Reselling glossary: resale value, escrow, commission

Resale value

It's how much a used item sells for today on the second-hand market, based on its brand, model, condition and demand. It's not what you paid when new — it's usually lower and changes over time. Reloot's AI estimates it from a photo.

Escrow

A safe-payment mechanism: the buyer's money is held by the platform and only released to the seller once delivery is confirmed. It protects both sides — the seller knows the payment exists before shipping, the buyer knows they'll receive what they bought. Reloot Market uses it on every sale.

Marketplace commission (take rate)

The percentage a platform charges the seller on each closed sale. On Reloot Market it drops with your plan (8% Free, 5% Pro, 3% Reseller): the buyer pays the price, the seller gives up the take rate, and the platform never puts in money of its own.

AI appraisal

Estimating an item's value with vision AI: you take a photo, the model recognizes what it is, assesses its condition and returns a realistic resale price range, with a strategy (sell fast, recommended or max). It's an estimate, not a guaranteed sale price.

Owned marketplace

A marketplace of buyers and sellers that the app itself controls, instead of redirecting to third-party platforms. Reloot IS the marketplace: the sale, the escrow payment and the commission all happen inside, giving it its own liquidity and an end-to-end selling experience.

Depreciation

The loss of an item's value over time and use. It varies a lot by category: electronics depreciate fast, while certain limited or collectible editions barely lose value (or even rise). Knowing how much yours has depreciated helps you price it fairly.

Pricing strategy

The decision of where to set the price within the resale range based on your goal. Reloot gives you three: sell fast (bottom of the range, closes in days), recommended (balanced) and max (top of the range, takes longer but leaves more margin), with estimated days to sell.

Negotiation script

A ready-to-use text that tells you how to respond to a buyer to close the sale at the best price: what to say to a low offer, when to accept, how to counter. In Reloot the AI writes it based on your item and the offer received.

Listing

The post with which you offer an item for sale: title, description, photo, condition and price. A good listing is honest and clear — that builds trust and sells faster. Reloot writes it for you with AI from the appraisal.

Second-hand (resale)

The market of used items changing owners. Resale means selling them: it gives a second life to what you don't use, puts money in your pocket and cuts waste. It's a huge, global market with strong demand in electronics, fashion and collectibles.

Condition (product state)

How used an item is, from 'new' to 'like new', 'good', 'fair' or 'with flaws'. It's one of the factors that most moves the resale price: the same model in better shape is worth noticeably more. Reloot estimates condition from the photo and uses it to appraise.

Market demand

How many people are looking to buy something like yours right now. High demand = sells fast and for more; low demand = better to lower the price or wait. Reloot shows you the demand level when appraising and tunes the selling strategy to it.

Seller reputation

The trust a seller has earned based on their sales and buyer reviews. A good reputation (stars, closed sales) makes people buy with more confidence and faster. On Reloot it shows on the profile and on every listing.

Offer and counteroffer

The back-and-forth of prices between buyer and seller: the buyer offers less than the listed price, the seller accepts, rejects or counters. It's the classic second-hand negotiation. On Reloot the AI advises you how to respond to close better.

Wallet (Reloot Payments)

The balance you build up on Reloot from what you sell. When a sale is released from escrow, the money (price minus commission) lands in your wallet, from where you later withdraw it. It's how Reloot pays you for your sales inside the platform.

Marketplace liquidity

How easily an item finds a buyer in a market. High liquidity = lots of active buyers and sellers, so what you list sells fast. Reloot builds its own liquidity by concentrating buying and selling inside Reloot Market.

P2P (peer-to-peer)

Buying and selling directly between people, with no middleman that owns the stock. Reloot is a P2P marketplace: sellers list their own items and buyers buy directly from them, with the platform's escrow protecting the payment.

Review and rating

The rating (stars) and comment a buyer leaves after a purchase. They add to the seller's reputation and help the next buyers decide with confidence. On Reloot every closed sale can be reviewed from 1 to 5.

Comparables (comps)

The listings of items identical or very similar to yours used to estimate its price. Looking at many real comparables gives a range (low, median, high) that reflects what the market pays today. Reloot uses them when real data exists; otherwise it says so clearly and estimates with AI.

Closing price

The REAL price a used item finally sold for, not the price it was listed at. It's the most valuable data point in the second-hand market because it reveals what people actually pay. Reloot records it (with your permission) to sharpen its appraisals over time.

Payout

The money you receive when a sale goes through, after the marketplace commission is deducted. On Reloot, after purchase the money is held in escrow and released to your wallet when the buyer confirms they received the item; from there you withdraw whenever you want.

Dead pile

The listings that have gone a long time without selling. It usually happens due to a too-high price, weak photos or low demand. The fastest fix is almost always to lower the price or improve the photos: Reloot alerts you when one of your items is stuck and suggests what to do.

Flipping

Buying an item cheap to resell it higher and keep the difference. It works when you can spot prices below market value. Reloot's AI appraisal helps flippers instantly know whether something is cheap or expensive before buying.

Resale arbitrage

Taking advantage of the price difference of the same item between two places or moments: you buy where it's cheap and sell where it's worth more. It's the basis of many resellers' business. Reloot makes it easier to spot those opportunities by comparing the price with the real resale value.

Sleeping money

It's the value locked up in things you no longer use but could sell: the old phone in a drawer, the console in the closet, furniture that no longer fits. It does nothing while it sits there. Reloot helps you spot it: snap a photo and the AI estimates what it's worth, so you can turn it into real cash.

Item rarity

It's a level (from common to legendary) that Reloot assigns to each appraised item based on how much value and demand it has. It's a game layer: the most valuable, sought-after items shine as rare or legendary 'drops' and generate a viral image to share. It doesn't change the price — it's a visual way to show how coveted your item is.

Price markdown

It's lowering the price of a listing that hasn't sold in a while to speed up the sale. A small markdown is often enough to unstick it. In Reloot, when a listing stalls, it suggests lowering the price and automatically notifies people who favorited it, so the drop reaches interested buyers.

Lowball offer

It's when a buyer offers well below your asking price, testing how far you'll drop. Getting offended or accepting right away are both mistakes — the best move is a composed reply with a reasonable counter. Reloot's negotiation assistant writes that reply for you based on your floor price and the tone you pick, to close without giving the item away.

Days to sell

It's how long a type of item usually takes to sell, from listing to finding a buyer. It varies by category, condition, price and demand. Reloot factors it into its pricing strategy: it tells you whether to sell fast (lower price, fewer days) or hold out for the max price (more days).

Authenticity

It's the assurance that an item is genuine and not a counterfeit, key in categories like watches, sneakers or branded electronics. Reloot surfaces trust and authenticity signals to help you decide — always as guiding signals, never a final verdict: the final check is up to buyer and seller.

Network effect

The phenomenon by which a marketplace becomes more valuable the more people use it: every seller who lists attracts buyers, and every buyer attracts sellers. It's the foundation of Reloot's plan to build its own liquidity: the more Reloot Market grows, the faster things sell inside it and the better price everyone gets.

Wholesale (buy) price

The price — below resale — paid by someone who buys your item to resell it at a profit, like a pawn shop or a buy-sell store. The gap between that price and the real resale price is their margin; it's exactly what you keep if you sell directly to the end buyer, like on Reloot.

Reselling glossary: key terms explained