Methodology
Where the data comes from
For each search we read eBay's public sold-listing results for that marketplace (ebay.com, ebay.co.uk or ebay.de) at the time of the request: the sold price, sale date, condition, buying format, shipping and the listing link. We don't estimate, model or invent prices. Results for the same search are cached for up to 12 hours, so a number can be a few hours old; the response says when each sale happened.
Which sales count as a match
eBay pads sold results with loose matches. We keep a sale only if every number in your query appears in the title as a whole number ("N64" matches 64, "64GB" doesn't), quoted phrases appear exactly, and at least 80% of the other words appear. Minus words exclude a sale. Sales that don't match aren't returned or counted.
What we leave out of the statistics, and why
| Flag | What it means | Example title |
|---|---|---|
lot | Several items sold together | N64 Console Bundle 8 Games · Pokemon cards x10 |
for_parts | Broken, untested or for repair (not flagged when you search with condition=for_parts) | Super Nintendo SNES ***For Parts or Repair*** |
box_only | Packaging without the item | Empty box only, no console |
replica | Described as fake, replica or homage | 2 fake Rolex watches, props |
accessory | A part or add-on far below the typical price | Watch box · bezel gasket for Rolex · card sleeves |
outlier | More than 1.5× the interquartile range from the middle | A $2,039 typo among $40 sales |
Accepted Best Offers are a special case: eBay often shows the original list price, not what the buyer paid. When the accepted amount isn't shown, the sale is returned with best_offer_price_known: false and left out of the statistics rather than counted at a price nobody paid. In our sample of 5,779 eBay sold listings, 19.5% were such sales (dataset).
How the numbers are computed
stats is computed only from sales with an empty flags array and a known price. excluded tells you how many were left out. items lists up to limit sales, flagged ones included, so you can apply your own rules; set limit=200 to see every sale the stats were computed from.
- Median is the middle clean sale. We lead with it because one bundle, typo or broken unit can drag an average a long way; in our sample the raw average ran 19% above the clean median in a typical search.
- Middle half is the 25th to 75th percentile of clean sales: the realistic price range.
- Outliers are sales more than 1.5× the interquartile range below the 25th or above the 75th percentile.
- Count is how many sales the numbers rest on. Under 10 clean sales, treat the median as a rough guide.
Limits
- Each search finds up to 200 of the most recent matching sales from the last 90 days, newest first, and lists up to limit of them. For busy searches (like "pokemon card") that may cover only the last day or two; add detail to the query to go further back for one item.
- Prices are in the site's currency: USD on EBAY_US, GBP on EBAY_GB, EUR on EBAY_DE.
- Some accepted Best Offer prices are hidden by eBay. Those items carry best_offer_price_known: false, show the list price, and are left out of stats.
- You never send us an eBay login or cookie. If eBay blocks a fetch we return 502 upstream_unavailable, never an empty 200.
- SoldComps is independent and not affiliated with eBay.
- About 90 days of history, the same window eBay's own sold search shows. For older history, eBay sellers can use Terapeak in Seller Hub.
- Sold prices are the item price eBay shows, excluding shipping (returned separately).
- A search is only as good as its words: different editions, sizes or grades are different markets. Put model numbers, sizes and grades in the query.
How to check our numbers
Every sale in a result carries its eBay listing link, and the API lists flagged sales too (with the reason), so you can audit what was counted and what wasn't. Search the same item on eBay with the Sold items filter and compare. Spotted something wrong? Email hello@soldcomps.io and we'll correct it.
See it on real data
The eBay Sold Comps Index shows these rules applied to 34 popular items, with the sales found, excluded and counted for each.