Scan a barcode to list on eBay

Point your phone at the barcode on a book, game, CD or boxed product. Listem works out what it is, writes the listing, checks what it sells for second-hand, and posts it to eBay in one tap. It all runs in your phone's browser, with no app to install.

Free plan: 2 listings a day. Open listem.io on your phone to use the camera.

How to do it

1. Open listem.io on your phone in Safari or Chrome, and tap Scan a barcode.
2. Allow the camera and hold the barcode inside the box. Listem reads it and fills in what the item is.
3. Add a photo if you like. It isn't required, but a photo of your actual item helps with the description and the condition.
4. Tap Write my listing. You get the title, description, item specifics and three price options, each backed by the listings it compared.
5. Fill in the highlighted gaps, like condition, then post to eBay in one tap.

Which barcodes work

The standard retail barcodes printed on almost everything sold in shops:

• EAN-13: most UK and European products, and the ISBN barcode on the back of books.
• EAN-8: the short version on small packs.
• UPC-A and UPC-E: products made for the US market, including many games and electronics.

QR codes, a shop's own price stickers and serial-number labels aren't product barcodes, so they won't identify the item. Use a photo for those.

Where the item details come from

Listem checks several free public product databases at once: one for general products, Open Food Facts and its sister databases for toiletries and household items, Open Library for books, and MusicBrainz for CDs and vinyl. If none of them knows the barcode, it runs a web search. That search only accepts a result showing that exact barcode number, so it won't guess a "close enough" product and list the wrong thing.

If the barcode still can't be identified, Listem tells you, keeps the number in your notes, and asks for a photo or a few words instead. You're never stuck.

Getting a clean scan

• Good light helps most. Avoid glare from shiny packaging.
• Hold the phone about 10–15 cm away, with the barcode filling the box, and keep it steady for a second.
• Open listem.io directly in Safari or Chrome. Browsers built into other apps, like the ones that open links inside Instagram or Facebook, often block the camera.
• Every scan is checked against the barcode's check digit, so a blurry misread is rejected rather than looked up as the wrong product.
• Camera not cooperating? Tap Type the number instead and enter the digits printed under the bars.

Isn't there a scanner in the eBay app?

Yes. eBay's own app has a barcode scanner that matches items to eBay's product catalogue, and it's worth knowing about. Listem goes further in a few ways:

• It writes the description in a plain, factual seller's voice and leaves gaps for what only you know, rather than using stock catalogue text.
• It checks second-hand prices across eBay, Vinted, Depop and other sites, and links to the listings it compared.
• The same scan can be written up for Vinted, Depop, Etsy, Amazon, Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree too.
• It works in any browser, and bulk mode (Premium) lists a whole batch in one go.

Questions

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