Pricing a used item isn’t guesswork, and it isn’t a feeling — it’s a formula. Start with recent sold prices, adjust for condition, then adjust for demand. That’s the whole system. The hard part isn’t the math; it’s resisting the urge to skip the research and just pick a number that feels right.

Start with sold listings, not active ones. Active listings only tell you what other sellers are hoping to get, which is often wishful thinking. Sold listings tell you what a buyer actually paid. Pull the last three to five sold comps — same brand, size, and style if you can find them — and use that as your baseline.

Then adjust for condition. New with tags holds close to 100% of the sold comp price. Excellent used condition — worn once or twice, no visible wear — typically lands at 80-90%. Good condition with minor wash wear or pilling sits around 60-75%. Anything with a disclosed flaw drops to 40-55%, and that flaw needs to be photographed and described honestly, every time.

Then adjust for demand. A comp from six months ago in a category with heavy current demand can support a price at the higher end of its range. The same comp in a slow category should land lower, even if the item itself is in great shape. This is the step most beginners skip — and it’s the difference between an item that sells in three days and one that sits for three months.

As a rough starting reference, everyday apparel and basics tend to land in the $8-25 range, designer or premium apparel $25-150+, footwear $15-60, handbags and leather goods $20-200+, and home décor $10-50 — but treat these as a sanity check, not a substitute for checking actual sold comps on your specific item.

One more thing worth saying plainly: pricing too low doesn’t move inventory faster in any way that matters. It trains buyers to expect a discount, cuts your margin on every single sale, and doesn’t meaningfully speed up your sell-through rate compared to a well-researched, honestly priced listing. Price it right the first time.

The full pricing matrix, a category quick-reference sheet, and a spreadsheet that runs these numbers for you automatically are all part of the Second Hand Muse Starter Kit.