Highest Selling Items on eBay: What I Learned Turning My Side Hustle Into a Real Business

 

Introduction: The First Time I Accidentally Hit a Goldmine

I’ll never forget the spring of 2021. I had listed a random box of iPhone charging cables I’d sourced from a liquidation pallet — 50 pieces, $0.80 each. I honestly thought it would take months to move them.

Instead, they sold out in 11 days.

No fancy marketing. No big store. Just a solid listing and a product that people wanted — badly. I remember refreshing my Seller Hub every few hours and watching the notifications roll in. That moment completely changed how I thought about eBay.

I stopped guessing what might sell. I started researching the highest selling items on eBay and building around real data.

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What Counts as “Highest Selling” on eBay?

Here’s where it gets interesting.
Most people assume “highest selling” means “most expensive.” It doesn’t. The majority of top-performing products on eBay fall into high-demand, low-to-medium price categories. They sell fast, often in high volume, and they compound over time.

From my own data (January–August 2024), the top categories looked like this:

This isn’t official eBay data — this is from my own shop’s sales dashboard, paired with Terapeak research and Closo’s signal tracking. And I can tell you: the less “sexy” the item, the faster it often sells.

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How I Used eBay Tools to Find My First High Sellers

Back in mid-2021, I didn’t know where to start. I’d thrift random stuff, list it, and hope. Then I discovered eBay’s “sold listings” filter.

Here’s the simple method that still works today:

1. Search for your niche (e.g., “iPhone case” or “Y2K hoodie”).

2. Scroll down and click “Sold items.”

3. Sort by “Most recently sold.”

4. Track what sells fast — and at what price.

I paired that with:

• Terapeak (for volume estimates)

• Closo Seller Hub (to see demand clusters)

• Google Trends (for seasonal timing)

• Spreadsheet tracking (to catch patterns manually)

Within 30 days, I realized that I didn’t need to find unicorn products. I just needed to stack high-volume, fast-turnover listings.

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People Always Ask Me: “How Do I Offer Free Shipping on eBay Without Losing Money?”

This question comes up a lot in forums and DMs.

I started testing free shipping in late 2022. At first, I lost money because I didn’t calculate it correctly. (Shipping costs can eat margins faster than you expect.)

The trick I learned:

• Calculate the average shipping for your product type.

• Bake that cost into your listing price.

• Offer free shipping only on items where margin can absorb it.

For example:

• Charging cables: $3.80 average shipping

• Listing price: $12.99 with “free shipping”

• Net margin after fees: $6.45

My conversion rate increased 19% overnight when I switched to free shipping on accessories. But for sneakers and bulky items, I still charge shipping — otherwise, it kills profit.

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How Much Does eBay Take From Sales?

This is where a lot of sellers get surprised. eBay’s fees are:

• 13%–15% final value fee (including processing)

• Shipping fees (if you offer free shipping, you eat the cost)

• Optional promoted listings (1–5% usually for me)

When I sold my first 50 cables for $12.99 each:

• Total gross: $649.50

• eBay fees: ~$97

• Shipping: $190

• Net: $362.50 (roughly $7.25 profit per unit)

The key isn’t just selling high volume. It’s understanding what you actually keep. I built a margin calculator in Google Sheets and eventually automated parts of it through Closo so I never have to guess.

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How Much Does eBay Charge to Sell Different Items?

Here’s a simplified breakdown from my store (2024 averages):

I’m not claiming these are universal numbers. Your margins will vary depending on sourcing, shipping method, and promotions. But tracking your own numbers — even roughly — is what separates hobbyists from serious sellers.

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The Role of Seasonal Timing in High-Volume Categories

I learned this the hard way.

• December 2022 — Listed 300+ phone cables right before holiday shipping surge. Sold out in 3 weeks.

• March 2023 — Tried repeating the same strategy. Sales were down 42%. Why? No seasonal demand spike.

Same product. Same price. Completely different outcome.

