How to price a used item: finding the right price

How do you work out what your item is worth?

The best guide is other listings for the same item or one very close to it. A German consumer advice centre, the Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg, gives private sellers the same advice: aim for a realistic price and compare similar items on several platforms first. Afër has no price calculator and no market statistics, so the comparison is up to you. These steps make it quick:

1. Open the search and type the brand and model the way a buyer would, for example "iPhone 13 128GB" or "Bugaboo stroller".
2. Under "Filters", set "Condition" to your item's level: "New", "Like new", "Used" or "Heavily used". That way you compare like with like.
3. Under "Location", pick your municipality or your whole country, because that is where the buyers who can actually come to you are looking.
4. Sort by "Price: low → high" to see the range. When you sort by price, the search shows listings in one currency only; more on that below.
5. Open several listings and note the price, age, accessories and visible flaws. Leave out the odd listing that is far above or below the rest, and remember the range in between.

Keep one thing in mind: the search only shows active listings. Once an item is sold, paused or deleted, it disappears from the results. So you see what sellers are asking, not what buyers ended up paying. A price that has sat in the search for a long time is no proof that anyone will pay it.

Can't find your model at all? Look at the previous generation, a comparable model from another brand or an item of the same size. Then decide the lowest amount you would accept. Keep that floor to yourself; it helps you stay calm in the chat later.

How much does condition affect the price?

Next to the model, condition is one of the main reasons two identical items sell for different prices. In the "Details" step you pick one of four levels when you post; "Used" is selected by default. The level then appears in the details on your listing page, and buyers can filter by it. Afër doesn't set a formal definition. As a rough guide:

• New: unused, ideally still in its original packaging.
• Like new: barely used, no visible signs of wear.
• Used: normal signs of wear, everything works.
• Heavily used: clear wear, flaws or a part that no longer works properly.

Grade honestly, even when the next level up is tempting. A buyer who filtered for "Like new" and finds scratches at the meeting will want to renegotiate or walk away. Afër's terms of use also require the details in your listing to be correct to the best of your knowledge and not misleading.

Every flaw is a reason to price below the range of comparable listings: a cracked screen, a weak battery, a stain on the upholstery or a missing part. Work out roughly what the repair or replacement would cost, because that is exactly how a buyer will think about it.

• ✓Accessories: charger, cables, remote, case, spare parts.
• ✓The original box and the manual.
• ✓A receipt or invoice that shows the item's age and where it came from.
• ✓Proof of repairs or new parts, such as a recently replaced battery.

Whatever you have from this list makes your price easier to justify. The Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg puts it simply: accessories and the original packaging add value. Mention them in the description and show them in a photo.

Which currency should you use?

Kosovo uses the euro, and Albania's national currency is the lek. Afër reflects that: a listing in Kosovo is priced in euros, and for a listing in Albania you choose between lek and euros under "Currency" in the "Price" step. Afër does not convert between the two.

That has one effect worth knowing. When a buyer sorts by price or sets a "from … to" price range, the search shows listings in one currency only. For a search within Albania that means lek listings by default; otherwise it means euro listings, including a search across both countries. A euro listing from Albania can therefore be missing when someone sorts by price within Albania. Without a price sort it shows up as usual.

So choose the currency buyers in your area think in for this kind of item, and stick to it in the chat. Pick a round figure, say €250 rather than €247; it's easier to negotiate and easier to count out in cash. If you change the country afterwards, a euro price stays, while a lek price becomes the same number in euros for Kosovo; Afër asks you to check it.

Afër accepts a price of 0 only in "Free stuff", where it is always 0, and in "Jobs" and "Neighbourhood help", where the price is optional. In every other category the form asks for a valid price.

Don't post a bait price like €1 just to land at the top when people sort by price, and don't post a made-up figure you don't actually want. Buyers can report a listing with the reason "Scam or fake price", and the team reviews those reports. Above all, you lose trust the moment a different amount suddenly applies in the chat.

Should you switch on "Price is negotiable"?

In the "Price" step you'll find the "Price is negotiable" switch below the amount; it starts off. Switch it on and Negotiable appears next to your price, on the listing page and on the listing card in the search results, in both grid and list view. Buyers then know they're welcome to make an offer.

With that label, plan a small margin: set the price a little above your floor so you can meet a buyer partway without going below it. The Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg also advises building in a small buffer for negotiation. There's no fixed rule for how big the gap should be. Keep it in line with the range you saw in comparable listings, because if you price far above it, perhaps nobody gets in touch to negotiate at all.

If you leave the switch off, Afër shows nothing next to the price. There is no separate fixed-price option; if you really don't want to haggle, say so politely in the description. Some people may ask anyway, and whether you come down is entirely your call.

Our guide How to negotiate the price shows how buyers approach a negotiation. There we advise them to back up an offer with comparable prices and visible flaws. If you've already priced both in honestly, you can answer calmly.

What should you do if nobody gets in touch?

How long the first message takes can depend on the item, the season and how many buyers are looking for it right now. There's no fixed number of days after which you should lower the price. If nobody gets in touch for a while, work through this in order:

• Search for your own listing with the words a buyer would type, plus your municipality. If it doesn't show up, the title or category is more likely the problem than the price.
• Look at your cover photo in the results next to the others. If it's dark or blurry, buyers may not even tap on it.
• Read your description as a buyer would: is anything missing about condition, age, accessories or pickup? You'll find tips in A listing that sells.
• Compare prices again. Cheaper listings for the same model may have appeared in the meantime.

If all of that checks out, the price is the next lever. You change it in the listing itself: under "My listings", tap "Edit" on the listing, tap "Confirm", enter the new amount in the "Price" step and finish with "Publish listing".

Afër tells you first what happens: "The listing stays offline until you publish it again. Text, photos and messages are kept." Until then it sits under "Drafts" and nobody else sees it, so make the change in one go. It stays the same listing: you don't upload saved photos again, your chats stay, and you can still pick the buyer under "Mark sold" later. The publication date stays too, so the listing doesn't move up when buyers sort by "Newest". And just like the first time, Afër checks whether your title clearly fits another category.

Message the people you're already chatting with about the new price. You don't need to delete and post again, and it has downsides: the chats stay with the deleted listing, and photos you upload again count toward your account's photo limit once more.

If you just want to wait, leave the listing active; it stays in search. "Pause", under ⋮ ("More"), is for when you don't want to sell for now: the listing leaves search until you bring it back with "Resume". And for your next listing: the more honestly price and condition match from the start, the less you'll need to adjust later.