QuidKids

QuidKids practical money guide

How to find what something is really worth.

An online asking price tells you what a seller hopes to receive. A completed sale tells you what a buyer actually paid.

Use real sold pricesMatch the exact itemSubtract every costAdult supported

The five-step value check

Find evidence—not an exciting number

  1. Identify the exact item, model, set number, size or edition
  2. Search for the same item and filter to sold or completed listings
  3. Compare several recent sales rather than choosing the highest one
  4. Match condition, packaging, missing pieces and included accessories
  5. Subtract fees, postage, packaging, travel and the buying price

Why asking prices can mislead you

Anyone can list an item for £100. That does not mean somebody will pay £100. Unsold listings may be overpriced, incomplete, incorrectly identified or sitting online for months.

Look for completed sales showing that a buyer actually purchased the item.

A simple example

The £25 listing is not necessarily a £25 item.

You find five current listings asking between £20 and £30. Completed listings show three genuine sales at £11, £13 and £14. A sensible evidence-based value is around £11–£14 before selling costs—not £30.

Likely sale price − fees − postage − packaging − buying price = possible profit.

Condition changes value

Compare like with like

  • Sealed or opened
  • Complete or missing pieces
  • Working or untested
  • Original packaging or loose
  • Clean, worn, damaged or repaired
  • Common version or genuinely different edition

Write down your evidence

Record the lowest, middle and highest comparable completed sale. Note the condition and calculate the amount left after costs. If you cannot identify the item confidently, treat its value as unknown.

Value first. Buy second.

The aim is not to prove that an item is valuable. It is to discover honestly what buyers have recently paid.

Use the profit calculatorStart the £10 Challenge