How to price a used item for eBay in five minutes

Pricing is where most flips are won or lost. Price too high and the item sits; too low and you've done the work for nothing. Here's a five-minute method that works for almost anything.

1. Look at sold listings, not active ones

Search eBay for the item, then filter to Sold items. Active listings show what sellers hope to get; sold listings show what buyers actually paid. Look at the last 30 to 90 days and note the price range for items in the same condition as yours.

2. Pick your spot in the range

• Better than most (complete, clean, tested, original box): price near the top of the range.
• Average: aim for the middle.
• Flaws or missing pieces: price toward the bottom and say so clearly in the description.

3. Check the profit before you list

A $100 sale isn't $100 in your pocket. Take off the platform fees (about 13.6% plus $0.40 on eBay for most categories), the shipping you'll pay, what you paid for the item, and any parts.

In Hermes, open an item that's still Bought or In repair and type a price into the Estimated Profit box. It does that math for you, using your platform's fees, without changing anything. If the profit is too thin, you know before you spend time photographing it.

4. Decide how fast you want it gone

Listing a bit above your target price leaves room for offers. If an item hasn't sold after 30 days, drop the price 10% or send offers to watchers. The Listing Duration chart on your dashboard shows which items have been sitting the longest.

5. Write it down

Record the list price when you mark the item Listed. When it sells, compare the sale price with what you listed it at. After a few dozen sales you'll know which categories you underprice and which you overprice.

Have your own pricing rule of thumb? Share it in the comments.