How to see sold items on eBay, step by step
Search for the item, then filter the results to Sold items; it takes under a minute on the website or in the app.
- Search the item the way sellers title it. Brand and model beat a general description: Bose QuietComfort 45, not Bose headphones. Our eBay search tips show how to leave out look-alikes with a minus sign.
- Turn on Sold items. On ebay.com, scroll the filters beside the results to Show only and tick Sold items. In the eBay app, tap Filter, then switch on Sold items.
- Match the condition. Use the condition filter so you compare used with used and new with new.
- Put the latest sales first. Use the sort menu so the most recent sales sit at the top, which matters for anything whose price is moving.
Is there an eBay sold items app?
You don’t need a separate app: the eBay app shows sold items itself. Search for the item, tap Filter, switch on Sold items and apply. The results look much like the website’s, with sold prices in green and the date each one sold. If you can’t find the switch, update the app or open ebay.com in your phone’s browser, where the filter sits under Show only.
eBay sold listings vs completed listings
Sold listings show only items that sold; eBay completed listings show every listing that ended, sold or not.
| Filter | What it shows | Use it to |
|---|---|---|
| Sold items | Listings that sold, with prices in green | See what buyers actually paid |
| Completed items | Every listing that ended, including unsold ones, whose prices show in black | See what sellers asked and buyers wouldn’t pay |
Both are useful. Sold prices tell you the going rate; unsold asking prices tell you where it stops.
What did it sell for on eBay? How to read sold prices
What an item really sold for is where most comparable sales land, once you set aside the odd ones and add the shipping. A few habits make a list of green prices reliable:
- Open the listings. A low sale may be a broken one, a box only, or the item without its charger. A high one may include extras. Compare like with like.
- Add the shipping. Two sales at $100 aren’t the same if one charged $20 postage and the other shipped free. Buyers pay the total.
- Watch for Best Offer. A sale marked as accepted via Best Offer often sold for less than the price shown with a line through it. eBay doesn’t always show the accepted amount.
- Ignore the outliers. Set aside the oddly cheap sale and the oddly high one. Where most sales land is the going price.
- Look at the dates. Prices for collectibles, new releases and seasonal items can move a lot within the months eBay shows.
Example: a search for a used KitchenAid Artisan 5 qt mixer shows sales from $90 to $310. Opening them, the $90 one is listed for parts and the $310 one came with three extra attachments. Most working mixers on their own sold between about $180 and $230, so that range is the real price.
Auction or Buy It Now sales?
Look at both: together they give you the fairest price. Sold auctions show what buyers competed up to; sold Buy It Now listings show what a seller asked and someone accepted. Auctions that end at odd hours or with few bidders can finish low. Those are worth noting, but don’t set your expectations by them.
Collectibles, rare items and things that rarely sell
When there are only a handful of sales, or none, widen the search and use completed listings to bracket the price. Some ways to get there:
- Widen the search a step. Drop the color or a minor variation and see what the close relatives sold for, then adjust for the difference.
- Use completed listings. The real price sits between the highest sale and the lowest unsold asking price.
- Read condition notes closely. For cards, coins, comics and anything graded, compare the same grade only. A grade or two can change the price many times over.
- Be patient. If there are no sales at all, set an alert at the price you’d pay and let the listings come to you. Our guide to finding rare items on eBay has more on searching for scarce things.
How far back do eBay sold listings go?
The Sold items filter shows a few months of sales. If you sell on eBay, Product Research in Seller Hub (formerly Terapeak) shows sales over a longer stretch, with averages and sell-through. It’s worth a look before you list something valuable or buy stock to resell.
Turn a sold price into an alert
Once you know the going price, set an alert for new listings under it and stop checking by hand. Pick the most you’d pay, usually around the middle of recent sales for a fair price or below it for a bargain:
- eBay saved search with a price filter, which sends updates about new items.
- A Spotter on SpotterOtter with a maximum price, which emails you each new listing that matches, one at a time. Add a minimum price and Exclude words like for parts, box only so look-alikes don’t get through. There is a free plan.
SpotterOtter watches eBay in the United States (ebay.com) for new listings. Its prices are before shipping, like eBay’s, so lower your maximum by the usual postage or turn on free shipping only. See eBay price alerts for setting the number, or the eBay deal finder guide if you’re hunting for listings well under market.
Good to know: sold prices are history, not a promise. A listing at a past price can still be the wrong item, so read the title, photos and condition before you buy.