How to Become a Reseller – Section 1: Learn How to Research and Find the Value of an Item

Before you sell anything, you need to know if it’ll be worth your time. The phrase “time is money” is especially true in reselling. If an item doesn’t sell or isn’t worth much, you need to know when to move on. 

Being able to quickly check how much an item is worth at a garage sale or thrift store will save you tons of time and make your sourcing much more efficient. 

The easiest way to get this information is to go where the majority of buyers are—eBay. 

eBay is the most popular online platform for selling used goods, with roughly 132 million active buyers worldwide. 

While there are other marketplaces that specialize in specific types of items (which I’ll cover later), eBay is a great place to start because you can sell just about anything. Plus, it’s easy to use and free to start. 

I would say 98% of the things I sell online go through eBay. I’ve sold everything from video games to clothes to books and Christmas ornaments.

How to Find Out How Much an Item’s Worth Using eBay

When you’re trying to figure out how much an item is worth, eBay has a few search options to help you out. You can scan a barcode, take a picture of the item, or do a quick manual search.

1. Scan the Barcode

If your item has a barcode, this is the fastest way to check its value. Here’s how you do it:

• Open the eBay app and find the search bar at the top.
• On the right of the search bar, you’ll see a camera icon—tap that, then choose the “Barcode” option on the bottom.
• Cover the area given with the barcode, and eBay will pull up listings that match your item.

This method works great for books, electronics, or any items that still have packaging. It’s quick, simple, and gives you a list of similar items right away.

2. Take a Picture of the Item

If your item doesn’t have a barcode, you can try using eBay’s built-in camera feature to take a picture and it will do an image search to try and find your item. Here’s how to do that:

• Tap the camera icon again in the search bar, but this time select the “Image” option at the bottom.
• Take a clear picture of the entire item, and eBay will try to show you listings for similar products.

For me, eBay’s image search feature has been hit or miss. It’s not perfect but it can save you some time when it’s able to recognize the item you have.

3. Manual Search

If the barcode or image search doesn’t give the results you’re looking for, you can always type in details about the item in the search bar. Make sure to include as much information as you can. Like the:

• Brand name (Nike, Sony, etc.)
• Type of item (sneakers, watch, PS2 game, etc.)
• Color, size, or any other identifying features

The more specific you are, the better your chances are at finding the exact item—or at least something that’s comparable.

If you’ve tried everything and still can’t find your item, try using Google Lens.

This is a feature in the Google app that works like eBay’s image search, but instead of just searching eBay, it scans the entire web for similar images. It’ll also provide a link to the webpage an image is on so you can dig deeper into what the item might be worth. 

I actually prefer using Google Lens over eBay’s image search because it usually gives better results. Especially when I have something rare or unique and don’t know what the item is called or how to describe it.

Focus on Sold Listings, Not What Sellers Are Asking

Once you’ve found your item on eBay, you’ll see all the listings with prices next to them. 

These prices are not what your item is worth. They just tell you what people are hoping to sell it for. What you’re really looking for is the sold listings.

This is where you’ll see what buyers have actually paid, not just what the sellers are asking.

How to Find Sold Listings

1. On eBay’s website: After finding your item, open the filter sidebar on the left-hand side. Scroll down to find the option for “Sold Items” and check the box.
2. In the eBay app: After finding your item, tap the blue “Filter” button at the bottom of the page. Press the “Show More” option, then scroll down and select “Sold Items”.

Filtering the results this way will only show only items that have been sold. You’ll also see when they sold, which tells you how often the item sells and if it’s in demand.

Now you can start looking at how much people are willing to pay for just about anything and begin sourcing items to resell. 

Next Chapter: How to Find Items to Resell