Discover what these eBay trending searches tell us about products selling best on eBay now. Let us take the guesswork out of your eBay SEO and product research. First we’ll show you the Top 20 eBay searches and which of them are most popular with shoppers. Then we’ll analyze the Top 500 keywords to see what eBay shoppers are most interested in buying now.
Reading time: 10 minutes
See what eBay trends were yesterday, or what’s hot on dozens of other marketplaces like Etsy, Amazon, and Google Shopping.
September’s Top 20 eBay searches
- ps5
- laptop
- iphone
- pokemon
- iphone 15 pro max
- iphone 12
- iphone 13
- gaming pc
- nintendo switch
- steam deck
- ipad
- iphone 14 pro max
- xbox series s
- xbox series x
- macbook pro
- rtx 3080
- iphone 11
- iphone 15
- gaming laptop
- macbook
Warning: Beware of trademarked terms. This list may contain keywords that are trademarked. USPTO Trademark Database
What’s new Month on Month to eBay’s Top 20
As always, we’ll begin with the Top 20 keywords that weren’t on last month’s Top 20 list. We do this because they are the shopper searches that have climbed highest the fastest. And while there is always some turnover, how much varies a lot between marketplaces.
While Etsy’s norm used to be five to nine keywords new Month on Month, that’s changed in the past year. Now, Etsy’s turnover is more like nine to 13. And more than once, it’s had 15 keywords be new Month on Month! Amazon’s average Top 20 turnover is much lower. Typically, it has four to six shopper searches that weren’t on the previous month’s list.
Whereas eBay? Easily the most stable of all the top marketplaces. On eBay’s Top 20 list, a turnover of three or four is usually about it. And while August ran high with a whopping five new, September has only three climbers.
So we’ll look at those first. Then we’ll share our analysis of eBay’s Top 500 searches, identifying which show the most purchase intent. (For those of you who are new, we’ll explain more about that in a bit.)
These eBay searches climbed highest the fastest in September
Here are the three climbers, listed in order with their current rank first.
#12 iphone 14 pro max, up from #22
#17 iphone 11, up from #23
#18 iphone 15, up from #36
All iPhones! Could be coincidence. Or it could be related to the September launch of the iPhone 16.
Speaking of which, four iPhone 16 searches did make September’s Top 1000. However, the highest-ranked was “iphone 16” all the way down in 118th-place. But then, people don’t tend to shop eBay for the latest, hottest launches. Instead, they wait for the latest to drop, then shop eBay for deals on models the latest has supplanted.
Ranking 12th: iphone 14 pro max, up from #22
Here is “iphone 14 pro max” in Keyword Tool.
As you can see on the line chart, its 15-mo peak was back in September 2023, when the iPhone 15 launched. And a year later, it still has enough search volume to be among the top eBay trending searches.
And by the way, don’t be dismayed by that caution-yellow Average CTR stat on the bar chart. We’ll explain.
Click-through rates and purchase intent
New to online selling? Click-through rates (CTRs) reflect how many times shoppers clicked listings in their search results. We care about these stats because CTRs signal purchase intent. That is, a shopper who’s searching with the intention to purchase as opposed to one who’s just browsing.
Now, Etsy has more high CTRs than any other top marketplace. Both Amazon and eBay have far fewer. We data geeks at eRank love to speculate about why. Since Etsy is the outlier, it could just be due to the nature of Etsy shoppers and Etsy products. For unique products, a glance at a search results page doesn’t show enough. Often, shoppers need to click through just to see what a product is.
Therefore, we’re not sure that all those Etsy click-throughs indicate all that much more Etsy purchase intent. Some do, for sure. But other click-throughs we suspect are out of curiosity. And some are out of necessity. Shoppers know what an iPhone 14 Pro Max is; fewer know what a custom needle-felted pet portrait might be.
In researching a recent Amazon trend report, we found these stats cited by Amazon.
“Customers complete 28% of Amazon purchases in 3 minutes or less and 50% of purchases in less than 15 minutes.” Toogood, Mickey, “Amazon Selling Stats,” Amazon Selling Partner Blog, Grow Your Business, May 10, 2024
Shoppers who purchase that fast must arrive on the site already knowing exactly what they want. The nature of eBay trending searches suggests the same may hold true there too. Compared to Etsy’s shoppers, we bet more of eBay’s can tell just by the title and thumbnail whether they’re interested. So eBay buyers don’t need to click as many listings before finding what they want to purchase.
Ranking 17th: iphone 11, up from #23
And here is the iPhone 11.
For those viewing on small screens, that CTR stat is 38%. Calculated just for the month, it’s even lower: 31%. But with 87,690 searches in this past month alone, US shoppers are clearly interested. And note the secondary peak in January. (The iphone 14 pro max also has one, just not quite as high.) People shopping with their holiday gift cards? Something to bear in mind if you want to sell yours.
