Original research · Published October 15, 2026 · Data through 2026-10-15
eBay Listing Data Study 2026: What 33,638 Listings Show
Sell-through, days to sale, and what actually moves them. Photos, titles, item specifics, Best Offer, pricing against sold comps, condition and category.
By Chris Taylor, founder of FlowLister and a full-time eBay reseller · Last updated 2026-10-15
- eBay listings tracked
- 33,638
- sellers
- 242
- sold within 30 days
- 12.2%
- median days to sale (30-day sales)
- 7.5 days
The short answer
The FlowLister eBay Listing Data Study 2026 is an observational study of 33,638 single-unit eBay US listings published by 242 sellers between May 15 and September 14, 2026. 12.2% sold within 30 days. Those that did took a median of 7.5 days. 68.1% of sales closed below list price. Price moved sell-through by double digits, even when each seller counts equally: 10.7% under $15 against 31.9% at $100 to $249.99, seller-balanced. Condition and category differ in pooled rates, but most of that gap shrinks once seller mix is removed. Photos, Best Offer, title length and listing time moved sell-through by a few points or not at all within the same seller.
Key findings
- 12.2% of the 33,638 single-unit eBay US listings in the FlowLister eBay Listing Data Study 2026 sold within 30 days of going live.
- The median eBay listing that sold within 30 days sold in 7.5 days, and 47.9% of those sales happened in the first week.
- 16.3% of 30-day eBay sales in the study closed within 24 hours of the listing going live.
- 68.1% of sold eBay listings in the study sold below their final list price, by a median of 23% when they did.
- With Best Offer on, 75.2% of eBay sales closed below list price, against 50.4% with Best Offer off.
- eBay listings priced $100 to $249.99 sold within 30 days 27.6% of the time, against 8.6% for listings under $15.
- Pooled, new-with-tags eBay listings sold within 30 days 22.3% of the time against 11.4% for used items, a gap that shrinks to 22% against 19.1% when each seller counts equally.
- Within the same seller, eBay listings with 7 or more photos differed from listings with 1 to 6 photos by a median +2.5 points in 30-day sell-through across 56 sellers (95% interval −0.4 to +4.6, which includes zero).
- Within the same seller, Best Offer on differed from Best Offer off by a median +1.5 points in 30-day sell-through across 23 sellers (95% interval −0.6 to +5.7, which includes zero).
- Within the same seller, listings with 16 or more filled item specifics differed from listings with 10 or fewer by a median −2.6 points (95% interval −4.6 to −0.9), across 43 sellers.
- Within the same seller, eBay titles of 76 to 80 characters differed from titles under 70 characters by a median +0.8 points (95% interval −1.2 to +2.2, which includes zero), across 76 sellers.
- Within the same seller, weekend and weekday eBay listings differed by a median −0.5 points in 30-day sell-through (95% interval −1.9 to +1.6, which includes zero), across 72 sellers.
Every figure comes from FlowLister's production database, read-only, aggregated before export. Correlation, not causation. Method and limits are below.
How fast do eBay listings sell in 2026?
Most eBay sales that happen in the first month happen early. Among listings in the study that sold within 30 days, the median time to sale was 7.5 days. A quarter sold within 2.2 days. Three quarters sold within 16.5 days. 16.3% sold within 24 hours, 47.9% within 7 days, and 69.3% within 14 days.
- 2026-05/068.8%
- 2026-0710.6%
- 2026-0813.5%
- 2026-0914.2%
The pooled rate rose each month, from 8.8% to 14.2%. The seller-balanced rate went from 13.1% to 19% between May/June and July, then stayed flat (19%, 20.5%, 19.8%). Over that stretch the largest seller's share fell from 25.5% to 8.7%, so the pooled climb after July reflects who was listing.
The pooled rate is 12.2%. The average seller's own rate is higher, 19.3% (sellers with 5 or more listings), which suggests sellers who list more sell a smaller share of what they list. When someone quotes you one eBay sell-through number, ask which of those two it is.