The highest selling items on eBay change by season, not just by popularity. For example:

• Sneakers fly in summer.

• Electronics and toys dominate Q4.

• Winter apparel peaks late September–January.

• Home organization products spike every New Year.

Now I keep a seasonal calendar in Notion tied to my Closo automations — so I can ramp listings and promotions when buyers are already looking.

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How to Find Recently Sold Items on eBay (and Why It’s Gold)

I’ll say it again: I built half my business on this.

“Recently sold” data is eBay’s most underrated feature. It tells you:

• What’s actually moving

• How fast it moves

• At what price point

You don’t need fancy software to start:

1. Go to eBay.

2. Search your niche product.

3. Toggle “Sold Items.”

4. Sort by most recent.

Do this 15 minutes a day, and after a month, patterns emerge.

For me, that’s how I spotted trading cards heating up in late 2023. Within two months, they became my third most profitable category.

Later, I automated the process with Terapeak and Closo to save time — but the manual research built my instinct.

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Honest Failures Along the Way

I’d love to say everything I touched turned into a top seller. It didn’t.

• August 2021: Bought 200 USB-C hubs at $5 each. Demand tanked 3 months later. I barely broke even.

• February 2023: Miscalculated shipping on bulky kitchen scales with free shipping. Lost $5 per unit on 72 sales.

• July 2024: Followed a TikTok trend on “hot” products without verifying. 150 units sat unsold for 5 months.

Here’s my hard-earned lesson: chasing trends is riskier than stacking proven sellers.

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My Current Tool Stack for Scaling High-Selling Items

I’ve tested dozens of tools. These are the five that stuck:

• Closo → inventory automation, price optimization, and relisting

• Terapeak → product research

• Google Trends → external demand signals

• ShipStation → shipping automation

• Notion + Sheets → margin tracking & seasonal calendar

I’ve also tried:

• Vendoo and List Perfectly (good for crosslisting)

• AutoDS (dropshipping-focused, not my model)

• Inkfrog (useful for bulk listings, less for pricing)

If you’re just starting, pick one good automation tool and one research tool. The rest can follow later.

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Common Question: “Do I Need to Offer Free Shipping on Everything?”

No — and honestly, you shouldn’t.

I offer free shipping on:

• Lightweight, high-margin items (accessories, cards)

• Anything under $4 shipping cost

I charge shipping on:

• Sneakers and boots

• Bulky home goods

• Anything fragile or heavy

Buyers don’t expect free shipping on $150 sneakers. But they love it on a $12 cable. Strategic free shipping boosts conversion without killing profit.

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Why the Highest Selling Items on eBay Are Often Boring

This might be the most counterintuitive thing I’ve learned. My top-selling products aren’t rare collectibles. They’re predictable, boring, everyday items.

And that’s exactly why they work:

• High demand = high velocity

• Easy to restock

• Low listing time per unit

• Easier to automate

My first year, I spent too much time chasing “cool” items. My second year, I built a machine around boring products. That’s when I crossed $100K in gross sales.

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Final Thoughts: Chasing Unicorns vs. Building Steady Volume

The highest selling items on eBay aren’t secret. They’re sitting in plain sight — phone accessories, sneakers, apparel, collectibles, small gadgets. What matters isn’t finding the “next big thing.” It’s building systems around what’s already working.

When I shifted from guessing to tracking real sales, everything changed:

• More stable income

• Less wasted sourcing time

• Easier to automate

I use Closo to automate relisting, pricing, and seasonal adjustments — it saves me about 3 hours weekly and keeps my bestsellers live 24/7.

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If You’re Ready to Start Identifying Top Sellers…

When I was starting out, I would have loved a single place that connected the dots. If that’s where you are now:

• Start with the Closo Seller Hub for step-by-step automation workflows.

• Check How Much Will eBay Charge for Selling an Item to protect your margins.

• Read How to List Items on eBay: What I Learned After 600+ Listings to optimize your listing flow.