eBay Sell-Through Rate Calculator
Total number of items sold in the last 3 months.
Current number of active listings available for sale.
Sell-Through Rate (STR):
0%
Demand Verdict:
Estimated Days to Sell:
–
What is eBay Sell-Through Rate?
The eBay Sell-Through Rate (STR) is the most critical metric for resellers to determine product demand. It represents the percentage of inventory that has sold over a specific period (usually 90 days) compared to the amount of inventory currently available.
A high sell-through rate indicates that an item is in high demand and sells quickly, while a low rate suggests the market is saturated or the item is undesirable. Mastering this calculation helps you avoid "death piles" of unsold inventory.
How to Calculate Sell-Through Rate
The formula for calculating the sell-through rate on eBay is straightforward:
(Sold Listings ÷ Active Listings) × 100 = STR %
To find these numbers, you can use eBay's Terapeak Product Research tool or manually filter search results by "Sold" and "Completed" listings versus current active listings.
Interpreting Your Results
Once you have your percentage, here is how to interpret the data for sourcing decisions:
- Under 40% (Slow Mover): The market is saturated. Expect these items to sit for several months. You should only buy these if the profit margin is exceptionally high.
- 40% – 100% (Steady Seller): This is healthy demand. Items typically sell within 1 to 3 months. These are safe, consistent flips.
- Over 100% (Fast Mover): There are more buyers than available items. These items often sell within days or even hours of listing. These are "BOLO" (Be On The Lookout) items.
Why 90 Days?
eBay keeps sold listing data accessible for 90 days. Using this timeframe standardizes the metric across the reseller community. If you see 100 sold items and 100 active items, that means 100% of the current supply turns over every 90 days.