Do cheap items sell faster on eBay?
No. In the study, higher-priced eBay listings sold through faster, not slower. Listings under $15 sold within 30 days 8.6% of the time. Listings at $100 to $249.99 sold 27.6% of the time.
- <$158.6%
- $15-24.9910.6%
- $25-49.9914.6%
- $50-99.9919.8%
- $100-249.9927.6%
- $250+23.8%
| List price | Listings | Sellers | Sold in 30 days | Median days | Seller-balanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <$15 | 10,823 | 157 | 8.6% | 8.7 | 10.7% |
| $15-24.99 | 10,738 | 176 | 10.6% | 8.4 | 14.9% |
| $25-49.99 | 8,306 | 186 | 14.6% | 7.1 | 20.7% |
| $50-99.99 | 2,484 | 142 | 19.8% | 5.9 | 24.1% |
| $100-249.99 | 963 | 115 | 27.6% | 4.7 | 31.9% |
| $250+ | 324 | 70 | 23.8% | 7 | 24.6% |
Median days counts only listings that sold within 30 days. Seller-balanced is the average of each seller's own rate (sellers with 5+ listings in the row, shown when 20+ such sellers exist).
The median list price across the study was $19.99. The 10th percentile was $9.99 and the 90th was $55.00.
How many photos should an eBay listing have?
Pooled, single-photo eBay listings sold within 30 days 5.9% of the time and listings with 13 or more photos sold 14.9% of the time. The median listing had 8 photos.
- 15.9%
- 2-311.4%
- 4-612.8%
- 7-1211.7%
- 13+14.9%
Same seller, both ways
Across 56 sellers with at least 10 listings each way (5 for the comps split), "7+ photos" differed from "1-6 photos" by a median of +2.5 points in 30-day sell-through, 95% interval −0.4 to +4.6, which includes zero. 60.7% of those sellers did better with "7+ photos", 37.5% with "1-6 photos".
This comparison holds the seller, their sourcing and their pricing habits constant. It leans toward more photos. It is not proof.
| Photos | Listings | Sellers | Sold in 30 days | Median days | Seller-balanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 * | 1,555 | 46 | 5.9% | 6.3 | – |
| 2-3 | 3,956 | 123 | 11.4% | 5.7 | 18.1% |
| 4-6 | 7,568 | 173 | 12.8% | 7 | 19.4% |
| 7-12 | 14,490 | 174 | 11.7% | 8 | 19.8% |
| 13+ * | 6,069 | 113 | 14.9% | 8.2 | 20.8% |
Median days counts only listings that sold within 30 days. Seller-balanced is the average of each seller's own rate (sellers with 5+ listings in the row, shown when 20+ such sellers exist). * One seller makes up 40% or more of the row.
Does eBay title length matter?
Less than the advice says. The median title in the study was 74 characters and only 8.3% used all 80. Pooled, titles under 50 characters sold within 30 days 9.4% of the time against 13% at 76 to 79 characters and 13% at exactly 80.
- <509.4%
- 50-5911.4%
- 60-6911.8%
- 70-7511.9%
- 76-7913%
- 8013%
Same seller, both ways
Across 76 sellers with at least 10 listings each way (5 for the comps split), "76-80 chars" differed from "under 70 chars" by a median of +0.8 points in 30-day sell-through, 95% interval −1.2 to +2.2, which includes zero. 56.6% of those sellers did better with "76-80 chars", 42.1% with "under 70 chars".
Held to the same seller, the long-title edge is small. Fill the title with words buyers search. Don't pad it to hit 80.
Do more item specifics help eBay listings sell?
Not by count. The median listing had 16 filled item specifics. Comparing listings from the same seller, listings with 16 or more specifics sold within 30 days −2.6 points relative to listings with 10 or fewer, and this is the one within-seller gap whose interval excludes zero.
