What is sell-through rate?
Sell-through rate is the share of listed items that actually sell rather than going unsold — calculated as sold ÷ listed, over a period. It's a quick read on how fast inventory (or an auction catalog) clears.
How to calculate it
If 76 of 100 listed lots sell, that's a 76% sell-through rate. For a reseller's own stock it's often measured as units sold ÷ units received into inventory over a month — a proxy for whether your inventory moves or sits.
What's a good rate?
It depends on the channel. For your own resale inventory, a monthly sell-through above roughly 40%–50% is generally healthy — stock that turns rather than dead weight tying up cash. Government-surplus auctions run far higher, because sellers are liquidating and open bids low, so most lots clear.
Why it matters on surplus
High auction sell-through is why surplus opening bids look so cheap — agencies want to move assets, not maximize each lot. That's the opportunity, but it cuts both ways: a lot clearing cheaply doesn't make it a flip. The flip is still the gap between resale and landed cost. We measured ~74% sell-through across one week →
Related terms
Reserve price · Sold comps · Full glossary
GavelGap scores each GovDeals listing on the one thing sell-through can't tell you: whether the lot resells for more than it costs you.
See how GavelGap works →