Can I Sell Prizes I Win?

What are the rules?

Winning a prize always feels great, especially when it comes from a free competition! If you're entering hundreds of competitions, despite your best efforts, there'll be some prizes you might not want to keep. It could be because you already own it, it's something you won't use, or it's something that just isn't practical. It's a dilema that comes up a lot.

Can you actually sell prizes you’ve won?

Most of the time, yes you can, but there are a few simple things you need to be aware of first.

In most cases, once a prize has been awarded to you, it's yours to keep. That means you're the one that can decide what to do with it, whether that's keeping it, giving it away, swapping it, or selling it on. Some compers might disagree with winners selling prizes they've won, but it's your decision, is often a necessity, and prizes to sell can include phones, laptops, TVs, gift cards and vouchers, furniture, jewellery, tickets, experiences and more.

As long as the competition's terms and conditions don't say otherwise, the prize belongs to you.

When you might not be able to sell

Some prizes will come with restrictions and this is where people can get caught out.

The most common example of this is travel prizes where flights, hotel stays, cruises and package holidays are often required to be booked in the winner's name only, with no option to transfer it to someone else. The same goes for certain experience prizes, especially VIP events, hospitality packages, brand experiences and meet-and-greets.

Some brand promotions can include clauses that stop prizes being resold, usually for marketing or image reasons.

Before listing anything for sale, we advise you read the T&Cs properly. There may be a clause that prevents resale and voids the warranty or entitles the organiser to recoup the full price of the item(s) if it's sold on.

Is it legal to sell prizes in the UK?

Yes it is. If you've won the prize legitimately, and the competition rules allow resale, there's nothing illegal about selling it.

For most people who occasionally sell a prize they've won from a free competition, the sale is treated as a personal resale.

HMRC stated that "People selling unwanted items online can continue to do so with confidence and without any new tax obligations, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has confirmed." (link here, December 2024) and Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Second Permanent Secretary and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, said: "We cannot be clearer – if you are not trading and just occasionally sell unwanted items online – there is no tax due." If you are in any doubt on your obligations regarding selling prizes, we recommend that you contact HMRC as we can't offer tax advise ourselves.

Where people usually sell prizes

The most popular platforms to resell items include the likes of eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Vinted, Gumtree, and local Facebook buy and sell groups. Vouchers and gift cards are especially easy to sell, providing the terms allow it and expiry dates are clear.

Selling checklist

Before selling on anything you've won, we highly recommend that you do all of the following to help avoid problems later and smooth out the selling process:

• Read the competition terms
• Check for non-transferable rules
• Make sure travel or experiences aren't linked to your ID
• Be honest with your listing
• Keep your proof of winning
• Check any warranty transfer rules

The Reality

Winning competitions should be a positive experience. Some people love everything they win, some people sell what they don't need, some people swap prizes for things they'll actually use, and some gift them to family or friends. There's no right way to do it and everyone's circumstances are different.

We like to suggest only entering competitions for prizes you want to win, but we're always very happy to win anything ourselves!