When an item does not sell, eBay provides sellers a quick way to list the item again to give it another opportunity to be sold. This is referred to as relisting and has been a selling feature on eBay for many years.

The relisting procedure has, however, been through various changes during this time.

Aimed at new eBay sellers, this article will explain the process of relisting as well as the benefits and disadvantages that cause debate within the eBay selling community.

The purpose of relisting

Besides an item not selling, there are a few other scenarios in which it may be appropriate to relist an item, such as when a buyer changes their mind or does not pay.

Depending on the type of listing and reason, relisting an item is a straightforward process that can be completed either automatically or manually.

Fixed price listings

By default, all fixed price listings are set to Good ‘Til Cancelled on eBay.com. This means that fixed price listing items will be automatically relisted on eBay every 30 days unless sold. Alternatively, the seller can cancel the listing.

Auction-style listings

The intricacies of relisting auction-style listings are more complex than fixed price listings.

Most auction-style listings can be manually or automatically relisted. Examples of exempt categories include tickets, real estate and flights.

• When using the quick listing tool, automatic relisting is set by default for all eligible categories. Auctions with a short duration (1 or 3 days) will be automatically relisted up to 8 times. Auctions with a long duration (5 days or more) may be relisted up to 8 times as a 7-day listing
• When using the business tool to create auctions lasting 5 days or more, automatic relisting is optional
• In the event that a buyer requests a cancellation or returns an item due to buyers remorse, listings are automatically relisted.

If desired, it is easy to change automatic relisting preferences for auction-style listings. Check the box beside the active listing and select ‘remove automation rules’ from the actions dropdown.

If an item still doesn’t sell after the set number of relists, it will be moved to the ‘unsold’ section of My eBay.

Relisting exceptions

There are a few scenarios in which relisting must be completed manually by the seller:

• A listing was ended early
• An order was cancelled (seller initiated)
• The buyer didn’t pay

In addition to these situations, auction-style listings with a 1 to 3 day duration sometimes have to be relisted manually.

There are two ways to relist items manually, both as easy as each other:

• My eBay >> Unsold >> Actions >> Relist
• Seller Hub >> Active >> Actions >> Relist

Relisting fees

The process of relisting items has an associated cost for eBay business sellers.

An additional insertion fee is charged when Good ‘Til Cancelled or auction listings are automatically relisted, unless the seller has zero insertion fee listings left from their monthly store allowance.

In this case, relisting counts towards their remaining zero insertion fee allocation.

Insertion fees are also charged when an item is relisted manually. It is possible, however, to qualify for an insertion fee credit if the item sells and certain conditions are met.

The relisting debate

Relisting is the easiest way for sellers to keep inventory in front of the eyes of potential customers.

Whether completed automatically or manually, the relisting process is both fast and straightforward. After an item is relisted, it usually takes less than two hours for the listing to be active again.

For some eBay sellers, however, relisting is not necessarily helpful. The change to automatic relisting for fixed price items in 2019, for example, was met with some negativity, with sellers concerned about losing control.

Another point of debate relates to listings with poor sell through rates. Recent sales history (particularly in the last 30 days) is one of the critical ranking factors on eBay’s search engine. If a listing has low or non existent sales, it can be beneficial to completely restart the history of the listing (rather than simply relist) and potentially gain a better search engine visibility.

If attracting buyer attention is proving difficult, it may be worth tweaking the listing from scratch. Improvements may include new photos, an improved title, a different description and/or listing upgrades

As with so many other aspects to selling on eBay, experimentation is key. Some sellers see success with automatic relisting throughout their inventory, while others prefer to list again manually. Test and evaluate what works for your own eBay business before drawing any conclusions.

Experienced sellers, do you have any tips to share concerning relisting on eBay?