With over 1,2 million visits per month, eBay is one of the most popular eCommerce marketplaces in the world, bringing lucrative business opportunities to many sellers. However, since this channel is highly competitive to newbies, you must find the winning product to stay ahead of other competitors.
In this article, Yagi Commerce will guide you on how to find the best selling items on eBay. Stay tuned!
1. Leveraging eBay’s Own Tools for Market Research
eBay provides several built-in tools to help sellers conduct market research. These tools can give you a wealth of data about trending items, pricing, and competitive analysis.
1.1. eBay’s Trending Page
eBay’s Trending Page is the perfect place to start your research. This page lists what’s currently popular, showing you real-time information about what buyers are searching for. Checking this page regularly can give you valuable insight into short-term trends and help you learn how to see best-selling items on eBay.
1.2. eBay Seller Hub
For more detailed market analysis, eBay’s Seller Hub offers a comprehensive set of tools. Through the “Research” tab, you can access data about the performance of specific products or categories over time. The tool allows you to track sales history, average prices, and overall demand. With this data, you can forecast future trends and understand how competitive a particular category is.
Source: eBay
1.3. Terapeak Research Tool
Terapeak is a data-driven eBay research tool that analyzes historical eBay data to give sellers insight into what products are selling well. By analyzing data for up to 365 days, you can identify seasonal trends and determine pricing strategies based on historical performance. This tool is invaluable for learning how to find top-selling items on eBay.
Pro Tip: Terapeak is included with your eBay Store subscription, but even if you don’t have a store, you can purchase it separately for deeper insights.
2. Identifying Top Categories and Subcategories
When starting your research, it’s vital to know that some categories on eBay consistently outperform others. Popular categories on eBay include:
- Electronics: This category includes smartphones, gaming consoles, laptops, and accessories.
- Fashion: Clothing, shoes, and accessories, especially branded items, tend to perform well.
- Collectibles: Vintage items, rare coins, and memorabilia are always in demand.
- Home and Garden: Items such as home décor, kitchen appliances, and gardening tools are also popular.
However, diving deeper into subcategories will give you a more precise picture of where the real opportunities lie. For example, within electronics, certain smartphone models or accessory types may sell better than others.
Example: iPhone accessories sell better than Android accessories, given the higher user loyalty to the Apple brand. Knowing how to find best-selling products on eBay can help you identify these opportunities.
3. Researching Competitor Listings
Understanding your competition is crucial in eCommerce. By researching competitor listings, you can find out what products are moving and how other sellers are positioning them.
3.1. Spy on Competitor Stores
eBay allows you to follow sellers or stores you find interesting. You can track their product listings, reviews, and customer engagement. Studying successful eBay stores can give you insights into best-selling products and pricing strategies, helping you learn how to find the best sellers on eBay.
Source: Unsplash
3.2. Reverse Engineer Best-Selling Listings
Look at the top listings for products in your target category. Notice what makes them successful. Key elements to observe include:
- Pricing: Compare listing prices with recent sales data to ensure you’re competitive.
- Shipping: Offer free shipping if competitors are doing so, as it can make your listing more attractive.
- Descriptions: Examine how top sellers write their descriptions. Clear, keyword-rich, and informative descriptions help items rank higher in eBay searches.
4. Analyzing eBay’s Completed Listings
One of eBay’s most powerful features for sellers is the ability to view completed listings. This feature shows you items that have already sold, as well as those that did not sell, allowing you to gauge demand for specific products and learn how to see most sold items on eBay.
4.1. Use Filters to Narrow Results
When using the “Completed Listings” tool, be sure to filter results by “Sold Listings” to focus on what’s actually selling. Green prices in the results indicate items that have successfully sold, while red prices represent items that didn’t. This distinction is critical in evaluating product viability.
4.2. Identify Pricing Patterns
Studying completed listings will also reveal important pricing patterns. For example, if you find that certain products consistently sell for a higher price at auction, you can adjust your selling strategy to reflect those trends. This knowledge will help you understand how to find the best selling products on eBay.
5. Third-Party Research Tools for Deeper Insights
While eBay offers excellent research tools, many third-party platforms can provide additional insights into best-selling products. These tools aggregate data from various eCommerce platforms, including eBay, to help sellers make informed decisions.
5.1. Google Trends
Google Trends allows you to track search interest over time, giving you insights into rising or declining demand for specific products. You can compare different keywords, helping you forecast future trends or spot emerging markets.
