Terapeak on eBay: how to use every filter and figure

Before you start

In shortMake sure you can open Seller Hub, then pick one exact item to research.

Worked example: one made-up item, one full search

In shortA 90-day search in summer makes a winter item look weak, until you compare the same months.

eBay Terapeak research, step by step

1. Step 1 of 8: Open Product Research in Seller Hub

   In shortSign in to eBay and open the Research tab in Seller Hub, with no separate Terapeak login.

   Terapeak is now called Product Research. It lives in Seller Hub, the page where eBay sellers manage their business. There is no separate Terapeak account or login.

   1. Sign in to eBay with your seller account.
   2. Go to ebay.com/sh/research. Or open Seller Hub and choose the Research tab.
   3. Choose Product research in the menu on the left. Sourcing insights is just below it.
   4. Check Listing Site at the top right. It sets the eBay site you research, like ebay.com.

   Work with a team? With eBay’s Team access, a helper can use Product Research without your password.

   A short history helps you read older advice. eBay bought Terapeak in 2017. The tool became Terapeak Product Research, free for all Seller Hub sellers since April 2021. In 2024, eBay dropped the first word. Older tips that use the old name mean this tool.

   Result: Product Research open, with your eBay site chosen.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Build a search that finds one item

2. Step 2 of 8: Build a search that finds one item

   In shortType the exact model or barcode, then remove wrong items with a minus sign.

   Product Research is strict. eBay says a sale must exactly match your words and filters to count. Normal eBay search also shows related items. This tool does not. So your words decide what every figure means.

   Search by product number

   The search box takes words or a product number. That can be a UPC or EAN (barcode numbers), an ISBN (for books), an MPN (the maker’s part number) or an ePID (eBay’s catalog number). A number gives the cleanest results. Not every listing has one, so also try the model name.

   You type	It finds
   hand warmer 10000mAh	Titles with all of these words
   hand warmer -case	Titles without the word “case”. AND NOT case does the same.
   hand warmer AND (10000mAh OR 10Ah)	Titles with either word in brackets. Use it when sellers write the same thing two ways.

   Before you join spellings with OR, search each one on its own. One that finds no sales is a spelling sellers do not use, so leave it out.

   The search reads titles only. A detail that a seller puts only in the item specifics, like color, is not in the title. For such a detail, use the category’s Color or Model filter in step 3, not a word.

   Type slowly. The box suggests words and categories that sellers often search. They show how most titles name your item.

   Open a few results before you trust a search. Then add a minus word for each kind of wrong item, like -case, -parts or -lot.

   Result: One search line that finds only your item, written down.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Set the dates, eBay site and filters

3. Step 3 of 8: Set the dates, eBay site and filters

   In shortStart with the last 90 days on your eBay site, then pick the category and condition.

   Next to the search box is the date menu. It has ready ranges, from Last 7 days to Last 3 years. Custom lets you pick any dates in the last three years.

   Start with Last 90 days, the longest range that shows sell-through. Use longer ranges later, for trends.

   Filter	Use it to
   Listing Site	Choose the eBay site where the items sold. Pick the one you sell on, like ebay.com.
   Category	Keep one category. Pick it down to the last level, then select Apply. Filters for that category appear, such as Model or Color.
   Condition	Keep only your item’s condition, like new or used. The reselling on eBay guide lists eBay’s used condition names.
   Format	Keep fixed price or auction sales. Run both to see which sells your item for more.
   Price	Set a price band. It hides parts and bundles priced far from your item.
   Buyer and seller location	See sales to buyers in one country, or by sellers in one country. Pick your own country as the seller location to compare with sellers who ship from where you do.

   Write the search, dates and filters in your notes. Then you can run the same search next month and compare.

   Result: Your search, dates and filters, written down so you can run them again.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Read the figures on the Sold tab

4. Step 4 of 8: Read the figures on the Sold tab

   In shortRead each figure with its trap in mind, then check the figures against each other.

   Select Research. The results have two tabs, Sold and Active. Start on Sold. Its figures sum up every sale that matches your search. The drawing in the worked example shows where they sit.

