Thrift RoutesNotes from the racks

In the browser

Sourcing trip calculator

Enter cash, miles, hours, and what you expect the haul to return. Nothing is sent anywhere. The arithmetic runs in your browser.

Enter your numbers above.

What the calculator is doing

Five calculations you can run on paper. They are written out so you can check them, and so the method still works if the script never loads.

The arithmetic
OutputFormula
All-in trip costcash spent + (miles × cost per mile)
Cost per listable itemall-in cost ÷ items kept after condition check
Break-even sell-throughall-in cost ÷ (net per sale × items kept)
Profit per hour((items kept × sell-through × net per sale) − all-in cost) ÷ hours
Market sell-through (optional)sold ÷ (sold + live), for one eBay search

Checking one item's sell-through before you buy it

The two search fields are for one item, before it goes in the cart. Count the sold and live listings for one eBay search, and the calculator puts that search's sell-through next to the share of the haul this trip needs to sell. How to check eBay sell-through rate covers the counting and the two formulas. Leave both fields at zero to skip it.

The three inputs people get wrong

Cost per mile, hours including listing time, and items kept rather than items bought are the three inputs that are easy to get wrong.

What cost per mile should you use?

Use the current IRS standard mileage rate rather than a fuel-only figure. The 70 cents in the box is an example, not the current rate. Fuel ignores tires, servicing, and depreciation, and using it will make long loops look cheaper than they are. The IRS can change the rate during the year, so check the IRS site.

Should hours include listing time?

Yes, include listing. Photographing, writing, and posting a haul can take longer than acquiring it. Leave that out and sourcing looks like a better job than it is. If you have never timed a haul, time one before you trust a profit-per-hour number.

Items kept, not items bought

What survived the kitchen-table check is the number to use. It is easy to buy things you later reject. Using the purchased count understates the real cost of every item you later list.

What to do with the output

  1. Cost per listable item sets your buy ceiling at the rack. If all-in is $6 an item, a $4 tag is not a $4 item.
  2. Break-even sell-through is the risk gauge. As a rule of thumb, above roughly 60% normal attrition will erase the trip.
  3. Profit per hour is the number that should change Saturday. Cut a store. Shorten a loop. Stay home and list.

Log the output for six weeks and the pattern is hard to unsee. The full method is in the trip math. Building a sourcing route is what to do with the answer. If the haul itself was the problem, what to buy is next.

Questions about the calculator

Is this sourcing calculator free?
Yes. No sign-up. Everything runs in your browser. No figures are transmitted or stored.
What cost per mile should I use?
The current IRS standard mileage rate for business use is the most defensible default, because the IRS bases it on the fixed and variable costs of operating a car rather than fuel alone. It can change during the year.
Should listing time count as part of a sourcing trip?
Yes. Inventory produces nothing until it is listed, so the hours spent photographing and posting belong to the trip that generated them. Dropping them is the usual reason sourcing looks better than it is.
What break-even sell-through is too high?
As a rule of thumb, above about 60% is fragile. It leaves no room for the items that get damaged, mispriced, or never sell. Above 100% the trip cannot break even at any sell-through.
Can I check one item's sell-through rate here?
Yes. Enter the sold and live counts from one eBay search in the two optional fields. The calculator shows that search's sell-through share and compares it with the share of the haul the trip needs to sell.

Disclosure Thrift Routes is published by the team behind FlowLister. FlowLister is AI eBay listing software that turns item photos into complete eBay listings. It writes the title, description, category, item specifics, price and shipping for an eBay listing in about 30 seconds, and it prices each item from recent eBay sold comps and shows the sold listings behind the number. It is AI, so it misses things. We built it, so treat this as a disclosure, not a review. The guides and calculator work the same if you never open it.