Source: Unsplash
5.2. JungleScout
Though primarily designed for Amazon sellers, JungleScout can also be useful for eBay sellers. It analyzes search trends and provides competitive analysis across different eCommerce platforms, including eBay. You can use it to identify what items are performing well across multiple marketplaces, which can help you diversify your selling strategy.
5.3. ShelfTrend
ShelfTrend offers insights into real-time eBay listings. The platform allows you to track up to 20 competitors simultaneously and provides data on price distribution, item specifics, and listing formats. This tool is especially useful for identifying niche categories and finding items with low competition but high demand.
Pro Tip: Combine data from multiple tools to get a clearer picture of what products are consistently in demand and how to find best sellers on eBay.
6. Seasonal Trends and Hot Moments to List Products
Certain products perform better during specific seasons or events. For instance, fitness equipment often sees a spike in demand in January due to New Year’s resolutions, while home décor items may sell better during the holiday season.
6.1. Use Seasonal Data to Your Advantage
eBay’s Terapeak tool, mentioned earlier, can help you identify seasonal trends for specific items. Additionally, platforms like Google Trends can help you track demand peaks for particular product categories.
6.2. Plan Ahead for Holidays and Events
Holidays like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas are massive sales opportunities. Planning your listings in advance for these events can help you capture higher sales volumes. Understanding how to find best sellers on eBay during these peak times is crucial for maximizing profit.
Source: Unsplash
7. Understanding the Role of Keywords and SEO on eBay
Optimizing your eBay listings for search engines is crucial to ensure your products are visible to buyers. The better your SEO, the higher your listings will appear in both eBay’s search engine and external search engines like Google.
7.1. eBay’s Cassini Search Engine
eBay’s search engine, Cassini, ranks listings based on relevance, price, shipping speed, and customer feedback. To maximize visibility, ensure your listings are detailed, with clear, keyword-rich titles and descriptions. This optimization will aid in your goal of how to find best-selling items on eBay.
Pro Tip: Use keywords that buyers are searching for in both the title and description. Tools like KeywordTool.io and eBay Keyword Finder can help you discover what terms buyers are using to search for products similar to yours.
7.2. Best Practices for Listing Optimization
- Title: Use relevant keywords, but avoid keyword stuffing. Include brand names, product specifications, and attributes (size, color, material).
- Description: Write a detailed yet concise description that includes essential keywords. Use bullet points to make it easy to read.
- Photos: Include high-quality images from multiple angles. eBay allows up to 12 photos per listing, so take advantage of this feature to showcase your product fully.
- Shipping Options: Offer free or fast shipping whenever possible, as this improves your visibility in search results.
8. Top 5 Best-Selling Items on eBay
Knowing which items are currently top sellers on eBay can give you a major advantage. Based on recent data, here are the top 5 best-selling items on eBay that have consistently performed well:
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Smartphones and Accessories
Electronics dominate eBay, and smartphones are at the forefront. Top-selling brands include Apple iPhones and Samsung Galaxy devices. Cases, chargers, and other accessories also perform well, especially if they are compatible with the latest models.
2. Health and Fitness Products
The health and fitness category continues to thrive, especially since the pandemic. Exercise equipment, yoga mats, and fitness trackers are popular products that sell year-round.
3. Video Game Consoles and Games
Gaming consoles such as PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch are consistently high sellers on eBay. Additionally, video games, both new and vintage, are in high demand, with limited edition or hard-to-find titles often fetching higher prices.
4. Fashion (Clothing and Shoes)
Branded clothing and shoes, particularly luxury and streetwear brands like Nike, Adidas, and Supreme, are among the top-selling items on eBay. Collectible sneakers are especially in demand in the resale market.
5. Home Décor and Kitchen Appliances
Items in the Home and Garden category, including small kitchen appliances (air fryers, coffee makers) and home décor (wall art, rugs), have seen consistent sales on eBay. With more people investing in their home environments, these products continue to perform well
Conclusion
Finding the best-selling items on eBay involves a mix of research, strategy, and a bit of trial and error. By leveraging eBay’s built-in tools, studying competitor listings, and utilizing third-party research platforms, you can identify trends and niches that will help you stand out from the competition. Now that you know how to find the best selling items on eBay, you’re equipped to dive into the market with confidence. Yagi Commerce hopes that this article is helpful for you!
