How to get more sales on eBay
More sales come from more live listings, priced near what the same item actually sold for, with titles buyers find. In our data, sold prices ran 13% below asking prices for the same search, across 19,659 scans. The seven steps below are in the order we would do them.
Updated
Seven steps
- 1
List what you already have
An item in a bin cannot sell, and neither can one you scanned and never listed. The fastest way to more sales is more live listings, so set a daily number and list the backlog before you buy more.
- 2
Price from sold listings, not asking prices
Live listings show what sellers hope for; sold listings show what buyers paid. Price near the recent sold prices for the same item in the same condition.
Free eBay sold listings search - 3
Write titles and item specifics buyers search for
Put the words buyers type first: brand, item, model or pattern, size, color, material. Skip filler like "L@@K" or "wow". Fill in every item specific eBay offers, because buyers narrow searches with those filters.
- 4
Refresh listings that sit for 30 to 60 days
When an item has had no sale after a month or two, end it and relist it with better photos, a sharper title or a lower price. eBay does not publish how much a relist helps, so treat it as a test and note what changed.
- 5
Put the item on more than one marketplace
A buyer on Poshmark or Mercari may never search eBay. Listing the same item in more than one place reaches more buyers; end the other listings when one sells. On a computer, our free extension for Chrome or Edge fills in each marketplace's form from the saved item.
- 6
Use a modest promoted listing rate where there is demand
With Promoted Listings (general), you pick an ad rate and pay it only if the item sells within 30 days of a click on the ad. The rate is charged on the total sale amount, including shipping and tax, on top of the normal fees. Start low on items that already get views.
See the ad fee in the eBay fee calculator - 7
Scan before you buy
More sales start at the shelf. Checking the sold price before you pay keeps slow, low-value stock out of your pile, so what you list is what buyers want.
Why step 2 matters: sold prices sit below asking prices
We compared 19,659 eBay US scans resellers ran with us in the last six months. For the typical scan, the sold price our pricing used (the middle of the matching sold listings) was 13% below the middle asking price of the live listings for the same search. Price off the asking prices and you start above what buyers have been paying.
Where an AI reseller app helps, and where it does not
It helps with
- Identifying an item from a photo when you do not know the maker or model.
- Pulling the recent sold listings for it, so the price comes from what buyers paid.
- Drafting the title and description and pre-filling eBay's item specifics from the scan, which you check before you publish.
- Filling in other marketplaces' forms from one saved item, so crosslisting takes minutes.
It does not
- It cannot create demand. An item nobody searches for will not sell because an app priced it.
- It can be wrong. Check the sold listings behind a price, especially for rare or high value items.
- It does not take your photos, pack or ship. Those still decide a lot of sales.
- No app, ours included, can promise you more sales.
The time it saves is the point: less time researching and typing means more items listed, and step 1 is where more sales start.
Questions
Why are my eBay items not selling?
The usual reasons are price above recent sold prices, a title that misses the words buyers search for, missing item specifics, weak photos, or an item with little demand. Check the sold listings for the same item first.
Does relisting on eBay help?
Many sellers relist items that sit for 30 to 60 days, usually with a change to the photos, title or price. eBay does not publish how much it helps, so change one thing at a time and watch the result.
Can AI reseller apps increase sales?
They save time on identifying, pricing from sold listings and filling in listings, which helps you list more. They cannot create demand or guarantee a sale; what you list and how you price it still decide that.
Not sure what yours is worth?
See what one of your unlisted items actually sold for. Your first scan is free, with no card. After that, scan packs start at $3 for 5 scans, with no subscription, and the credits never expire.
Price your first find free