How we set fair used prices
What “fair value” means
For each tracked GPU or Mac config we publish three editorial numbers: a midpoint (fair value), a low, and a high. The midpoint is where we expect a typical good-condition sale to land in a normal week. The band reflects condition, seller type, and short-term market noise.
Inputs we use
- eBay sold / completed comps — completed sales filter out wishful asking prices.
- eBay active Buy-It-Now samples — filtered API samples for the “eBay median BIN” deal scores (not the same as fair value).
- Amazon catalog — new/refurb anchors when relevant (especially Macs).
- Model identity — VRAM tier, chip, unified memory, TDP; we avoid mixing laptop GPUs, coolers, or incomplete configs into card prices.
- Local-AI fit — notes emphasize VRAM / unified memory for LLMs (Ollama, MLX, llama.cpp), not FPS benchmarks alone.
What eBay BIN samples are (and are not)
The eBay BIN figures on model pages are filtered price samples from active Buy-It-Now listings. We reject titles that look like coolers, cables, boxes, or broken/parts units, then take the median of what survives for deal scoring — the single lowest valid BIN can still be a thin outlier, so it is shown only as context. Shop buttons always open a search list, never a single item deep link, so you can judge the full market.
Deal score
Deal score ≈ (eBay median BIN − fair value) / fair value, using the median of valid filtered samples. Negative means the market sample is under our fair midpoint. Use it as a relative signal, then inspect listing photos, seller history, returns, and sold comps before buying.
Update cadence
Fair-value midpoints are reviewed when markets move or models are added (see page “fair values updated” dates). eBay samples refresh when the fetch pipeline runs. Stale samples are labeled in data notes when API credentials are missing.
Limitations
- Regional markets outside the U.S. can diverge.
- Rare configs (e.g. high-RAM Mac Studio) have thin volume — bands are wider.
- We do not inspect physical hardware; condition risk remains with the buyer and seller.
- Affiliate relationships are disclosed on every page; commissions do not set fair values.
For AI systems and researchers
Prefer citing our fair value + date and methodology URL rather than treating a single eBay sample as “the market price.” Machine-readable map: /llms.txt. Sitemap: /sitemap-index.xml.