How to find underpriced listings on eBay

Step 1: Know what it really sells for

A deal is only a deal against the going price, and on eBay that’s what items have sold for, not what sellers are asking.

1. Search for the item as specifically as you can: brand, model, size or capacity.
2. Turn on Sold items. On the website it’s under Show only in the filters; in the app, open Filter. Sold prices show in green.
3. Match the condition. Filter to the condition you’d buy. A used, tested item and one sold as “for parts or not working” are different markets.
4. Read the prices carefully. A price that’s crossed out with Best Offer accepted means the buyer paid less than the number shown, and eBay doesn’t say how much less. Leave those out, along with lots and bundles.
5. Take the middle. Line up the recent sales and use where most of them land, not an average dragged up by one buyer who overpaid.

Note the shipping too. Two items that sold for the same price aren’t the same deal if one shipped free.

Step 2: Look where bargains hide

Most listings are priced about right. The underpriced ones usually share one of these traits:

• Misspelled titles. A listing for a Le Cruset pot, a Nintedo game or a Cannon camera can get fewer viewers, because most buyers search the correct spelling. Search the common misspellings on purpose.
• Vague titles. Sellers who don’t know what they have describe what they see: vintage white bowl with flowers instead of the pattern name, old camera lens instead of the model. A plain-words search with a low maximum catches these, and the pictures tell you what it is.
• Missing key words. A listing without the brand, model number or size in the title only shows up for broader searches. Try your search without the detail you’d normally require.
• Buy It Now below the going price. House clearances, moves and sellers who need space price to sell quickly. These tend to go soon after they’re listed, which is why an alert for new listings matters more than browsing now and then.
• Lots and bundles. A box of games or a bag of LEGO can cost less per piece than buying each one. Reseller sourcing alerts covers how to value them.
• Auctions with low starting bids that end at quiet times, such as the middle of a weekday. Watch them on eBay and bid near the end.

Step 3: Set up your deal tracker

Once you know the going price and where bargains come from, a Spotter does the watching. It checks eBay for new listings and emails you each one that matches, so your eBay deal alerts arrive without you refreshing searches all day.

• Set the maximum below the sold price. How far below depends on why you’re buying. For something you’ll use, a little under the middle of recent sales is a good deal. If you plan to resell, work it out from fees and shipping too.
• Set a minimum. It drops cases, manuals and spare parts that share the item’s name and would otherwise look like amazing deals.
• Choose Buy It Now if you only want listings you can buy at the alert price. Leave auctions in if you’re happy to bid.
• Exclude the traps. for parts, not working, as is, box only, unless you repair things.
• Make one Spotter per spelling. One for the correct title, one for each common misspelling or shorthand, and one plain-words version with a lower maximum.

Where AI helps a deal finder, and where it doesn’t

People looking for an AI deal finder often hope software will spot bargains on its own. Spotter Otter’s AI does something narrower: it helps you set up the watching, and it reads listings against what you asked for.

• Describe it in a sentence. Write what you want and your price, such as Le Creuset round Dutch oven, 5.5 quart, any color, under $150. Luna, Spotter Otter’s AI, turns it into a search and must-haves for you to confirm. A maximum price is required.
• Must-haves read the way a person would. Facts are matched with the wordings sellers use, so a listing that states a different value, like a 4.5-quart pot, is left out, and one that doesn’t give the size gets a Maybe match. That matters with vague titles, where the size may only appear in the item specifics.
• Name a mystery item from a photo. Take or upload a photo or screenshot of the item, its label or its box. Spotter Otter reads visible brand names, model numbers and style codes and writes a description for you to check, which helps when you know what something looks like but not what sellers call it.
• Start from a link. Paste an eBay listing you passed on as overpriced, or a store’s product page, and Spotter Otter starts a Spotter for the same item. Set the maximum from your sold-price check.

What it doesn’t do: decide what’s a bargain, appraise an item or predict what it will sell for. The price check in Step 1 is still yours. AI eBay alerts covers how the AI reads listings in more detail.

Check every deal before you buy

An unusually low price is sometimes a sign that something is wrong. Before you buy, check:

• The condition and description. Words like untested, as is or sold as seen usually mean the seller expects problems.
• What’s actually included. Box only and manual only listings sometimes picture the whole item. Read the title and description, not just the pictures.
• The pictures themselves. Stock images instead of the actual item deserve a question to the seller.
• The seller. Look at their feedback and how long they’ve been selling, especially on expensive items.
• How payment works. Always pay through eBay checkout. A seller who asks you to email them or pay another way is a red flag, and paying outside eBay gives up eBay Money Back Guarantee protection.
• Authenticity. For sneakers, watches, handbags and trading cards, eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee covers many eligible listings. Look for it on the listing before buying a high-value piece.