Pricing Strategies for Resellers

Price too high and items sit. Price too low and you leave money on the table. Pricing is the skill that separates struggling resellers from profitable ones.

This isn't about finding the "perfect" price—it's about finding the right price for your goals: speed, margin, or balance.

The Research Foundation

Never guess. Every item you list should have pricing backed by actual market data.

eBay Sold Listings

The gold standard for pricing research. Search your item on eBay, then filter by "Sold Items" (under Show More on desktop, or "Filter" on mobile). You're now seeing what people actually paid—not what sellers wished they'd get.

Look at the last 5-10 sold listings in similar condition. Average them, but weight recent sales more heavily—prices shift.

Platform-Specific Comps

eBay prices don't directly translate to other platforms. Poshmark prices run similar for fashion but the 20% fee means you need higher prices for the same margin. Mercari prices often run 10-20% lower because the buyer demographic expects deals.

Check sold listings on each platform you plan to use. Yes, this takes time. It's worth it.

The 5x Rule for Sourcing

Before you even buy an item, apply the 5x rule from our when to pass guide:

A $5 thrift find needs to sell for $25+ to be worth your time after fees, shipping supplies, and labor. This keeps you from buying items with thin margins that don't pencil out.

Pricing Psychology

The Power of $X.99

$49 feels significantly cheaper than $50 to most buyers. This isn't rational, but it's real. Use .99 endings for items where you want to emphasize value.

Exception: Premium/luxury items can use round numbers ($150 vs $149) to signal quality and avoid the "bargain bin" perception.

Anchor Pricing

When you mention original retail price, buyers mentally anchor to that number. "Originally $180, selling for $55" makes $55 feel like a steal. Use this in descriptions when verifiable retail prices support your ask.

Odd vs. Even

Odd prices ($37, $43) feel calculated and non-negotiable. Even prices ($40, $45) feel like starting points. Use odd prices if you want to signal "this is the price." Use even prices if you're open to offers.

Platform-Specific Strategies

eBay

Free shipping pricing: Build shipping cost into item price. "$45 free shipping" converts better than "$35 + $10 shipping" even though the buyer pays the same. The algorithm also favors free shipping listings.

Best Offer: Enable it, but set auto-decline thresholds. Auto-decline anything below your minimum, auto-accept anything above your target. Let the middle range come through for manual decision.

Poshmark

OTL room: Poshmark's "Offer to Likers" feature requires you to offer a discount with reduced shipping. Price 15-20% above your target to maintain margin after OTL discounts.

Bundle pricing: Set closet-wide bundle discounts (10-15% off 2+ items) to increase average order value. Buyers who bundle are less price-sensitive.

Mercari

Negotiation expectation: Mercari buyers expect to haggle. Price 10-15% above your minimum. They'll offer, you'll counter, everyone feels like they got a deal.

Smart Pricing caution: The automatic price reduction feature can drop prices faster than you'd like. Use sparingly, or set narrow ranges.

When to Lower Prices

Items sitting too long? Here's the decision framework:

30-Day Review

If an item hasn't sold in 30 days with reasonable views, something's wrong. Check: Is the price competitive with current sold comps? Has the market shifted? Are your photos and title working?

If pricing looks right, try relisting fresh (especially on Poshmark) before dropping price. Sometimes the algorithm just needs a reset.

60-Day Action

At 60 days, either reduce price 10-15% or move to a different platform. Cross-listing often works better than price drops—sometimes an item just needs a different audience.

90-Day Decision

At 90 days, you have a slow mover. Options: significant price cut (25%+), bundle with other items, donate for tax deduction, or accept it as inventory that ties up capital.

Seasonal Pricing

Use our seasonal sourcing calendar in reverse for pricing:

In-season: Price at market rate or slightly above. Demand is high.
Pre-season: Price competitively to capture early shoppers.
Off-season: Price low to move inventory, or store and wait.

Winter coats command premium prices in October. The same coat in April? You're competing with clearance sales. Adjust accordingly.

The Profitability Calculation

Before setting any price, work backward from your minimum acceptable profit:

Example: $50 item on Poshmark
$50 − $10 (20% fee) − $0 (buyer pays) − $8 (what you paid) = $32 profit

If that $32 profit took you 45 minutes of sourcing, cleaning, photographing, listing, and shipping, you earned about $43/hour. Is that acceptable? If not, you need to price higher or pass on similar items in the future.

Track your profits religiously. Data beats gut feeling.