How to Read eBay Sold Comps

A "comp" is a comparable sale. Reading them well is the single most useful skill for pricing any collectible.

Active prices vs sold prices

An active listing shows what a seller is hoping to get. A sold listing shows what a buyer actually paid. Only the second number tells you the real value. It is common to see an item listed at $200 while recent copies have sold for $120. Always anchor on sold, not asking.

How to see sold listings on eBay

Search the item on eBay, then open the filters and turn on "Sold items" (it lives under the "Show only" filters on the left on desktop, or under "Filter" on mobile). eBay then shows recently completed sales with the price each one fetched.

Read the middle, not the extremes

Ignore the single highest and lowest sales; they are usually a mistake, a bidding war, or a different item. Look at where the bulk of recent sales cluster. The typical or median price is your honest value.

Match condition and grade exactly

A graded, slabbed coin or card is a different item from a raw one, and one grade up can multiply the price. Compare like with like: a PCGS MS65 to other PCGS MS65s, a PSA 9 to other PSA 9s. Comparing a graded sale to a raw one will mislead you every time.

Watch for accepted Best Offers

When a listing sold via Best Offer, eBay often shows the original asking price with a line through it but hides the actual accepted amount, so the real sale price can be lower than it looks. Free tools that parse Best Offer data can reveal the true number.

Recent beats old

Collectible markets move. A sale from last week is worth more to your estimate than one from a year ago. Lean on the most recent comparable sales you can find.

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