The Corsair K70 has one of the longest service lives of any gaming keyboard you can buy. An aluminium top plate, genuine Cherry MX switches rated for tens of millions of presses, and per-key RGB that still looks sharp years on. That is exactly why buying one used in Australia makes so much sense: the part that wears out cheaply (the keycaps) is replaceable, and the part that costs the money (the build) barely ages.
The numbers that change the conversation
Top used corsair k70s on eBay right now
Here is a live snapshot of what Australian sellers are listing today, across the various K70 generations and switch types.
Listings update automatically and open in a new tab.
Why second-hand is not “second best”
The K70 was built like a tool, not a toy. The aircraft-grade brushed aluminium frame means there is no flex when you type, and it does not soften with age the way a plastic-chassis board does. Underneath, every keystroke lands on a discrete mechanical Cherry MX switch — Red, Brown, Blue, Silver or Silent depending on the variant — and those switches are individually rated for over 50 million actuations. Even a board that has logged a few thousand hours of gaming has almost certainly used a tiny fraction of that lifespan.
What actually ages on a K70 is cosmetic and replaceable. Keycaps can develop a shine from finger oils, and on older units the ABS legends can fade. Both are fixed for a few dollars with a fresh PBT keycap set. The detachable wrist rest and USB passthrough cable are likewise swappable. So when you buy used, you are paying a discount for surface wear on parts that are trivial to renew, while inheriting the expensive, durable core intact.
A K70 that already survived three years of daily fragging has proven its switches and solder joints. A brand-new one is still an unknown.
The savings are real
A new K70 sits at the premium end of the mechanical keyboard market in Australia. Buying used routinely lands you the same board for a meaningful discount — often in the 20-60% range depending on the generation, switch type and condition. The earlier RGB and LUX models drop the most, yet they share the same aluminium build and Cherry switches as their successors. For a flatmate’s spare desk, a second gaming PC, or a first proper mechanical board, that gap is the difference between “maybe later” and “ordered today”. The second-hand electronics market is growing at roughly 10% a year for exactly this reason: people have worked out that last generation’s flagship beats this generation’s budget option.
New vs used, side by side
| Brand new | Used / refurbished | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Full premium RRP | Roughly 20-60% less |
| Cherry MX switches | 0 of 50M+ presses used | Almost always <5% of rated life |
| Aluminium frame | Pristine | Effectively unchanged; maybe light marks |
| Keycaps | Factory fresh | May shine; ~$30 to replace if wanted |
| Latest features | Newest gen extras | Depends on which K70 generation |
| Environmental cost | Full manufacturing CO2 | Reuses what’s already made |
The five-minute checklist before you pay
- Confirm the switch type. Ask the seller whether it is Red (linear), Brown (tactile), Blue (clicky), Silver/Speed (short travel) or Silent. This decides how the board feels far more than the model year does.
- Identify the generation. “K70” covers many revisions — original, RGB, LUX, MK.2, K70 RGB PRO and so on. Get the exact name so you know what you are paying for.
- Test every key. An online key tester will flag any dead or chattering switch in under a minute. Ask the seller to run it, or do it the moment it arrives.
- Check the media keys and volume roller. The dedicated volume wheel and playback buttons are a K70 signature; make sure the roller scrolls smoothly without skipping.
- Look at the USB passthrough and braided cable. Confirm the pass-through port works and the cable jacket is not split near the strain relief.
- Ask if it is iCUE-ready. RGB lighting and macros run through Corsair’s iCUE software; confirm the board is detected and not stuck in a hardware-only fallback.
You have more protection than you think
When you buy from a business — including many established eBay stores and refurbishers — the Australian Consumer Law gives you automatic consumer guarantees that no listing can sign away. The keyboard must be of acceptable quality and match its description, regardless of whether the seller offers their own warranty. So if a board described as “fully working” arrives with dead keys or a roller that does not respond, you have a clear right to a repair, replacement or refund. Private sales carry fewer guarantees, which is the trade-off for their lower prices, so weigh the saving against the cover you want.
Ready to find yours?
Compare current prices and conditions from trusted Australian sellers below.
Red flags to walk away from
- “Some keys are a bit sticky.” On a mechanical board that usually means liquid was spilled into the switches — a much bigger job than it sounds.
- No mention of the switch type and refusal to confirm it. A genuine owner knows, or can read it off the box; vagueness suggests a flipper who never used it.
- RGB that does not light, sold as “just needs software”. Test the lighting before deciding; persistent dead zones can point to a controller fault.
- Cut or non-original cable. The K70 cable is captive and braided; a generic replacement or a frayed plug is a warning sign.
- Stock photos only. For a used board you want real images showing the actual keycap wear and the frame’s condition.
Frequently asked questions
Which K70 switch should I look for second-hand? For mixed gaming and typing, Cherry MX Brown gives gentle tactile feedback. Reds are smooth and quiet-ish for fast gaming, Blues are loud and clicky, and Speed Silvers actuate early for competitive play. Buy the feel you want, not just the cheapest listing.
Can I freshen up a worn used K70 myself? Yes. A new PBT keycap set transforms a shiny board for a small outlay, and the caps pull off with a simple wire puller. The switches themselves are soldered on most generations, so leave those alone unless it is a hot-swap model.
Will an older K70 still work with current iCUE software? The long-running K70 line remains supported in iCUE, so even earlier RGB and LUX units can drive lighting and macros from a modern PC. Always confirm the specific model is detected before you commit.
Is the wrist rest usually included? Often, but not always — the soft-touch rest detaches and can go missing. Check the photos and ask; a replacement is inexpensive if it is absent.
The bottom line
The K70 is a keyboard engineered to outlast the PC it is plugged into. Its aluminium frame and 50-million-press Cherry switches are precisely the parts that hold their value, while the only things that age — keycaps and cosmetics — are cheap to renew. Buy used with the switch type confirmed, every key tested and the volume roller checked, and you land a genuinely premium board for a fraction of new, while keeping one more piece of hardware out of Australia’s e-waste stream. That is a smart purchase, not a compromise.
This article may contain affiliate links; see our Affiliate Disclosure.