Same seller, both ways
Across 43 sellers with at least 10 listings each way (5 for the comps split), "16+ specifics" differed from "10 or fewer" by a median of −2.6 points in 30-day sell-through, 95% interval −4.6 to −0.9. 30.2% of those sellers did better with "16+ specifics", 69.8% with "10 or fewer".
We don't know why. The count may track the kind of item more than the quality of the listing. The right specifics matter for search. A longer list is not a lever by itself.
| Specifics filled | Listings | Sellers | Sold in 30 days | Median days | Seller-balanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-5 | 1,966 | 118 | 12.5% | 7.8 | 15.5% |
| 6-10 | 3,827 | 150 | 14.2% | 6.3 | 19.1% |
| 11-15 | 10,910 | 189 | 11.4% | 7.2 | 21.9% |
| 16-20 | 12,959 | 175 | 11.7% | 7.9 | 18.2% |
| 21-25 | 3,866 | 112 | 13.9% | 8.1 | 18.9% |
| 26+ | 110 | 26 | 29.1% | 1.8 | – |
Median days counts only listings that sold within 30 days. Seller-balanced is the average of each seller's own rate (sellers with 5+ listings in the row, shown when 20+ such sellers exist).
Does Best Offer help you sell on eBay?
Not clearly. Pooled, Best Offer on and off sold within 30 days at nearly the same rate (12.2% and 12.4%). Within the same seller it leaned positive, but the interval includes zero. 73% of listings in the study had Best Offer on when we pulled the data. Only 23 sellers listed enough both ways to compare.
Same seller, both ways
Across 23 sellers with at least 10 listings each way (5 for the comps split), "Best Offer on" differed from "Best Offer off" by a median of +1.5 points in 30-day sell-through, 95% interval −0.6 to +5.7, which includes zero. 65.2% of those sellers did better with "Best Offer on", 34.8% with "Best Offer off".
The price side: 68.1% of all sold listings closed below their final list price, by a median of 23% when they did. With Best Offer on, 75.2% sold below list (median 24.2% under). With it off, 50.4% still did. We can't attribute the gap to Best Offer, and our data can't see why the off group sold under list. Offers sent to watchers and price changes made directly on eBay are both possible. Only 2.2% of sales closed above list.
| Best Offer | Listings | Sellers | Sold in 30 days | Median days | Seller-balanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Offer on | 24,115 | 207 | 12.2% | 7.5 | 18.4% |
| Best Offer off | 8,913 | 124 | 12.4% | 7.6 | 20.1% |
Median days counts only listings that sold within 30 days. Seller-balanced is the average of each seller's own rate (sellers with 5+ listings in the row, shown when 20+ such sellers exist).
Best Offer is the setting when we pulled the data, not necessarily at the moment of sale. We see the final sale, not the offers, so this study gives no offer acceptance rate.
Does pricing under sold comps make eBay items sell faster?
The data is mixed. For listings with at least 5 sold comps when they were written, we compared the list price to the median sold comp. Pooled, listings at 80 to 94% of the comps sold within 30 days 16.8% of the time against 9% at 95 to 104%. But listings at 120% or more sold 14.1%, so the pooled pattern is U-shaped. The 80-94% and 95-104% rows each get 45% and 44% of their listings from one seller.
Same seller, both ways
Across 25 sellers with at least 10 listings each way (5 for the comps split), "under 95% of comps" differed from "95-104% of comps" by a median of −1.9 points in 30-day sell-through, 95% interval −5.7 to +5.2, which includes zero. 36% of those sellers did better with "under 95% of comps", 60% with "95-104% of comps".
Only 25 sellers had enough listings on both sides, so this is the weakest comparison on the page. Underpricing is not a reliable shortcut to a sale.
| List price vs comps | Listings | Sellers | Sold in 30 days | Median days | Seller-balanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| under 80% of comps | 704 | 64 | 14.1% | 7.1 | – |
| 80-94% * | 546 | 60 | 16.8% | 6.3 | – |
| 95-104% * | 3,532 | 124 | 9% | 8.9 | 16.6% |
| 105-119% | 1,431 | 83 | 9.5% | 7 | 16.6% |
| 120% or more | 1,542 | 107 | 14.1% | 9.7 | 14.7% |
Median days counts only listings that sold within 30 days. Seller-balanced is the average of each seller's own rate (sellers with 5+ listings in the row, shown when 20+ such sellers exist). * One seller makes up 40% or more of the row.