Ranking 18th: iphone 15, up from #36
And here is the model that launched in September 2023. Of our three climbers, it leapfrogged more of the queue in terms of rank.
And its search trend history is different than the first two. Its first peak wasn’t until November, suggesting that more of these (being the latest model) were gift purchases. Then another peak, slightly lower, in January; maybe purchases using Christmas gift money / gift cards? And after a lull in February, it’s been climbing pretty steadily ever since.
Search volume-wise, this past month “iphone 15” had 1,000 fewer searches than the iPhone 11. And 14,000 fewer than our 12th-ranked “iphone 14 pro max.” But wait! The iPhone 15 Pro Max ranks fifth overall this month. Let’s take a quick look at those stats.
Ranking 5th: iphone 15 pro max, compared with 12th-ranked iphone 14 pro max
Here are the stats on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which launched in September 2023.
And sure enough: the month the iPhone 15 Pro Max launched, it only had 80,690 searches. This September, it got 141,750 searches: Year on Year, it’s up 76%.
To make comparing these stats easy, here again are the stats for 12th-ranked “iphone 14 pro max.”
The month the iPhone 15 Pro Max launched, searches for the iPhone 14 Pro Max hit their 15-mo peak. For its one-year birthday, the iPhone 14 Pro Max got just short of a quarter of a million searches! But oh dear: the iPhone 15 Pro Max only got 141,750 on its first birthday; that’s 43% fewer.
So we’ve learned two things.
- The month a new model launches, far more eBay shoppers search for the previous year’s model.
- In Sep 2023, way more shoppers searched for the year-old model iPhone than they did the year-old model in Sep 2024.
Was the iPhone 14 Pro Max just a more popular phone? Consensus doesn’t deem that to be so. We do know eBay shoppers are bargain shoppers. Perhaps fewer this year feel they need the 15’s upgraded features than did the 14’s buyers last year?
But enough about iPhones! Let’s get to our insider’s look at which eBay trending searches have the highest CTRs now.
Top 500 eBay trending searches with 100%+ CTRs
Here to discover what’s selling best on eBay now? Then this is for you! We’ll do a lightning round of eBay’s top products that had the highest CTRs in September. Note that we’ve calculated these using just this past month’s data. That means these eBay products should have the most promising purchase intent now.
Remember, CTRs above 100% are mad rare on eBay. (Every month, we find Top 500 eBay shopper searches that have monthly CTRs in the single digits!) Back in June and July, only three searches in their Top 100 lists had CTRs of 100% or more. Then in August, there were only two. And September has only one!
Highest CTRs in the Top 500 eBay trending searches in September
Ranked between 1-250
The first to qualify isn’t until #48 apple watch – but it’s got a 150% CTR for the third month in a row! Then there isn’t another until #108 camera, which has 150% for the second month running. Next are #156 new 3ds xl; #172 hard drive; #180 windows 11 pro key; and #185 new balance, which also has a CTR of 150%. And that’s it for the Top 200.
Ranking 201-250: the next is #212 ps4 pro; then #225 keyboard (with 150% CTR), and #231 wii u. Finishing this group strong is #239 drone; it’s another with a CTR of 150%.
Ranked between 251-500
First, with a worthy CTR of 134%, is #252 speaker. Then not another until we have three in a row with 150%! They are #282 printer; #295 cars trucks; and #334 psa 10.
The next CTR above 100% is #366 new 3ds. (Meanwhile, between #391-392 are three back to back with CTRs below 5%: ouch! They are glass, hdd, and patagonia.) Then we have three more with 150% CTRs. They are #399 leica; #416 anime vanguards; and #436 dji. And next is one with 129%: it’s #446 mustang.
Then ranking #449-450, a back-to-back pair with CTRs of 150%: seat covers, toys. And the last in the Top 500 is #489 mens shoes, with 113%.
Reminder
These CTRs are drawn from their search volume and clicks in September, our last full month of data. Which means that regardless of what their 12-mo average CTRs may be, these keywords are hot right now. We hope some prove to be profitable leads for you!
You know we could go on and on…
But we know you’re busy! If you’d like more inspiration, here are our US trend reports for Etsy and Amazon. And of course you’re always welcome to join us in eRank’s private Facebook group. With over 28,000 members from around the world, someone friendly is always around. Got questions or suggestions for us? Our weekly Q&As are live Thursdays on YouTube, where you’ll also find dozens of eRank tutorials, demos and more! And here we are on TikTok, featuring lots of quick how-tos.
RESOURCES: You can see eBay’s Top 100 keywords for the past 30 days, last week or yesterday in eRank’s Trend Buzz. Use Keyword Tool to see 15 months of historical search data to gauge recent 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 what’s hot right now with eBay shoppers.