We work really hard to sell every item, but unfortunately, some items require way more time to sell, or simply don't find a buyer at your desired price, even after multiple listing attempts and updates. Our data shows that price is the main reason an item doesn’t sell, followed by seasonality, condition, off brand versus name brand and then missing parts.
Resale marketplaces are very different from traditional retail, and we cannot guarantee sales. While we try to avoid this outcome as much as possible, some items just won’t sell within a reasonable time for a price you are comfortable with.
With that in mind, here are a few tips to help ensure successful sales:
- Your original purchase price isn't likely to tell you a whole lot about the current resale value, so when it comes to setting your sale price, aiming to sell at retail price is not a good strategy.
- For a good indication, look at "completed & sold" listings on eBay or Mercari for your exact item, or items that are as similar as possible. While active listings are helpful, sold items show you what recent buyers were actually willing to pay.
- Consider how many active listings there are various marketplaces for your exact item. If there are 100 listings for the same item, you'll need to offer a very competitive price to close a sale.
- Keep in mind that new, unopened items purchased within the past 90 days typically sell at a 10-30% discount to listed retail prices, even though they're identical items. Once you open the box, the discount is likely to be 20-40%.
- Out of season items (i.e. snowboards in June) will sell at a steep discount, or not at all.
- Name brands tend to preserve their value for many years, but off-brand items mostly sell at a significant discount.
- Dirt and grime show up in photos and tend to sell to bargain hunters, so make sure to give us items in as-clean-as-possible condition.
- Look at items listed for sale "as is" to get a feel for pricing if your item is missing a key accessory (e.g. a remote) or is damaged (e.g. an iPad with a smashed screen).