The eBay reseller glossary you can actually use.

Research and pricing

Active listings

Comparable items currently offered for sale. They show competition and asking prices, but not what buyers actually paid.

ASP (average selling price)

Total sales divided by the number of units sold. It is the same idea as average sold price, and it is most useful when poor matches and unusual outliers are removed.

Average sold price

The average price paid across a set of relevant sold listings. It is most useful when poor matches and unusual outliers are removed.

Market research

The process of identifying an item, reviewing active competition and sold results, then deciding whether the expected price and sales speed justify buying or listing it.

Product research

An eBay tool, found on the Research tab of Seller Hub, that gives sellers eBay sales data such as sales trends, average sales price, sold price range, and a sell through rate for recent searches. eBay says sellers with access to Seller Hub can use it.¹

Sales velocity

How quickly comparable inventory sells. Strooply uses recent market activity to help distinguish a fast mover from an item that may sit for months.

Sell-through rate

A demand signal comparing sold results with available listings. A higher rate generally means stronger demand, but the quality of the matches still matters. Formulas vary, so compare rates only when they use the same one. See the sell-through rate calculator.

Sold comps (comps)

Recently sold listings for the same or a closely comparable item. Condition, model, size, completeness, and quantity should be considered before treating a result as comparable.

eBay listings

Condition notes

A factual description of wear, damage, missing parts, testing, and other condition details that a buyer should know before purchasing.

Draft listing

A listing being prepared but not yet published. In Strooply, AI can fill a draft, but the seller reviews and confirms it before anything goes live. See the AI eBay listing generator.

Item specifics

Structured eBay fields such as brand, model, size, color, material, and type. Accurate specifics help buyers find and filter a listing.

Listing title

The searchable headline for an eBay listing. Strong titles prioritize exact product identity and useful attributes instead of filler words.

SKU

A seller-defined stock keeping unit used to identify and locate inventory. A SKU can encode a bin, shelf, category, or another system that works for the seller.

UPC, EAN, or ISBN

Standard product identifiers that can make identification and category matching more reliable when they are present and accurate.

Costs, fees, and profit

Buyer-paid shipping

The amount charged to the buyer for shipping. It contributes to gross revenue, while the shipping label is a separate expense.

COGS

Cost of goods sold: the purchase cost assigned to the inventory that actually sold. For a lot, the cost may need to be allocated across its units.

eBay payout

The amount eBay sends after marketplace deductions. Strooply uses the actual payout when available rather than continuing to rely on fee estimates.

Gross revenue

Sale price multiplied by quantity, plus shipping paid by the buyer. It is the top-line amount before costs and fees are deducted.

Lot cost allocation

Dividing a bulk purchase cost across the sellable units it produced. If six items cost $60, the starting allocated cost is $10 per item.

Net profit

Proceeds remaining after COGS, shipping labels, promoted listing charges, other fees, refunds, and return shipping are deducted. Strooply shows it per item in the eBay profit tracker.

Profit margin

Net profit divided by gross revenue. It answers: how much of each revenue dollar remained as profit?

Promoted listing fee

An advertising charge associated with an eBay sale attributed to a promoted listing campaign. It is separate from standard transaction fees.

Return on cost

Net profit divided by COGS. Resellers often call this ROI, though it specifically measures return against inventory cost.

Shipping label cost

The actual postage purchased to send the order. It should not be confused with the amount charged to the buyer.

Transaction fees

Marketplace charges associated with processing the sale. Rates vary, so settled order data is more reliable than a universal percentage estimate.

Refund and return cost

Money returned to the buyer plus any return shipping expense. Both can change the lifetime profit of an item that is later relisted and sold again.

Sourcing and operations

Consignment split

The agreed percentage or amount owed to an inventory owner after a sale. The split should be applied to a clearly defined profit or proceeds base.

Inventory location

The physical place where an item is stored, such as a shelf, bin, room, or warehouse area.

Lot

A group of items purchased together for one combined price. Items may later be listed separately, bundled, or sold in different quantities.

Receipt allocation

Connecting a receipt line to the item or lot it purchased so the correct acquisition cost flows into inventory and profit reporting.

Sourcing trip

A buying trip that can group stops, inventory acquisitions, mileage, and receipts into one operational record.

Stock quantity

The number of sellable units held. Quantity sold and quantity remaining must be separated for accurate cost and inventory tracking.

eBay fees and programs

Definitions here come from eBay's own pages, listed under Sources. eBay changes fees and programs, so confirm current details on eBay.

