Yep, we’re back again with the latest eBay trending searches. So, why not let eRank data geeks take the guesswork out of what to sell on eBay? First, we’ll show you which of this month’s Top 20 keywords have been climbing fastest. Then we’ll analyze what the Top 200 shopper searches tell us about what’s selling best on eBay now.
Check out yesterday‘s eBay Top 100, and what’s popular on Amazon, Etsy, Google Shopping, and dozens of other marketplaces.
May’s Top 20 trending on eBay
- pokemon
- steam controller
- steam deck
- laptop
- iphone
- ps5
- pokemon cards
- gaming pc
- ipad
- macbook pro
- nintendo switch
- iphone 17 pro max
- 3ds
- gaming laptop
- pc
- xbox series x
- macbook
- iphone 15
- nintendo switch 2
- iphone 13
Wow! It’s a banner day when we see a screamer in an eBay Top 20. “Screamer” is our pet name for keywords that hadn’t even managed to crack the previous month’s Top 1000. Because sometimes they seem to scream to the top out of nowhere. It’s fun for us data geeks to try to figure out why. Let’s see go what we can see.
Ranked 2nd: “steam controller” – screamer
As shown on this line chart, “steam controller” did get 8,300 searches in April. Those and all the ones before are just dwarfed by the quarter-million+ searches it got in May. Huh. So we did some poking around, found talk of “rapid sell-outs” and “impatient buyers” and “scalpers.”
Enough said! That is the classic setup for an eBay screamer. Usually, it’s electronics. But sometimes not. We’ve seen everything from Trump’s gold sneakers to last month’s NeeDoh play out the same way on eBay.
Normally though, of the marketplaces we cover here, the top eBay searches are remarkably stable. Typical Month-on-Month turnover in the Top 20 averages two to three climbers that weren’t in the previous Top 20. But not this month.
Top eBay searches climbing highest fastest
Last month, eBay has just two climbers. This month we have four.
Ranked 2nd: “steam controller” (screamer; didn’t make April’s Top 1000)
15th: “pc,” up from #27
18th: “iphone 15,” up from #25
20th: “iphone 13,” up from #28
Apart from the screamer, the three climbers are all eBay Top 20 familiar faces. In fact, “pc” ranked #17 in March. That said, the two iPhone models haven’t quite reached the Top 20 since last fall. But they have managed to stay in the Top 30. Interesting to see that they’ve both climbed back up again. Is it a reflection of times being tight?
And both phones also have unusually good monthly click-through rates (CTRs) for May. The iPhone 13 has 83%. For eBay, that is well above average. Which means eBay shoppers are buying!
Tip! CTRs and purchase intent
If you’re new to selling online, this will be a useful tip.
On ecommerce sites, click-through rates (CTRs) reflect how many times shoppers clicked individual listings in their search results. Therefore, CTRs are an indicator of ‘purchase intent.’ These are people more likely searching with the intention to buy, as opposed to those just browsing.
You’ll want to keep up with the top eBay trending searches, yes. Because you never know what might pop up, like “steam controller” or last month’s “needoh.” But a high search count does not mean shoppers are buying. This is especially true on eBay. Of the three marketplaces we cover here, the top eBay searches consistently have the most tire kickers.
So, for insight into what’s selling best on eBay now, look to their click-through rates. It’s why we end these trend reports with a Monthly CTR Roundup. You’ll see which of the products currently trending on eBay have had the highest CTRs most recently. And this month, there are more high CTRs than usual – and also more that are sky high! So let’s get right to them, shall we?
Roundup! eBay trending searches with 70%+ CTRs now
Looking for ideas of what to sell on eBay? Then this is for you! Your insider access to which of the Top 200 keywords trending on eBay are showing the strongest purchase intent. Note that these calculations are based exclusively on our most recent full month of data. Which means that, whatever their 12-mo CTRs, these products are what’s selling best on eBay now.
For readability, we’ll only shout out individual CTRs above 100%. But all these qualifiers will have at least 70% for the month. And as you’ll see, CTRs even that high are exceptional on eBay. Any products here that interest you will be worth adding to a Keyword List for further research.
Ranking #1-50
We featured No. 1 pokemon in ebay’s March Roundup. Its monthly CTR had more than doubled, from 49% to 113%. But this month? “Pokemon” has a May CTR of 150%; that is as high as they go! We’ve never seen a monthly CTR this high for Pokemon. Even NPR and CNBC have covered the “Pokemon card boom.”
#1 “pokemon,” May CTR: 150%
There are four more qualifiers in the Top 20. (Last month, “pokemon” was the only one.) They are #6 ps5, #8 gaming pc, #14 gaming laptop, #18 iphone 15, and #20 iphone 13.
Moving on to the rest of the Top 50, next are #24 thinkpad, #30 psp, and #40 xbox 360. The final three: #46 watch, #48 apple watch, and #50 iphone 13 pro max; it has 106%.
Ranked from #51-100
First here is #53 ps5 console, followed by #55 mac mini m4 and already our second qualifier with 150%! (Last month, there were none in the Top 150.) Let’s have a look.
#55 “mac mini m4,” May CTR: 150%
Average CTRs are always lower than monthly CTRs when the product is selling well. But even so, 44% is on the low side, even for eBay. Which just makes its current 150% the more remarkable. With M5’s launch now delayed due to shortages, maybe some M5 shoppers have changed their minds about waiting.
Just three more qualifiers here, but they include two more high flyers. At #74 is iphone 12, followed by #93 new 3ds xl. We featured the latter last month; it had a CTR of 107%. This month it has 150%! And at #97, we have high flyer star wars with a worthy 119% for the month.
Next, ranking #101-150
There are just a handful of qualifiers in this group. First, we have #103 ap swatch, #107 samsung galaxy s24 ultra, and #112 cpu. Then two high flyers, #119 macbook air m1 with 115%, and #142 switch lite; it has 113%.
Finally, ranked from #151-200
Straight out of the gate, it’s another phenom!
#155 “airpods pro 3,” May CTR: 150%
The 12-mo CTR for “airpods pro 3” is even higher than for “pokemon” – 81%! At least one or another model of AirPods makes every eBay Roundup. This same search had 107% last month; “apple airpods pro 3” had 126%. This model came out last September to pretty mixed reviews. Clearly, they’ve proved to be popular.
Resuming our Roundup, next up are #156 adidas, #158 ryzen 5 3600, and at #163 transformers with 150%! “Transformers” hasn’t qualified for a Roundup since December. But it was one of that month‘s features; it had 150% then, too. Be advised: purchase intent swings dramatically; last month, “transformers” had a CTR of just 38%.
Next up: #166 nintendo switch lite, #168 macbook air m2, #172 psa, and #192 victor wembanyama with 100%. Then at #197, there’s a second high flyer: psp 3000; it has 122%. And the last for this month is #200 gameboy advance sp.
We really hope some of these will be profitable leads for you!
As for us, we’re off to see what’s hot on Amazon!
Meanwhile, as always, we love hearing what you think. You’re welcome to join us in eRank’s private Facebook group. With over 29,000 members from around the world, someone friendly is always up and about. And don’t miss our weekly live Q&As on YouTube, where you’ll also find dozens of eRank tutorials, demos and more! Like TikTok? We’ve got lots of fun how-tos there, and here we are on Pinterest, Reddit and Threads.
RESOURCES: eRank’s Trend Buzz and Keyword Tool have 15 months of data to gauge recent eBay trends and spot what’s new. Get related keywords, click data, and compare several platforms at once to learn where shoppers are for what you sell. Together, these tools are the best way to track eBay trending searches.