What sells fastest on eBay by category?
Among top-level eBay categories with at least 20 sellers, 30 or more sales and no single seller above 40% of the row, 30-day sell-through ranged from 10.6% (Clothing, Shoes & Accessories) to 35.2% (Computers/Tablets & Networking). These are pooled rates. Where a seller-balanced rate exists, the spread is narrower, so much of the category gap is seller mix. Rows marked * get 40% or more of their listings from one seller.
| Top-level category | Listings | Sellers | Sold in 30 days | Median days | Seller-balanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolls & Bears * | 269 | 23 | 49.1% | 3.5 | – |
| Computers/Tablets & Networking | 230 | 45 | 35.2% | 4.2 | – |
| Cameras & Photo | 99 | 31 | 33.3% | 3.7 | – |
| Consumer Electronics | 253 | 42 | 32.4% | 3.9 | – |
| Video Games & Consoles | 349 | 36 | 28.9% | 3.2 | – |
| Health & Beauty | 234 | 53 | 22.2% | 7.5 | – |
| Sporting Goods | 544 | 70 | 19.9% | 6.7 | 19.1% |
| Toys & Hobbies | 1,023 | 63 | 18.3% | 5.5 | 19.3% |
| Home & Garden | 768 | 71 | 14.8% | 7.4 | 18% |
| Crafts | 136 | 22 | 14.7% | 4.1 | – |
| Jewelry & Watches * | 2,162 | 30 | 14.3% | 7 | – |
| Business & Industrial | 286 | 40 | 13.6% | 9.9 | – |
| Pottery & Glass | 250 | 31 | 12.8% | 7.2 | – |
| Movies & TV | 372 | 41 | 12.4% | 3.2 | – |
| Collectibles | 2,291 | 94 | 10.9% | 8.3 | 16.1% |
| Sports Mem, Cards & Fan Shop | 1,107 | 61 | 10.7% | 9.1 | 14.1% |
| Clothing, Shoes & Accessories | 18,450 | 139 | 10.6% | 8.5 | 17.6% |
| Music * | 1,454 | 28 | 10.5% | 5.7 | – |
| eBay Motors * | 486 | 38 | 8.4% | 7.6 | – |
| Art | 79 | 24 | 7.6% | 5.6 | – |
| Books & Magazines * | 2,098 | 54 | 6.8% | 9 | 10.1% |
Median days counts only listings that sold within 30 days. Seller-balanced is the average of each seller's own rate (sellers with 5+ listings in the row, shown when 20+ such sellers exist). * One seller makes up 40% or more of the row.
| Second-level category | Listings | Sellers | Sold in 30 days | Median days | Seller-balanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clothing, Shoes & Accessories > Men * | 10,746 | 114 | 10.7% | 8 | 17.9% |
| Clothing, Shoes & Accessories > Women | 6,265 | 101 | 10.8% | 9.5 | 13.5% |
| Jewelry & Watches > Fashion Jewelry * | 1,330 | 20 | 11.4% | 7.6 | – |
| Books & Magazines > Books * | 995 | 42 | 6% | 8.5 | – |
| Clothing, Shoes & Accessories > Kids | 795 | 38 | 6.2% | 13.7 | – |
| Sports Mem, Cards & Fan Shop > Fan Apparel & Souvenirs * | 790 | 48 | 11.9% | 10.1 | – |
| eBay Motors > Parts & Accessories * | 449 | 36 | 7.1% | 4.8 | – |
| Collectibles > Advertising * | 415 | 26 | 4.1% | 4.1 | – |
| Toys & Hobbies > Games * | 372 | 29 | 15.6% | 4.2 | – |
| Clothing, Shoes & Accessories > Specialty | 302 | 42 | 9.9% | 8.2 | – |
| Home & Garden > Kitchen, Dining & Bar | 275 | 46 | 13.5% | 6.9 | – |
| Movies & TV > DVDs & Blu-ray Discs | 273 | 33 | 12.1% | 4.1 | – |
| Video Games & Consoles > Video Games | 269 | 24 | 26.8% | 4.3 | – |
| Collectibles > Decorative Collectibles | 253 | 38 | 12.6% | 8.2 | – |
| Collectibles > Historical Memorabilia | 178 | 35 | 15.7% | 4.4 | – |
Median days counts only listings that sold within 30 days. Seller-balanced is the average of each seller's own rate (sellers with 5+ listings in the row, shown when 20+ such sellers exist). * One seller makes up 40% or more of the row.