   Figure	What it tells you	How it can mislead
   Avg sold price	What buyers paid per item, on average	One bundle or wrong item moves it
   Sold price range	The lowest and highest sold price	The ends are often odd sales: parts, bundles, damage
   Avg shipping	What buyers paid for shipping, on average	Free shipping counts as $0 and pulls it down
   Free shipping	The share of sales with free shipping	Free shipping is built into the price, so compare totals
   Total sold	How many items sold in your dates	One busy seller can make most of it
   Sell-through	The share of listings that sold, by eBay’s own count. Only for 90 days or less	A high rate can rest on very few listings
   Total sellers	How many sellers sold it	With one or two, demand may follow those sellers
   Total item sales	Sold prices added up, without shipping	A big total can come from a few costly sales

   Sold prices are what buyers really paid. That includes an accepted Best Offer, where the buyer offered less and the seller said yes. eBay says this makes Product Research more complete than the Sold filter in normal search. These prices also help you set your own Best Offer limits. The eBay pricing strategy guide shows how.

   Check the figures against each other. Many sales but very few sellers? Then one seller may carry the demand. A very wide price range? Then your search may mix different items. Only a handful of sales? Then one sale moves every average, so widen the dates. Step 5 shows how to check.

   Few sellers? Look at each seller’s share of the sales, which Product Research also shows. If one seller has most of them, you compete with that seller’s price and feedback.

   Result: The eight figures for your search, each with a note on what could make it wrong.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Check the sold listings behind the figures

5. Step 5 of 8: Check the sold listings behind the figures

   In shortGo through the listings under the figures and leave out every one that is not your item.

   Under the figures is a table of the listings that sold. eBay’s example screens show columns like Avg sold price, Avg shipping, Total sold, Item sales and Date last sold.

   Sort the table by price, highest first. Then sort it lowest first. Odd sales sit at the two ends.

   For each listing, check:

   • The itemSame model, size, pack and condition as yours.
   • The photosA title can match while the item is different.
   • The dateAn old sale may show an old price.
   • The sellerMany sales from one seller can hide weak demand from everyone else.

   Select a title to open the listing. eBay says you can open listings that sold in the last 90 days, or that are still for sale. Older listings may not open.

   Listing	Sales	Same item?
   Practice HW-3 hand warmer 10000mAh	14 sold at $29.00 + free shipping	Yes
   Practice HW-3 hand warmer 10Ah	9 sold at $24.00 + $4.00 shipping	Yes
   Practice HW-3 rechargeable hand warmer 10000mAh · Best Offer accepted	6 sold at $27.50 + free shipping	Yes
   Practice HW-3 hand warmer 10000mAh, 2 pack	3 sold at $49.00 + free shipping	No: two in one pack
   Practice HW-3 hand warmer 10Ah, USB-C	4 sold at $31.00 + $5.00 shipping	Yes

   One wrong listing can move every average. In the example, the 2-pack lifts the Avg sold price from $27.61 to $29.39. In the app, Exclude listing removes a result that is not your item. You can also add a minus word, like -pack.

   Find the keywords in listings that sell

   Sort by Total sold, highest first, and open the top listings. Note the keywords most of their titles share, like the model, size or color. Compare their photos and item specifics too. eBay suggests this to improve your own listings. The eBay listing checklist shows where those words go.

   Have a listing that does not sell? Search the same item here. If others sell it, compare your price, photos and item specifics with theirs.

   Result: A list of sold listings that match your item, and your figures without the wrong ones.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Compare asking prices on the Active tab

6. Step 6 of 8: Compare asking prices on the Active tab

   In shortSwitch to the Active tab to see the listings you would compete with today.

   The Active tab shows listings that are still for sale. Their prices are asking prices: what sellers hope to get. Keep asking prices apart from sold prices.

   Keep the same search and filters. Then look at:

   • How many listings competePut the number next to how many sold in the same dates.
   • The total priceAdd price and shipping. Many listings put shipping into the price.
   • Delivery time and returnsBuyers compare these too.
   • A competitor’s listingOpen it to see the price, photos and item specifics, the details like size or color. Then look for the same item on the Sold tab to see what it really sold for.

