What to do with eBay items that will not sell

Pick a review age

Choose how many days an item gets before you take a hard look. Many resellers use 30 to 60 days, and slower categories deserve longer. The exact number matters less than having one and sticking to it.

When an item reaches that age, list it for review and go through the options below.

Check the listing before the price

Look at the listing the way a buyer would. Are the photos bright and complete? Does the title include the words people search for? Are the condition and measurements clear? A weak listing can look like a pricing problem.

Also look at views and watchers if you have them. Few views points to a search problem, such as the title, photos, or category. Plenty of views and no sales points to price or condition.

Then compare the price to recent sales

Look at what similar items sold for in the last few weeks, not what they were asking. If you are well above the sold prices, lower the price. If you are in line with them and the item still does not move, it may simply be a slow item.

Choose a next step

Each option has a cost, so pick on purpose.

• Lower the price or use Best Offer and set a lowest acceptable offer
• Bundle with similar items to raise the order total and cut the per-item postage
• End and relist to refresh its place in search, after you improve the photos or title
• Try a short promoted-listing push if the margin can handle the ad fee
• Write it down, donate it, or sell it as part of a lot if it is no longer worth the space

Know your floor before you decide

Work out the lowest price that still breaks even, or still earns something you would accept, including fees and postage. An offer above that floor is often better than another month of waiting. One below it loses money, which is sometimes still the right call if it frees cash and space.

Let the software do the reminders

FlipHall flags active items that have passed your review age, shows the estimated profit at your current price and at your lowest offer, and keeps the record of how long each item has been listed.