The most-listed categories in the study were Shirts > T-Shirts (2,893), Women's Clothing > Tops (990), Shirts > Casual Button-Down Shirts (773), Men's Accessories > Hats (746), Activewear > Hoodies & Sweatshirts (713).
Does condition change eBay sell-through?
Pooled, new with tags sold within 30 days 22.3% of the time against 11.4% for used. Seller-balanced, the gap shrinks to 22% against 19.1%, which suggests seller mix explains most of the pooled gap. Used items were 86% of the study, which is what a reseller's inventory looks like.
| Condition | Listings | Sellers | Sold in 30 days | Median days | Seller-balanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New with tags | 1,475 | 109 | 22.3% | 7.8 | 22% |
| New / open box / like new | 3,020 | 140 | 15% | 7.5 | 17.8% |
| Used | 29,080 | 220 | 11.4% | 7.5 | 19.1% |
| For parts | 63 | 21 | 36.5% | 3 | – |
Median days counts only listings that sold within 30 days. Seller-balanced is the average of each seller's own rate (sellers with 5+ listings in the row, shown when 20+ such sellers exist).
What is the best day and time to list on eBay?
There isn't one in this data. Comparing listings from the same seller, weekend and weekday listings differed by a median −0.5 points and evening versus daytime by −0.1 points. Both intervals include zero. List when you have the time.
- Mon12.1%
- Tue12.1%
- Wed12%
- Thu11%
- Fri11.4%
- Sat12.4%
- Sun14.2%
Same seller, both ways
Across 72 sellers with at least 10 listings each way (5 for the comps split), "listed Sat/Sun" differed from "listed Mon-Fri" by a median of −0.5 points in 30-day sell-through, 95% interval −1.9 to +1.6, which includes zero. 45.8% of those sellers did better with "listed Sat/Sun", 52.8% with "listed Mon-Fri".
Same seller, both ways
Across 78 sellers with at least 10 listings each way (5 for the comps split), "listed 5pm-midnight ET" differed from "listed 6am-5pm ET" by a median of −0.1 points in 30-day sell-through, 95% interval −1.5 to +3.4, which includes zero. 50% of those sellers did better with "listed 5pm-midnight ET", 50% with "listed 6am-5pm ET".
| Hour listed (ET) | Listings | Sellers | Sold in 30 days | Median days | Seller-balanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00-05 ET | 4,918 | 85 | 10.1% | 8.4 | 21% |
| 06-11 ET | 6,524 | 105 | 11.2% | 8.3 | 19.5% |
| 12-16 ET | 8,116 | 172 | 12.2% | 7.1 | 20.1% |
| 17-20 ET | 6,668 | 168 | 13.9% | 6.7 | 19.2% |
| 21-23 ET | 7,412 | 129 | 13% | 7.9 | 18.8% |
Median days counts only listings that sold within 30 days. Seller-balanced is the average of each seller's own rate (sellers with 5+ listings in the row, shown when 20+ such sellers exist).
What changed since the April 2026 study?