   Many active listings and few sales mean buyers have lots of choice. Then your price and listing need a clear reason to win.

   Result: The asking prices and number of active listings, kept apart from the sold figures.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Compare seasons and eBay sites

7. Step 7 of 8: Compare seasons and eBay sites

   In shortLook at two or three years of sales, compare the same months, then try other eBay sites.

   Turn on Show sales trends. A chart then shows Avg sold price and Total sold over your dates. Set the dates to Last 2 years or Last 3 years to see a pattern.

   Compare the same months, not just the last few weeks. A winter item looks weak in July. Use Custom dates to put, for example, last November next to the November before. The worked example does this for two winters.

   Compare eBay sites

   Change Listing Site to another eBay site, like ebay.co.uk or ebay.de. Run the same search. Compare how many sold and the sold prices. Prices show in that site’s currency.

   On your own site, try the buyer location filter. Pick one country at a time to see where your item’s buyers are.

   Result: A note on the item’s season and trend, and which eBay site sells it best.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Find categories with Sourcing Insights

8. Step 8 of 8: Find categories with Sourcing Insights

   In shortWith a Basic Store or higher, use Sourcing Insights to find categories with high demand and few listings.

   Sourcing insights is the second tool in the Research tab. It looks at whole categories, not one item. It comes free with an eBay Store subscription at Basic level or higher.

   What it shows:

   • Great OpportunityCategories with many searches and not enough active listings.
   • Monthly sales trendsSo you can plan stock before a busy season.
   • Top item specificsThe details, like color or size, that get the most views and clicks.

   A Great Opportunity tag points at a category, not at an item. Take every item idea back to steps 2 to 7 before you buy stock.

   Result: A short list of categories worth a closer look, each item checked again in Product Research.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Sell-through in Terapeak

Sell-through in Terapeak: how to read it

In shortRead sell-through for 90 days or less, and always next to total sold and total sellers.

What Terapeak can and cannot tell you

In shortIt shows past eBay sales and live listings, not your costs, your supplier or next month’s demand.

Common questions about Terapeak

How Productivo helps with Terapeak research

In shortProductivo reads many eBay results at once and estimates profit, but it does not replace Terapeak’s sales history.

Everything above works with eBay’s own tools. This part is about Productivo, the app behind this guide.

Guide step	What Productivo does
Steps 2 and 3	Product Scanner reads eBay US results for a keyword or up to five categories. You choose how many result pages it reads.
Step 4	It adds a figure Product Research does not have: an estimated profit per item, from your store’s cost settings. Unknown supplier shipping is shown as unknown.
Step 5	Each result shows how many that listing has sold. That is the listing’s all-time count, not a count for your dates.
Step 6	For products you sell with Productivo, competitor pricing finds other eBay sellers of the same product and shows their prices.

Product Scanner is part of the Pro and Scale plans. Competitor pricing is in every plan. Neither replaces Product Research’s three years of sales history. Check dates, seasons and sell-through there. Read more about Productivo’s eBay product research tools.

Sold counts beside an estimated profit

Each result shows the eBay listing, its sold count, a matched supplier offer and the estimated profit. The sold count is the listing’s all-time total.

Open the full screenshot (new tab)

Productivo by business model

Pick how you sell. Each part names the steps where Productivo helps that kind of seller, and what you still do yourself.

Wholesale sellers checking a model or barcode before stocking up

In shortThe model and barcode you researched go on your wholesale listings through the CSV, with your price.

Resellers reading sales history for used and refurbished electronics

In shortAfter your Terapeak check, describe your item’s exact condition and parts, and fill in any missing buyer filters.

Handmade and print-on-demand sellers planning listings from sales data

In shortFill in the item specifics buyers click most, then see which searches find your live listing.

Wholesale dropshippers checking demand for a supplier’s item in Terapeak

In shortCompare delivery times on the Active tab with your own, then see which buyer searches find your listings.