Best sellers and slow movers
Find your most profitable eBay products and the stock that has sat longest: top 10 by profit with margin, return on cost and days to sell, plus slow movers.
Best sellers and slow movers puts your winners and your problem stock side by side: the 10 products that made the most profit in the period, and the stock on hand that has sat the longest. Use it to decide what to buy more of and what to reprice or clear.
On the website, go to Reports › Best sellers & slow movers. In the app, go to Money › More reports › Best sellers & slow movers.
Best sellers
The top 10 products by profit in the period. For each one you see:
- the profit it made;
- units sold;
- margin: profit as a share of sales;
- return on cost: profit as a percentage of what the items cost you;
- sells in … days: the average time from buying to selling, from your restock dates;
- how many sales have no item cost, if any.
Margin and return on cost are worked out only from sales that have an item cost. Those sales without one never push a product up the list, because their profit is overstated.
Select a product name to open it in Inventory.
At the top, Top 10 profit shows what those products made together, and their share of all profit in the period.
Slow movers
Stock on hand for more than 30 days, longest sitting first. For each item:
- Sitting … days, counted from the oldest unit on hand (from your restock dates);
- units on hand and the value tied up in them, at cost;
- Last sold on a date, or Not sold yet.
At the top, Tied up in stock over 90 days is the value of stock that has sat for more than 90 days, and how many items have had no sale in 90 days.
Select All unsold stock for the full list, with age bands and hints. See Unsold stock and stock age.
Making use of it
- Buy more of what earns. A product with a high return on cost and few days to sell is worth restocking.
- Watch thin margins. A best seller by profit can still have a thin margin; check the fee and postage on its orders.
- Act on slow movers. Reprice, promote, bundle or relist items that have sat for months. Money tied up in old stock is money you cannot spend on stock that sells.
- Fill in item costs and restock dates. Without them, profit is overstated and days to sell cannot be worked out.
The best sellers on the Reports page
The main Reports page also has a Best sellers list: up to 15 products by total profit for the dates you choose there, with units sold, return on cost, margin and days to sell. It only includes sales with a SKU. This report adds slow movers and uses the standard report periods.
Period
The report opens on the last 12 months. Change it to 3 months, 6 months, This tax year or Last tax year at the top. Slow movers always show your stock as it is today, whatever period you pick. In the app, the report starts on the period chosen on the Money tab.
Questions people ask
How are best sellers ranked?
By total profit in the period, not by units or revenue. Sales without an item cost never push a product up the list, because their profit is overstated.
What counts as a slow mover?
Stock on hand that has sat for 30 days or more, counted from the oldest unit's restock date. The longest sitting is listed first.
What is return on cost?
Profit as a percentage of what the items cost you, from sales that have an item cost. It shows how hard your money worked on that product.
Why does a product show no days to sell?
Days to sell needs the date the item was bought, from your restock dates. Products without one show no figure.
Is this the same as the best sellers on the Reports page?
The Reports page has its own list of up to 15 best sellers by profit for the dates you choose. This report shows the top 10 for a report period, with slow movers alongside.
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