Cart cap calculator
How many items to put in the cart this trip, set by the listing time you actually have and the pile already waiting at home.
Why a cash budget isn't enough
A $100 budget at $5 a tag is 20 items. If you only have time to list 12 this week, eight of them go on the pile. The pile is cash that can't sell.
This tool takes the lower of two limits. The time cap counts the pile at home first. The cash cap is your budget over your average tag.
The math
| Output | Formula |
|---|---|
| Free listing minutes | hours × 60 − (unlisted items × minutes per item) |
| Time cap | free minutes ÷ minutes per item, rounded down |
| Cash cap | sourcing cash ÷ average cost, rounded down |
| Cart cap | the lower of the two |
| Spend ceiling | cart cap × average cost |
Using the number in the store
Count items as they go in the cart, not dollars. When you hit the cap, the next item has to beat the weakest thing already in the cart to get in. Swap, don't add.
If the cap is zero, list before you shop. What to buy helps you pick which items earn a slot.
Questions
How many items should I buy at a thrift store to resell?
As many as you can list before the next trip, and no more. This tool turns your listing hours and the pile at home into that number.
Why does the pile at home lower my cap?
Those items need the same listing time. Every hour spent on the pile is an hour new items can't use.
What if I find something great after I hit the cap?
Swap it in for the weakest item in the cart. The cap is a count, so a better item replaces a worse one.
Does it round?
Yes, down to whole items. Half an item can't be listed.
Related
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.