Even more stuff on eBay pricing information

I was glad to see Jim's article on using eBay for pricing information. This was a topic I posted on a really long time ago — back before this site was even a blog! — and it's still excellent advice.

Some points to add emphasis to what was already in the articles:

• Add in the shipping, too!  It's well-known, though not well-liked by eBay or buyers, that sellers inflate the shipping prices.  This serves two purposes for the sellers.  First, the auction attracts more attention because the bid price is lower.  Second, the final value fees charged by eBay are based on the highest bid price, not on the sum of bid price and shipping.  So the more the shipping is padded, the more that is immune to the final value fee.  The main thing:  be sure to take the shipping into account because it may be high — especially with Buy It Now items.
• Look at the number of bids.  If the item was sold, a lot of bids likely means that the auction started really low with a low reserve or no reserve.  By doing what Jim said and sorting by price, there should be a few high ones (possibly high starting price or Buy It Now) followed by lower-priced ones that have lots of bidding.  The lower-priced ones (total of final value and shipping) are probably pretty close to fair market value.  The higher-priced ones were that way because, perhaps, they were store items and the buyer didn't want to monkey around with bidding.
• Compare apples to apples.  Is the item new or used?  Immaculate or less than perfect or really beat up?  With or without accessories?  Refurbished or original?  Replica or name-brand?  The price difference can be substantial, and all kinds, brands, and conditions shop up on eBay.

So yes — price comparison on eBay is a great idea!