How To See The Worth of An Item Using eBay
How To See The Worth of An Item Using eBay
If you’re buying or selling any item on eBay and you have no idea what the worth is, don’t worry: By checking the prices of some of the similar sold items on eBay, you can get an idea of the item’s value. Here’s how use eBay to run a price-check.
Finding Out The Worth Of An Item On eBay
1. On the eBay desktop website, type in a search.
First, open your web browser and visit ebay.com. You can also use the eBay app on your mobile device. At the top of the page in the search bar, type in what you’re trying to find the value of. If you know the name of the exact item, it’s good to be as specific as possible. If not, feel free to just do a more general search.
2. On the eBay mobile app, flip the switch beside "Sold Items."
When you see search for results, the next step is to narrow them down to the items that have been sold successfully. If you’re on the eBay mobile app, simply tap Filter > Show More. Then, turn on the “Sold Items” button and click on the “Show Results.”
3. On the eBay desktop website, check "Sold Items" in the sidebar.
If you’re making use of a desktop browser, when you see the search results, scroll down and locate the “Show Only” section of the sidebar. Place a checkmark near the “Sold Items.” (“Completed Items” will also automatically check itself.)
(Although, you can also use eBay’s Advanced Search form to search for sold items. All you need to do is just to type in your search and check “Sold listings” before you click “Search.”)
Note: Avoid looking for the “Completed Items” results first unless you have completed check for “Sold”, because those results include items where the sellers ask for high prices that are ridiculous for items that may never sell.
When you have a list of previously sold items, it’s very useful to sort them by price. On the mobile eBay app, click the “Sort” button and select “Highest Price + Shipping” from the list.
4. On the eBay desktop site, sort by highest price.
On the eBay desktop website, click the drop-down menu that is below the “Search” button. Select “Price + Shipping: Highest First,” and the results will reload showing you the highest-value of sold items at the top of the list. Same for the lowest price just type in select “Price + Shipping: Lowest First”. Alternately, you can sort for items by their conditions (“New” or “Used”), which might come in handy.
Making Sense of the Search Results
When you are viewing the highest-priced results on the eBay, you would want to be very careful. Many of the highest-priced items that are listed in the “Sold Items” category are in either excellent or mint condition, or they might be a slight of rarer version of what you’re looking for. So when searching, make sure that the condition of the item matches what you’re pricing it for before expecting eBay-level top dollar for something.
Example of a High-Priced eBay Search Result.
For example, if you were trying to price an Atari 800 home computer and then you found this result at the top of the list, you’d need to understand that for it to be sold for $660 is because it was in an unused condition with its original packaging.
If you scroll down further through the search results, you’ll find that your typical Atari 800 computer usually sells for around $150 in an OK but working condition.
So, understanding the condition of items you’re pricing is key. It helps to look at many similar sales that has occured on eBay to figure out why some items are selling for the prices they fetch.
In the end, the final value still depends on the situation of the item, but if you do as much research as you can through sales results on eBay, you’ll be very much more informed.
