This article helps our Volunteer Squad keep the database clean and consistent! It pertains to members who have Contributor access and above. If you're interested in getting involved, read more about joining the Squad here. We'd love to have you aboard!

We are dedicated to providing the most accurate Estimated Values possible. eBay is an excellent source for Price Points because of the vast number of transactions completed there every day, plus they provide easy access to completed sale history.

Follow these easy instructions to add eBay auction and Buy it Now Price Points to Database Items. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS



The Basics


eBay is a great source for Price Points because we can see exactly what each item sold for. To keep our price guide as accurate as possible, add as many Price Points as possible for each item.

Before adding any Price Points from eBay, please read and become familiar with our Price Point Quality Standards. All Price Points added must meet those standards. Disregard for the quality standards may result in limitations on Squad participation or removal from the Squad.



What NOT to add to the Price Guide

  • Do not add listings for items that are not mint or near-mint.
  • Do not add listings for items with missing or damaged packaging.
  • Do not add listings for fake or counterfeit items.
  • Don't add listings sold by anyone on our Bad Sellers list.
  • Don't add listings for lots containing multiple items.


A Note on Relisted Items

For a long time we had a policy of not using relisted eBay items as Price Points. While relisting items can potentially have nefarious motivations, it's uncommon. The more common scenario is that the seller has more than one of the item and is just recycling the original listing to save time.


Our current policy is that it is okay to add relisted eBay sales as Price Points if they appear to be legitimate and meet the Price Point Quality Standards. Rare items and high-priced items (around $100 USD and above) that have been relisted should receive a closer look before adding as a Price Point since it's much more likely for fraud attempts in that range. Sales for common items that sold for less than around $100 generally don't need any more scrutiny than other Price Points. In general, we expect Squad members to use good faith editorial judgement when deciding which eBay listings to add as Price Points.




The Tutorial





Detailed Instructions


Step One: Find Sold eBay Listings


Start by searching for the item you want to find Price Points for, then take a look at the filters on the left side of the page. Scroll most of the way down to the section that says Show only. One of the options there will be Sold Items. Select that and you’re on your way!


NOTE: It's extremely important to check each listing to make sure the item has actually sold, even when the Sold Items filter is set. Sellers can end their listings early, before the item sells, and sometimes those ended listings still show up when search results are filtered for sold items.


On mobile, look for a green "SOLD" label when you go into a listing. If it has a red "ENDED" label instead, do not add the listing to hobbyDB as a Price Point.



On desktop, watch for a yellow banner that says "This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available." There's also one that says it was ended because of an error in the listing. If you see either one of those banners, don't add the listing to hobbyDB. The item photo will also have a gray ribbon on the corner with "ENDED" if the listing was ended early, or "SOLD" if it did actually sell.




Step Two: Find the eBay Item Number


First and foremost, please make sure that the sold item you’ve found meets all the criteria we expect for Price Points in the database (mint condition, not more than one item per listing, etc.). You’re also going to want to pull the correct database entry up in a separate tab to make things easier for the next step. Once we’ve got those parts squared away, it’s a pretty simple process. You’re looking for the eBay Item Number, which can be found about halfway down the page (see below). Just copy that and we’re onto the next step!



Step Three: Adding the Sold Item to the Price Guide


Navigate to the Database Item and click Price Points in the menu above the Item Name, then click Add eBay Auction or BIN (BIN stands for "Buy It Now"). Do not use the Add eBay Best Offer button for standard eBay listings.


Paste eBay Item Numbers into the text box, one on each line. Click Save when you're done entering completed sale listings. You will see confirmation that the completed sales listings saved successfully in green, notification in blue that listings you entered are already in the system, or a warning in red that one or more of the numbers entered is invalid.


You can also add eBay IDs for listings with damaged or fake items and tick the checkbox labeled These items are not Near Mint or not genuine and should be excluded from the calculation of the Estimated Value. Those listings will immediately be marked as "deleted" in the system to prevent them from accidentally added to the Price Guide in the future. Note that this is an "all or nothing" option, so be sure not to include listing IDs for valid Price Points when using it.





That’s it! Remember that it takes up to 24 hours for the Price Point to show in the Price Guide and for the Estimated Value to recalculate.