
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, "Repair, replace, refund, cancel", "Broken but out of warranty? Your consumer guarantee rights may still apply", and "Electrical and whitegoods: an industry guide to the Australian Consumer Law", as summarised in search results.
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme pages, as summarised in search results.
- Ubersuggest keyword data for Australia, queried November 2026.
- Search-derived summaries of flat-screen TV composition and recycling, including a German processing example.
- ScrapTrade, Where Old Electronics Go After You Hand Them In.
This is general information, not financial or legal advice. ScrapTrade operates a scrap marketplace and has a commercial interest in the scrap trade.