Best Offer (OBO)

A listing option that invites buyers to negotiate on price. After a buyer makes an offer, the seller can accept, decline, or send a counteroffer.² OBO means "or best offer" and is the shorthand seen in listings and seller chat.

Final value fee

The fee eBay charges when an item sells. eBay describes it as a percentage of the total amount of the sale plus a per order fee.³ The percentage depends on the category and the seller, so use the fee calculator for current rates.

INAD (item not as described)

A buyer claim that the item did not match the listing. eBay's Money Back Guarantee policy says sellers are required to deliver the item as it was described, and that a buyer who receives the wrong item, or one that arrives broken or faulty, can return it for a refund even if the seller does not offer returns.⁴ INAD is the shorthand sellers use for this kind of claim.

Money Back Guarantee

An eBay program that covers most transactions on eBay. It lets buyers recover payment for items that do not arrive, are faulty or damaged, or do not match the listing. eBay states that it is not a product warranty.⁴

Per-order fee

A fee eBay charges on each order rather than on each item. eBay defines an order as any number of items purchased by the same buyer at checkout with the same shipping method, and says the amount depends on the size of the order.³ The fee calculator shows the amount for a sale.

Promoted Listings

eBay's advertising for listings. eBay says promoting listings helps items stand out and reach more buyers, and that under its general strategy you pay only when your item sells after a click on your ad.⁵ See Promoted listing fee under costs and profit for how the charge appears in profit.

Seller Hub

eBay's central place for managing an eBay business. eBay says it is free to use and brings its selling tools into one location, with tabs such as Orders, Listings, Marketing, Advertising, Performance, Research, and Payments.⁶

Top Rated Plus

A set of benefits for sellers who have reached eBay's Top Rated seller level. Listings that meet eBay's handling time and free returns requirements display a Top Rated Plus seal and qualify for a discount on final value fees, which eBay says does not apply to the per-order portion.⁷ Check eBay's page for the current requirements.

Shipping terms

Carrier and eBay shipping definitions, with the pages they come from listed under Sources.

Cubic pricing

A USPS Ground Advantage price type for eligible commercial customers. The price depends on the volume of the package, found by multiplying length, width, and height and grouped into tiers, and the Domestic Mail Manual limits the size and weight of cubic-priced pieces.⁸

Dimensional (dim) weight

Pricing a large, lightweight package by its size instead of its scale weight. For USPS Ground Advantage parcels above a size threshold, the Domestic Mail Manual bases postage on actual weight or dimensional weight, whichever is greater, with dimensional weight worked out from length, width, and height.⁸

Ground Advantage

A USPS service for sending packages inside the U.S.⁹ USPS publishes the maximum weight and the expected delivery time on its service page. The shipping overview covers how size and weight set the price.

Handling time

The time a seller takes to get an order to the carrier. eBay says handling time begins when you receive payment for an item and ends when your package is scanned by your shipping carrier, and counts it in business days.¹⁰

Media Mail

A USPS Package Services subclass priced for a limited list of contents, such as books, sound recordings, and printed music. The Domestic Mail Manual says mailing at these prices is consent to inspection of the contents.¹¹ See the Media Mail guide.

Standard Envelope

eBay's domestic envelope service with tracking through eBay, available on the US marketplace for specific eligible categories such as certain sub-categories of trading cards. It requires an eBay-generated shipping label and has item value and envelope requirements.¹² See the trading card shipping guide.

Reseller slang

Community shorthand rather than an eBay or carrier definition. Sellers use these words loosely, so meanings can differ.

Bin store (Goodwill outlet)

Shopper shorthand for a discount outlet where goods are sold out of bins. Details differ by operator and location, and the Goodwill outlets and bins guide shows what operators publish.

BOLO

Be on the lookout. Reseller slang for a brand, item, or category worth watching for while sourcing, often shared as a list.

Death pile

Reseller slang for the stack of items that never get listed or never sell and keeps growing. The exact meaning varies from seller to seller.

Double sale (oversell)

Selling the same single item twice, for example when it is listed in two places and both listings sell. Only one buyer can receive it, so sellers try to prevent this by tracking stock quantity across every listing.

PWE (plain white envelope)

Reseller slang for shipping a very light item in an ordinary envelope instead of a box or mailer.

Unicorn

Reseller slang for a rare find that is unusually valuable compared with what it cost. Sellers use it loosely, and one seller's unicorn may be ordinary for another.