Our first study, AI eBay Listing Data 2026, covered 2,806 listings from March to May 2026. It described the listings. This one follows them to the sale. Where the two overlap:
| Measure | Mar-May 2026 | May 15-Sep 14 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Listings in the study | 2,806 | 33,638 |
| Median list price | $24.18 | $19.99 |
| 90th-percentile list price | $69.98 | $55.00 |
| Median item specifics filled | 15 | 16 |
| Sold within 30 days | not measured | 12.2% |
The April figures are quoted from that page and used a different cohort (every listing created, March to May), so treat the comparison as directional.
What this study could not measure
- Crosslisting sell-through. The crosslisting sample is under the 20-seller floor for every marketplace, so this study reports sell-through for eBay only.
- Markdowns. Too few listings in the window were cut in price after going live through FlowLister to report.
- Offers received and accept rates. We see the final sale price, not each offer.
- Views, watchers and promoted listings. Not part of this cut.
Methodology
Population. Single-unit eBay US listings created with FlowLister and published to eBay from 2026-05-15 through 2026-09-14 (UTC), by sellers on the eBay US marketplace (or with no marketplace recorded, which is the US default) whose eBay sales sync succeeded in the last three days before 2026-10-15. That is 33,638 listings from 242 sellers. Every listing had at least 30 days on eBay before the data was pulled. Multi-unit listings (533) and sales matched to an earlier listing of the same item (125) were left out.
Sold within 30 days. An eBay order matched to the listing with a sale time no more than 30 days after the listing went live. 5,886 listings sold at any point before 2026-10-15; 4,108 sold within 30 days.
Listing attributes (title, price, condition, category, item specifics) are the values at the moment of publish. Photo count is the number of photos on the draft. Best Offer is the listing's setting when the data was pulled; listings with no recorded setting are left out of that split. Price versus comps uses the median sold comp found when the listing was written, for listings with 5 or more comps. Listing day and hour are US Eastern time.
Sold below list compares the item price the buyer paid, excluding shipping and tax, to the listing's final list price. A sale counts as below list when it is more than 1% under it.
Within-seller comparisons. Pooled rates mix sellers, and sellers differ more than listings do. For each comparison we took only sellers with at least 10 listings on each side (5 for the comps comparison), computed each seller's own 30-day sell-through on both sides, and report the median and mean of those differences in percentage points. The 95% interval is a bootstrap over sellers (2,000 resamples). Sellers count equally regardless of volume. We ran seven of these comparisons, so one interval excluding zero by chance alone would not be surprising.
Privacy. Every number was aggregated on the server before export. No row with fewer than 20 sellers or 50 listings is reported, and suppressed rows carry no counts. Some published rows are dominated by one seller; they are marked *. No listing, title, buyer or seller is identifiable from this page or the CSV files. The extraction script is scripts/research/listing-study-2026.py in the FlowLister repository.
Limits. This is observational data from FlowLister users, not a random sample of eBay, and FlowLister users skew toward volume resellers of used apparel. Sale detection depends on eBay's order feed. Every effect here is a correlation. The within-seller comparisons remove differences between sellers, not differences between items or over time.
Download the data
All aggregate tables on this page, as CSV, under CC BY 4.0.
How to cite this study
Suggested citation:
Taylor, C. (2026). FlowLister eBay Listing Data Study 2026. FlowLister. https://flowlister.com/ebay-listing-data-study/
Short form for articles: "according to FlowLister's 2026 study of 33,638 eBay listings", linked to this page. The data is licensed CC BY 4.0. Use it, quote it, chart it. Credit FlowLister and link here. Questions about the data go to our contact page.
Questions about eBay listing data
About the author
Chris Taylor is the founder of FlowLister and a full-time eBay reseller. He's sold on eBay since 2020 and runs Taylor Family Store with 3,800+ active listings, most of it sourced through Kingman Estates, his family's estate-liquidation business in Mohave County, Arizona. He founded Taylor Family Software, the Christian-owned studio behind FlowLister, and mentors local teens through Tools for Teens. Every tool review here is tested on real inventory, not press releases. More about Chris →