Pricing is one of the most stressful parts of selling on eBay—especially when you’re just starting out.
Price too high, and your item sits forever.
Price too low, and you feel like you left money on the table.
This post isn’t about fancy formulas or hype. It’s simply how I actually price items on eBay, what I look at before listing, and when I decide to accept offers vs. hold firm.
This approach works for beginners, stays consistent over time, and is designed to keep things moving without racing to the bottom.
First: What I’m Optimizing For
Before pricing anything, I decide what matters most for my store.
For me, the priorities are:
- Reasonable sell-through (items don’t sit forever)
- Consistent cash flow
- Minimal time spent relisting or babysitting items
I am not trying to squeeze every last dollar out of every item. Sometimes that works against you.
If your goal is different (for example, ultra-long-term storage or collectibles only), your pricing may vary—but this framework still applies.
Step 1: Check Sold Listings (And Use Active Listings for Context)
This is basic, but it’s also where most people go wrong.
For pricing, I mostly care about sold listings—because sold listings show what buyers actually paid.
That said, active listings aren’t useless. I just use them differently.
What I Use Sold Listings For
I focus on:
- Sold listings
- Most recently sold (ideally last 30–90 days)
- Similar condition and accessories
Prices can fluctuate a lot over time. Used tech that sold for $100 late last year might only be selling for $60 now.
Even if I think I already know the price, I still do a quick sold check to see what the current market is actually paying. Otherwise, items can sit simply because the market shifted.
When sold prices are scattered, I focus on the middle, not the highest sale.
What I Use Active Listings For (Sell-Through Context)
People often compare active vs. sold listings to understand sell-through rate.
For example:
- 50 active listings
- 100 sold listings (recent)
That’s a hot item. More people want it than there are listings available.
In cases like that, if my price is reasonable, I’m more likely to:
- Hold firm
- Be patient
- Avoid racing to the bottom
If items are selling quickly and inventory is thin, buyers are competing for them — not the other way around.
Still, when it comes to the actual price number, sold listings do the heavy lifting.
Step 2: I Group Prices Into Ranges
Instead of hunting for a perfect number, I mentally group prices like this:
- Low end (fast sale)
- Middle (fair market)
- High end (slow / optimistic)
Most of the time, I price slightly above the middle of the sold range.
Why price slightly above the middle?
- It leaves room for offers
- It doesn’t scare away serious buyers
- It avoids racing the cheapest listing
If the middle sold price is $40, I might list at $44.99 or $46.99 — not $39.99 and not $60.
Step 3: Buy It Now vs. Offers
I almost always have offers turned on, regardless of the item.
Even when I do, most buyers still just buy the item outright — and that’s the best outcome for your wallet when it happens.
I don’t usually use auto-decline unless someone repeatedly sends extreme lowballs.
Here’s how I think about offers:
- Some sellers do accept low offers, so buyers try
- Most reasonable buyers offer 10–20% off
- Fair offers are worth accepting without overthinking
This is exactly why I price slightly above the minimum: to leave room for offers.
Step 4: How I Handle Lowball Offers
Lowball offers are just part of eBay. I don’t take them personally.
My general approach:
- Fair offer: I usually accept it
- Slightly low: I may counter once
- Very low: I often ignore it
If an offer is close, I’ll counter — but in my experience, most counters don’t turn into sales. Some do, most don’t.
If an offer is extremely low, I sometimes ignore it entirely. Other buyers just see that an offer exists, which can actually create urgency or competition.
I don’t negotiate prices in messages. If someone asks, “Would you take $20?” I’ll simply reply that the Make Offer button is enabled.
Negotiating in messages almost never leads to a sale in my experience.
The same goes for buyers with endless questions. There’s nothing wrong with being picky, but very picky buyers are often the least satisfied — especially with used items — and are more likely to return them.
This isn’t Amazon. These are used items.
My job is to:
- Set expectations clearly
- Show flaws honestly
- Undersell condition slightly so buyers are pleasantly surprised
That’s how you get feedback like “better than expected,” which matters far more than squeezing out a few extra dollars.
Step 5: When I Lower Prices
I don’t constantly tweak prices.
A typical timeline looks like this:
- Days 1–30: Hold price
- Days 30–45: Small drop (5–10%)
- After that: Decide whether to wait, discount further, or bundle
If an item has no watchers and no offers after a while, that’s feedback.
Sometimes the price is wrong. Sometimes the demand just isn’t there.
Step 6: When I Do (and Don’t) Chase the Lowest Price
I don’t automatically avoid being the cheapest listing — it depends on the situation.
If I’m trying to move something quickly, especially a competitive item with lots of similar listings, I may dip slightly below the pack.
In those cases:
- A small price edge
- Clean photos
- Good lighting and close-ups
can win the sale faster.
That said, I still avoid racing to the bottom just to be the cheapest.
Extremely low prices:
- Attract problem buyers
- Create suspicion
- Reduce flexibility on offers
Pricing is situational. Speed vs. profit is always a tradeoff.
Step 7: Free Shipping vs. Paid Shipping
Shipping has a big impact on pricing — and it keeps getting more expensive.
I used to do a lot of free shipping. Over time, I’ve moved mostly back to buyer-paid shipping, especially on lower-priced or heavier items.
Here’s why:
When buyers see free shipping, many don’t mentally account for the fact that someone is paying for it.
For example:
- Item listed at $15 with free shipping
- Shipping costs me $6
- Buyer offers $8 or $10
At that point, after shipping and fees, I’m losing money.
So my general rules now:
- Low-priced items: buyer pays shipping
- Heavy items: buyer pays shipping
- Very light + higher-priced items: free shipping works
Examples where I’ll use free shipping:
- Postcards under $20 (cheap to ship)
- Small electronics priced around $50+
If shipping is only $4–5 and the item price supports it, baking shipping into the price makes sense.
If it’s heavy or cheap, it usually doesn’t.
Shipping costs go up almost every year, so pricing has to adapt.
When I Break My Own Rules
Sometimes I price aggressively when:
- I want quick cash flow
- I have duplicates
- Storage space matters more than profit
Other times, I price high and wait when:
- The item is niche
- Condition is unusually good
- There are very few comps
Rules are guidelines, not handcuffs.
Common Beginner Pricing Mistakes
I see these all the time:
- Pricing based on active listings instead of sold listings
- Screenshotting an inflated active listing as “proof” of value
- Copying the highest sold price
- Refusing offers out of pride
Anyone can list a toothbrush for a million dollars. That doesn’t mean it’s worth that.
Constantly changing prices every few days can also be an issue — especially without a plan.
Small, intentional adjustments (or ending and relisting with a slight drop to attract fresh eyes) are different than panic-editing prices nonstop.
Being flexible matters. Sometimes I’ll accept 10–20% off. Occasionally even more if an item has been sitting.
Refusing a reasonable offer out of pride is one of the fastest ways to stall your store.
Final Thoughts
Pricing on eBay isn’t about perfection.
It’s about:
- Understanding demand
- Leaving room for flexibility
- Letting items move without stress
If your prices are reasonable and your listings are honest, the sales come.
In the next post, I’ll walk through what I do after an item sells on eBay — and how I keep that part of the process simple and consistent.
Thanks for reading — and if you’re building your store slowly and consistently, you’re already doing it right.
New to Reselling on eBay? Start Here
If you’re new to reselling, these posts will walk you through my exact system from start to finish:
