One of the first questions when you create a search isn't about the app but about the market: “What maximum price should I set?” Set it too high and you get dozens of ordinary listings and stop looking at them. Set it too low and nothing arrives for weeks, so you start thinking the system doesn't work.
The good news is that the right price can be measured, and it takes ten minutes per item. This is the method we recommend.
Look at sold listings, not open ones
The price in an open listing is what the seller hopes to get. The price an item actually sold for is a fact. On used goods, the gap between the two easily reaches 20 or 30 percent.
eBay is the platform where this figure is easiest to find:
- Search for the exact model, for example
PlayStation 5 slim digital. The more precise the name, the more reliable the result. - In the filter column (on a phone, behind the filter button), turn on Sold items. The prices in green are the ones at which the auction or sale actually closed.
- Choose the condition you care about, for example Used, and sort by date, most recent first.
- Write down the prices of the last ten or fifteen sales, shipping included. Throw out any very odd values: the unit with a broken box that sold for next to nothing, or the one with three games included that sold for much more.
The figure in the middle of your list, the median, is that item's market value today. It's better than the average, because a single outlier price doesn't move it.
Always include shipping in the comparison. An item at €180 with €15 shipping costs the same as one at €195 with free shipping, and the platforms' price filters don't always add the two together.
Compare the three platforms
The same item doesn't have the same price everywhere, and knowing the differences helps you decide where to focus your searches.
| Platform | What to expect |
|---|---|
| eBay | The most solid reference for value, thanks to sold listings. Prices are often a little higher because of professional sellers and heavily watched auctions. |
| Vinted | Lots of private sellers decluttering, prices open to offers. Great for clothing, shoes and accessories, but also for small electronics and games. |
| Subito | Local listings, many in-person pickups, prices sometimes far from market value in either direction. It's where real bargains turn up most often, and fake listings too. |
A useful check: once you've found the value on eBay, search for the same model on Vinted and Subito and look at the prices of open listings. If they're in line or a little above, your number is right. If they're all much lower, you're probably looking at a different version of the product.
From one number to a price range
With the market value in hand, you can set the search's two price limits.
- Maximum price: it depends on what you want to do. For a personal purchase, 10 or 15 percent below market value is already a very good price, and you'll get notifications fairly regularly. If you buy to resell you need to go lower, because fees, shipping and your time come out of the margin: usually between 25 and 35 percent below.
- Minimum price: it looks pointless, but it's the filter that removes the most noise. Below a certain amount you only find cases, empty boxes, spare parts and bait listings. For a €350 console, a minimum of €120 removes almost everything that isn't the console.
With a Reseller plan or higher, you set both limits in the search's advanced filters. With any plan you can put them directly in the platform link before pasting it into L.O.O.T., as we explain in the guide to your first search.
A complete example
Say you're looking for a used Nintendo Switch OLED. In eBay sold listings from the last few weeks you find, shipping included, values between €215 and €260, with the median around €235.
With a maximum of €205 notifications will be more frequent, and among them you'll find good buys for yourself. With €165 they'll be rare, but almost all worth opening right away.
When to review the price
Prices for used items change, sometimes quickly. Three moments when it's worth redoing the math:
- When a new model comes out: the previous one loses value within a few weeks.
- Before and after gift-giving seasons, when many people resell what they received and prices drop.
- If you get no notifications for two weeks, or you get so many that you stop opening them. Either way, the maximum price is no longer the right one.
One last thing. A low price on its own isn't enough: before you buy, run the checks in the guide on how to buy second hand without getting scammed.
