How to Check eBay Sold Items & Evaluate The Market: A Step-by-Step Guide

eBay is a massive online marketplace that brings together millions of buyers and sellers from all corners of the globe. If you're new to eBay shopping or a seller trying to figure out the worth of your items, you'll want to know how to check sold items on eBay & evaluate the market value. It's a valuable resource that lets you tap into real transaction data, revealing vital insights about item pricing, demand, and trends. In this post, we'll take you through the steps of checking sold items on eBay & how to better evaluate the market, making your eBay journey a breeze!

Step 1: Perform a Search

In the search bar, type the name or keywords of the item you want to check. For example, if you're interested in checking the prices of vintage cameras, type "vintage camera" in the search bar. In addition to searching “vintage cameras” it is beneficial to include the model number if possible.

Step 2: Apply Filters

If you want to narrow down the search results to a specific category, condition, price range, or other parameters, you can use the filters available on the left-hand side of the page. To see only sold items, scroll down to the "Show only" section and check the "Sold Items" box. This step is crucial as it filters out the active listings and displays only the items that have already been sold in the last 90 days. If you're on mobile click on "Filter" after you have searched for your keywords.

Step 3: View Sold Items

The search results will now show a list of items that have been sold matching your search criteria. Typically once you click sold items it will also check off completed items and will show the most recently sold items. Each listing will display the item's title, condition, selling price, and date of sale.

Step 4: Analyze the Data

Now that you have access to sold items, you can analyze the data to get valuable insights. Pay attention to the following aspects:

a. Selling Price: Look at the range of prices at which the items were sold. This information can give you an idea of the average selling price for similar items.

b. Sell Through Rate: when first searching for any specific keyword(s), eBay will display how many results it produced. You can check the total active listings vs the total sold listings. This will give you an idea of the sell through rate & give you a better idea on how quickly you should expect to sell your specific items. For example if the total active listings is 4700 and total sold listings is 2700, 2700/4700 is around a 53% selling rate.

c. Condition: Check whether the items sold were new, used, or refurbished. This will help you understand how condition affects the selling price.

d. Date of Sale: Paying attention to the date of sale will give you an estimate of how many products sell in a month. It will additionally tell you about how long it will take if you have multiple quantities of items. The items shown in the sold filter are only from the last 90 days.

e. Listing Type: Note whether the items were sold through auctions or fixed-price listings. This will help you determine which selling method is more successful for similar items.

Step 6: Refine Your Search (Optional)

If you want more specific data, you can further refine your search by adjusting the filters. For example, you can narrow the date range or specify a particular condition. This step allows you to gather more targeted information to make informed decisions.

Personally, I prefer to keep my filters and keywords as broad as possible to ensure I am not missing anything. If you go very specific on keywords, you may end up seeing listings that are relevant to your items but do not have great keywords.

Checking sold items on eBay is a game-changer for both buyers and sellers alike. It provides real transaction data that helps us make smarter choices. Following the steps I've shared in this guide will give you access to valuable insights into item pricing, demand, and trends, making you a more successful eBay user.