The influence of cracks on the elastic deflection and ultimate bearing capacity of eccentric thin-walled columns with both ends pinned was studied in this paper. First, a method was developed and applied to determine the elastic deflection of the eccentric thin-walled columns containing some model-I cracks. A trigonometric series solution of the elastic deflection equation was obtained by the Rayleigh-Ritz energy method. Compared with the solution presented in Okamura (1981), this solution meets the needs of compatibility of deformation and is useful for thin-walled columns. Second, a two-criteria approach to determine the stability factor ${varphi}$ has been suggested and its analytical formula has been derived. Finally, as an example, box columns with a center through-wall crack were analyzed and calculated. The effects of cracks on both the maximum deflection and the stability coefficient ${varphi}$ for various crack lengths or eccentricities were illustrated and discussed. The analytical and numerical results of tests on the columns show that the deflection increment caused by the cracks increases with increased crack length or eccentricity, and the critical transition crack length from yielding failure to fracture failure ${xi}_c$ is found to decrease with an increase of the slenderness ratio or eccentricity.