Start with sold comps, not listed prices
The single most important habit: look at what items actually sold for, not what they're listed at. Anyone can list a jacket for $200; the question is whether anyone paid it. On eBay, filter search results by "Sold items" to see real transaction prices. On Poshmark, Vinted and Depop, browse comparable listings marked sold. Gather three to five genuine comparables for your exact or near-exact item and you have a real market range.
Ignore the outliers — the one that sold for triple (a collector, a bidding war) and the one that went for pennies (damaged, desperate). The cluster in the middle is your market.
Adjust for condition
Condition can swing value more than any other factor. A rough rule of thumb against the "excellent used" comp price:
- New with tags — often 70–90% of retail, sometimes more for sold-out items.
- Excellent / like-new — your baseline comp range.
- Good, visible wear — knock off roughly 15–30%.
- Fair, notable flaws — 40–60% below the baseline, and lead with honesty.
These are starting points, not laws — a tiny flaw on a rare piece barely matters, while the same flaw on a common one can kill the sale. Always match your price to the condition you can prove in the photos.
Factor in demand and brand
Two items in identical condition can be worth very different amounts. A sought-after brand, a sold-out colourway, a current trend or a discontinued model all push price up; a generic, easily-replaced item pushes it down. Seasonality matters too — coats sell for more in autumn, swimwear in spring. If demand is high and you're patient, price at the top of your range. If you want a quick sale or the item is common, price at or just below the middle.
Don't forget fees and shipping. Marketplace fees and postage come out of your sale price. Work backwards from the take-home you want, and if you offer "free shipping," build the postage into the price rather than absorbing it.
Leave room to negotiate
On platforms with offers — Poshmark, eBay Best Offer, Vinted, Marketplace — buyers expect to haggle a little. List a touch above your true minimum so you can accept an offer and still hit your target, and both sides feel good about the deal. Bundling is another lever: a small multi-item discount moves more inventory per shipment, so price with a bundle in mind.
Let a starting range do the heavy lifting
Doing full comp research on every item is realistic for a few hero pieces — not for a whole box of clutter. That's where a suggested range earns its keep. When you make a listing with Listly, it reads the brand, item type and apparent condition from your photo and proposes a realistic second-hand price range as a starting point. You still do the final call — nudge it up for a hot brand, down for a quick flip — but you're adjusting an informed number instead of staring at a blank field.
Reprice if it doesn't sell
Pricing isn't one-and-done. If an item's had plenty of views but no bites after a week or two, the price is usually the reason — drop it 10–15% and it often moves quickly. Lots of views and no sales means "close, but too high"; no views at all usually means a title or photo problem, not a price one. Watch which it is and adjust the right lever.