chapter 04 of 7
chapter 04
Setting the price
From comps to a list price: the floor, the comp range, condition, how fast you want it gone, and the prompt that puts them together.
By now the Inventory row has a floor price and, from your comps, an average and a range. The list price sits somewhere between them. Where is a judgment call, and that's yours. Claude can lay out the argument.
The three numbers
- Floor. Below this you're working for less than your minimum. If the comps say the item sells under the floor, the honest answer is to pass on the next one like it, and to sell this one for what it will fetch.
- Comp range. Where matching items actually sold.
- Ceiling. The lowest active asking price for the same thing. Above that, a buyer has a cheaper option a click away.
What moves it inside the range
- Condition against the comps. A grade A item priced off grade C comps should sit at the top. The reverse too.
- How many comps. Thirty sales in three months means you know the price. Two in a year means you're setting it. Product research's sell-through figure helps here.
- How long you'll wait. Price at the high end and wait, or near the median and move it. Both are fine. Decide per item, not by mood.
- Photos and listing quality. The comp with great photos and a full description probably sold higher for a reason.
The prompt
Price S0014. From my sheet: cost [12], grade [B], platform [eBay], floor [37.50]. Matching sold comps: [8], median [61], range [48 to 79]. Lowest active asking price for the same thing: [85].
Suggest a list price and an accept-offers-above price. Give me one line of reasoning for each. If the comps say it sells below the floor, say so plainly. If I want it gone inside 30 days, what would you change?
Then you pick. Put the list price in the List price column and move the Status to Listed when it's up.
Markdowns
The Age column counts days since listing. Settings decides when an item counts as aging (90 days to start). Aging items show up on the Overview and in the weekly review in chapter 7. A simple rule beats deciding every time, for example:
- At the aging mark, re-check comps. Prices drift.
- If the comps still hold, improve the listing: photos, title, the details a buyer would search for.
- If they don't, drop to the new median.
- Never below the floor without deciding to. Sometimes clearing the shelf is worth it. Write it down when you do.