While browsing through the clothing rack at a thrift store, I ran across this Louis Garneau “Tandem Rally Colorado” cycle racing shirt.
At first it caught my eye because it still has the tag on it (aka ‘NWT’ – New With Tags). When I am shopping in thrift stores I especially take a double look at all items that are ‘NWT’.

Then I saw the incredible artwork and was hooked!
I had never seen a shirt like it before as it had three pockets across the bottom of the backside.
Additionally, I was unfamiliar with the brand “Louis Garneau”. But I know about him now and will always be on the lookout for his gorgeous apparel!
So, I took clues from the tag which reads that it was made “Specially for Women” and is from a supplier to the Canadian National Cycling Teams. Armed with that information it was time to start the eBay marketplace & Terapeak research!
After all, no matter how cool an item may be there’s no use investing time and money in it if it’s not likely to make you money on eBay.

Step-by-step eBay Marketplace & Terapeak Research

I love learning new things and this was one of those WOW moments!

eBay Marketplace Research Using the eBay Mobile App

I grabbed my cell phone and, using the eBay marketplace app, did a quick search for the name “Louis Garneau”.
Immediately I saw that “Louis Garneau” is a well-known brand name as there were, indeed, many items including all types of bike gear.
From there, I adjusted the search to REFINE and adjusted my search to SOLD. The system returned 1,252 items.
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***Special Note*** – Why search ‘sold’ and not ‘completed’ listings?
You may be wondering why I searched ‘sold’ listings only and not ‘completed’ listings – especially if you’ve ever attended one of my workshops where I always talk about adjusting the search to ‘completed’.
The reason I use ‘sold’ listings in this instance is due solely to circumstances. I was in a hurry, shopping with family, and needed some assistance to make a quick buying decision not a listing decision. This is a big difference!
By researching ‘sold’ listings I can decide if this item is worth buying or not. The first few items are shirts and they do sell. So, that’s a plus!

My thrift store find is unique because it is not only NWT (New With Tags) but has some very interesting graphics on it.
This quick eBay marketplace research was enough to tell me, “YES! Go ahead a buy it because it should be an easy sale.”
BTW, the thrift store asking price was $3.00. Ka-ching!

How To Use Terapeak Research For Listing Information

Now, I am ready to list it and I will use my favorite eBay listing tool, Tereapeak.
In the Terapeak dashboard I navigate to the eBay Product Research section and type in the words “Louis Garneau women’s jersey”. These are the exact words printed on the attached label.
***SEO Tip*** I always start with very defined and specific keyword research terms and then broaden out from there.
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Notice the sell through rate is about 20% and the average shirt is only $22.00 out of 394 listings.
My goal is to sell my thrift store find for more than the average!
Next, I refine this search to show me only NEW Louis Garneau shirts.
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After refining the filters in Terapeak, the data has adjusted to only 215 listings with a 23% sell-through-rate with the average price now at $26.92. Better, right?
But wait, there’s more! 😉

eBay Marketplace Research Challenge

19 years of eBay selling experience has taught me that the Louis Garneau shirt I bought for $3 at a thrift store is very likely to sell for more money than the Terapeak average.
The thing that makes my shirt more interesting is the fact it has a specific race on it titled “Tandem Rally of Colorado”. This (potentially) makes the shirt more desirable to the collectors of memorabilia from the rally or racers from Colorado in general.
Although when I searched for those words “Tandem Rally Colorado” only one came up just like mine and unfortunately it did not sell. After viewing their listing, I see they have relisted it.
However…
Let the challenge begin!
I love a good challenge as I am filled with that competitive edge to not only sell my shirt but to sell it for more than the other person’s asking price of $23. And they are charging for shipping.
So what good is all this eBay research if I’m just going to throw caution to the wind, right?
Well, because I actually didn’t through anything to the wind.
This is all part of the process. We want to not only learn from other sellers but we want to be more educated and better at everything eBay than other sellers.
Looking at the details of this person’s listing I first notice a few things:

1. Their shirt is not new and definitely is not NWT (New With Tags).
2. They have only two photos and they are not all that great.
3. Their item description is NOT mobile friendly.
4. The listing does not have a friendly tone to it.

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After further review of their listing, I’ve decided to add a second category to my title!
This seller is top-rated with very good feedback so my guess is the main thing that has held back this sale is that it is not mobile friendly.
***Note***
Always remember that more than half of eBay sales are made using mobile phones.

Advanced Listing Technique Alert! Yeah, Baby!

To get the party started and list this item quickly, below their graphic I will click on SELL NOW and the system will kick start the listing using the same category that they used. (You must be logged into your eBay Seller’s Dashboard to see and use this functionality.)
But (and here’s where it get’s really juicy) I will add a second category under Women’s Clothing, Athletic Apparel.
This should give me better odds of sell-through because the added category increases product visibility and online selling is all about getting the eyes on your items!
Next I will see how I can improve on the title. When I have something NEW I like to add the word in all caps at the front of the listing.
Let’s compare titles.

Theirs:
Womans T-ROC Tandem Rally of Colorado Lois Garneau Cycling Bicycle Jersey L 
Mine:
NEW Womans XL Tandem RALLY CO Lois Garneau SHIRT Jersey Cycling BIKE Racing RACEI added the item specifics included on the tag by creating my own MPN (manufacturer product number) which I found on the tag. If there were UPC numbers I would’ve included them as well but there were not.
Next up – The Description. I keep them short, sweet, left margin #18 font, and include measurements such as:

• Chest – armpit to armpit across is 20.5“
• Side seam, armpit to bottom is 16“
• Shoulder seam to sleeve end is 9“
• Backside across shoulder seam to seam is 18“
• Center back neck seam to bottom hem is 27“

I also like to add to my description when selling clothes a statement like:
NOTE: please compare my measurements with your own shirt to be sure of a great fit.
Setting The Price – After viewing the other listing I decided to list mine as a fixed price with free shipping $34.99 with make an offer. Also, I listed this as a “Good Till Cancelled” item.
Photos Can Make The Sale – This is where I pause and SAVE for later the listing because it’s time to take the photos.
I use my smart phone (aka iPhone) for taking the pictures and saving them to the phone. Photos included all the detail, graphics, front, back and tags.
eBay allows us to post 12 FREE photos. I strongly encourage everyone to take advantage of this as much as possible. I was able to take 12 pictures of this item.
Once I had all the photos, I opened up the eBay app and navigated to Sell>Draft. In the ‘Draft’ section to see the listing saved from my laptop.
Opening up the eBay app I can easily add the photos and, again, save for later.
Returning to my laptop, I navigate to the draft, open it up, and take a final look at the photos. I usually crop and edit them on my smart phone but the soon to be released sellers HUB allows me to edit them just as well from my laptop (including color brightening)!
Review The Listing & Choose Shipping
The final part is do review all the details and choose the shipping.
I chose: YES to the global shipping program and USPS Express, flat rate envelope, calculated outside the GSP. Free USA shipping.
Below is a copy of my listing so you can see how it all comes together: eBay item # 401032626435. Keep checking back for updates!