Cheapest used fishing reels on eBay, live right now.

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How to buy a used fishing reel

Feel the drag and the bearings. The drag is the reel's most important system, so wind it up and down and confirm it engages smoothly without jerking, which signals worn or corroded washers. Turn the handle slowly and listen and feel for grinding or grittiness in the bearings; a smooth, quiet wind is the sign of a healthy reel, while a rough one needs a service or new bearings.

Saltwater is the enemy. Reels used in the sea and not rinsed corrode internally, so ask whether it was used in salt or fresh water and how it was cared for. Look for salt crust, pitting on the metal and a stiff, gritty feel, all of which point to internal corrosion that is hard to reverse. A freshwater-only reel is generally a safer buy.

Match the reel to the fishing. Spinning reels are the versatile all-rounder and easy for most anglers; baitcasters give more control for experienced users but can backlash. Check the bail arm or line guide moves freely and the spool has no cracks. Make sure the model suits your rod and target species by line rating.

Value. Quality reels from the established makers last for decades and can be serviced, so a well-kept used one is often better than a new budget model.

Common questions

Cheapest by model, at a glance

A daily snapshot of the lowest genuine eBay price for every model we track, and how good that price is right now versus its usual level, updated automatically. Prices last refreshed 12 October 2026. Tap a price to see that model's cheapest listings on eBay, or tap a model name for the full live list here.

These are second hand prices, listed by sellers as used or pre-owned, taken from live eBay US listings in US dollars. In collectible categories a sealed or unworn item is sometimes the cheapest genuine listing, and it is included. The same number works both ways: it is what a buyer pays today and the resale value a seller can realistically ask. Every model also carries a price history, the daily record kept since tracking began, which is the part to read before you buy or resell. On a day when a model has no listing that passes these filters, its row keeps the last price we recorded rather than inventing one, and drops off this table if that goes on for more than a few days.

Under each model is the actual listing that price came from, so you can see whether it is the thing you want or a bundle, a variant, or an accessory that happens to share the name.

Over the period we have tracked, this category is down 5.1%, while the used market as a whole is down 0.3%. See the Used Price Index, which is built from these prices and published as a free CSV.

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