Is this a good deal?
Enter what they are asking, then show us the item: a photo, the barcode, a few words, or a link to the listing. You get the range the same item actually sells for, and where that asking price sits inside it.
Example estimate
Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera
$190
Usually sells for $120 – $320
Your result appears here.
Before you agree a price
An estimate tells you what the item is worth. These are the things that decide whether the one in front of you is that item.
- Is it the exact model, edition or colourway, not just the same family?
- Does the condition match what the comparable sales were in? Boxed and complete is a different item.
- Are the comparisons sold listings, or just what other optimistic sellers are asking?
- Is anything missing that is expensive to replace: charger, papers, box, a single part?
- For anything faked often, can the seller show what proves it is genuine?
How to read the verdict
Below the range means the asking price is under what these complete at. That is a good sign, but it is also what a damaged, incomplete or wrong-model item looks like, so check harder, not less.
Inside the range is the ordinary case. Towards the bottom you are buying well; towards the top you are paying for condition, completeness or convenience, which is reasonable if you are actually getting them.
Above the range means the seller is asking more than these sell for. Sometimes that is justified by something the estimate cannot see. Usually it is not, and it is worth saying so and offering less.
Buying to resell? Check what would be left after fees before you agree a price, and remember the estimate is the resale value, not your margin.
Using the number in a negotiation
A range is a better negotiating position than a single figure, because it is defensible. Telling a seller their item is worth one specific amount invites an argument about that amount. Saying that comparable examples have completed between two figures, and pointing at the listings, moves the conversation from opinion to evidence, and most reasonable sellers adjust once they are looking at completed sales rather than at other people’s asking prices.
Anchor on the low end when the condition is uncertain, and say why: a missing accessory, an unverified signature, a mechanism nobody has tested. Each of those is a real reason the item sits at the bottom of its range rather than the top, and naming them is more persuasive than a flat offer. Where the seller can resolve the uncertainty, by testing it, finding the box or showing the paperwork, the price can fairly move up, and offering that trade is usually how a stuck negotiation unsticks.
When a good deal is not a good buy
A price below the market is only a bargain if you can realise it. Factor in what it costs to collect or ship, what any missing part costs to replace, and whether the thing needs a service before it can be used or sold. For bulky items the collection cost alone can swallow the discount.
Then ask how liquid it is. Some categories sell within days at a sensible price and others sit for months, and buying at a discount in a slow category means holding the item, which has a cost even when nothing goes wrong. If you are buying to resell, subtract marketplace fees and postage before deciding the margin is real, because the gap between a market price and a resale profit is precisely those costs.
And if the numbers do not work, walking away is a complete answer. There will be another one; items that feel unrepeatable almost never are, and the sense of urgency a seller creates is the oldest tool in the trade.
Questions about checking a price
How do I know if an asking price is fair?
Compare it against completed sales of the same item in the same condition, not against other asking prices. An asking price is what one seller hopes to get; a sold price is what a buyer actually paid. This tool estimates the sold range and tells you where the asking price falls inside it.
What counts as a good deal?
Anything below the typical sale price, once you have checked it is genuinely the same item in the same condition. Below the bottom of the range is either a bargain or a sign that something is wrong with it, so look harder before you buy.
The seller says it is worth much more. Who is right?
Sellers often quote the retail price when new, an insurance valuation, or the highest price they have seen asked anywhere. None of those is what the item sells for today. Completed sales are the only number that reflects what buyers will actually pay.
Can I check a price from a listing link?
Yes. Paste the link on the Paste link tab and the title, price and description are read off the page, then valued. Pages that block automated access will not work, so photograph the item or describe it instead.
Does this account for shipping and fees?
No. The estimate is the item's value on its own. Add postage, and for a local pickup add your travel. If you are reselling it, the eBay fee calculator shows what would be left after fees.