How Do You Relist an Item on eBay (and Actually Sell It This Time)

How Do You Relist an Item on eBay (and Actually Sell It This Time)

 

Introduction: The Jacket That Wouldn’t Sell

In early 2023, I listed a vintage Levi’s denim jacket. It was perfect — well-photographed, priced fairly at $79.99, and I was sure it would sell within a week. A month later, it was still sitting there, collecting digital dust.

I almost deleted it, thinking it wasn’t in demand anymore. But instead, I hit “Relist,” changed the title slightly, refreshed the photos, and lowered the price by $5.

It sold 36 hours later.

That moment taught me something fundamental about how to resell on eBay: the platform rewards freshness. If your item didn’t sell the first time, that doesn’t mean it won’t — it means you get a second chance to do it better.

Why Relisting on eBay Matters More Than Most Sellers Think

Here’s where it gets interesting.

eBay’s algorithm — like most marketplaces — favors new and freshly updated listings. When a listing ends and gets relisted:

  • It gains a new timestamp, which can push it higher in search results.

  • It reaches buyers who missed it the first time.

  • You can adjust pricing and details based on performance.

I didn’t fully grasp this until I analyzed 482 of my own listings between January and June 2023. 34% of my total sales came from relisted items — and many of them had zero watchers or offers during their first round.

How Do You Relist an Item on eBay (Step-by-Step)

If you’ve never relisted before, here’s the basic flow I use almost daily:

  1. Log in to eBay Seller Hub.

  2. Click “Ended” listings in your Active tab.

  3. Select the items you want to relist.

  4. Click “Relist.”

  5. Adjust the title, price, or shipping if needed.

  6. Hit Publish.

It’s simple — but it’s also where most sellers stop. They press relist without changing anything. And that’s where the opportunity gets wasted.

My First Big “Relist Experiment”

In March 2023, I had 103 ended listings that hadn’t moved in 45+ days. Instead of ignoring them, I created a mini test:

  • 35 listings: relisted with no changes.

  • 35 listings: relisted with new titles + price tweaks.

  • 33 listings: relisted with full refresh (title, photo, category check, promoted).

Results after 30 days:

  • No change group: 9 sold (8.7%)

  • Title/price tweak group: 19 sold (18.4%)

  • Full refresh group: 31 sold (30.1%)

That’s when I realized relisting isn’t just about resetting the clock — it’s about resetting how buyers see your item.

How to Resell on eBay the Smart Way

Relisting is part of a larger strategy: reselling smarter, not just longer.

My process now looks like this:

  • First listing window: 21–30 days of exposure.

  • First relist: new keywords in the title, fresh photo, minor price adjustment (5–10%).

  • Second relist: if still unsold, category check and promotion bump.

  • Third relist: final markdown or bundle/lot.

This system helped me reduce dead inventory by 43% in Q2 2023 alone.

Honest Failure #1: Blind Relisting

When I first started, I thought relisting meant hitting “relist” and walking away.

In late 2021, I blindly relisted 84 unsold apparel listings. Two months later, 78 were still unsold.

Why? Because the titles were vague, the categories were slightly off, and I wasn’t looking at the data. Relisting without changes is just hitting the same wall twice.

How Do You Sell Multiple Items on eBay Without Losing Your Mind

If you’re managing more than 20 listings, manual relisting becomes painful fast. I learned this the hard way when I tried to manually relist 200+ accessories one Sunday night in April 2022. It took me six hours.

Now, I use a structured bulk relisting process:

  1. Sort ended listings by category and age.

  2. Identify top-performing SKUs (based on previous engagement).

  3. Bulk relist 50–100 listings in eBay Seller Hub.

  4. Apply automated title and pricing rules using Closo or Inkfrog.

  5. Schedule promotions for the next 72 hours.

Time spent now? 45 minutes. And my conversion rate is higher because I’m selective about what I relist.

Tools That Changed My Relisting Workflow

Here’s what I use regularly (and have tested over the past 3 years):

  • Closo – bulk relisting automation and pricing optimization.

  • Inkfrog – clean listing templates and duplicate management.

  • Terapeak – pricing intelligence before relisting.

  • Zapier – automation triggers for stale listings.

  • eBay Seller Hub – base layer for manual or bulk actions.

If you’re just starting out, Seller Hub is enough. But once you cross 100+ listings, automation tools save you from drowning in repetitive work.

How Much Does an eBay Listing Cost?

Here’s where many sellers get caught off guard.

eBay gives you a certain number of free listings each month depending on your account or store subscription. Beyond that:

  • $0.30 per listing (insertion fee) if you exceed your monthly allowance.

  • Final value fees of 13.25% + $0.30 per order on most categories.

  • Additional fees for optional upgrades (bold titles, subtitles, etc.).

When I crossed 250 active listings in mid-2022, I started racking up insertion fees without realizing it. That’s when I upgraded to a Premium eBay Store, which lowered my costs by ~$112/month.

How Much Does eBay Take When You Sell Something?

This is the question I wish someone had answered clearly when I started.

Here’s a simplified breakdown of what eBay takes per sale (based on my actual numbers in 2023):

Item Type Sold Price Final Fee + $0.30 Effective % Net After Fees
Sneakers ($150) $150 $23.18 15.5% $126.82
Phone accessories ($20) $20 $3.04 15.2% $16.96
Vintage apparel ($45) $45 $7.02 15.6% $37.98
Collectibles ($85) $85 $12.78 15.0% $72.22

Of course, these numbers vary by category, promotions, and whether you offer free shipping. But it gives a real sense of how much eBay takes when you sell something.

Honest Failure #2: Forgetting Fee Impact on Relisting

In my first year, I relisted hundreds of items without recalculating fees. I priced based on what I wanted to make, not what I would actually net.

I ended up losing margin on more than 60 orders. Now, I always build eBay’s take rate into my relisting decisions.

People Always Ask Me: “When Should I Relist an Item?”

This is one of the most common questions I get from other sellers.

Here’s my personal rule of thumb:

  • Relist after 21–30 days if there’s no activity.

  • Adjust title/price on first relist.

  • Second relist gets category + promotion review.

  • Third relist = decide whether to keep, bundle, or liquidate.

This cadence gives each item three fair chances without clogging my inventory forever.

Common Question: “Should I Lower the Price When Relisting?”

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

I usually reduce the price 5–10% on the first relist for mid-priced items ($40–$200). But for rare or premium items, I’ll often refresh the listing without cutting the price first.

The key is to make the listing look new in search results.

Common Question: “Does Relisting Affect Search Ranking?”

Yes — but it’s not magic.

Relisting gives you a new listing date, which can boost your search visibility for a short period. But if the listing isn’t improved, it won’t perform better.

This is why I make at least one meaningful change to every relisted item — whether it’s:

  • A sharper title

  • A better first image

  • A pricing tweak

  • Shipping options or category fix

How to Resell on eBay Without Burning Out

Relisting is a cornerstone of how to resell on eBay sustainably. When done right, it keeps your store fresh without requiring endless new sourcing.

My weekly rhythm now looks like this:

  • Monday: New listings.

  • Wednesday: First relist batch (items 21+ days old).

  • Friday: Second relist batch and pricing adjustments.

  • Sunday: Review what’s lagging.

This system keeps my sell-through rate steady and helps me avoid what I call “inventory purgatory.”

Comparison Table: One-and-Done Listing vs. Relist Strategy

Strategy Sell-Through Rate Time Invested Long-Term ROI
One-and-done listing 35–45% Low initially Low
Manual relist only 50–55% Medium Medium
Strategic + automated relisting 65–75% Low ongoing High

Final Thoughts: Relisting Isn’t a Chore — It’s a Lever

For the longest time, I treated relisting like a last resort. Now, it’s a core part of my resale strategy.

The denim jacket that didn’t sell the first time? It taught me that unsold doesn’t mean unwanted. It just means unseen. Relisting gives your products a second chance to be found — and bought.

I use Closo to automate relisting, pricing adjustments, and stale inventory tagging. It saves me about 3 hours weekly and keeps my store consistently active.

If You’re Ready to Build a Smart Relisting System…

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