+0.42 Don't Cite Unsold eBay Listing Prices (blog.danlew.net S:+0.33 )
48 points by speckx 2 days ago | 9 comments on HN | Moderate positive Contested Editorial · v3.7 · 2026-02-28 09:58:45 0
Summary Free Expression & Accuracy Advocates
This personal blog post by Dan Lew advocates for journalistic accuracy, directly criticizing mainstream outlets (Patch, Wall Street Journal) for citing unsold eBay listings as actual sales prices. Through comparative data analysis, the author distinguishes between listing prices and verified sales, advocates for evidence-based reporting, and provides specific actionable guidance (using eBay's product research tool). The content exemplifies Article 19 freedom of expression while promoting truthfulness principles aligned with the UDHR Preamble's emphasis on dignity and justice.
Article Heatmap
Preamble: +0.42 — Preamble P Article 1: +0.16 — Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood 1 Article 2: ND — Non-Discrimination Article 2: No Data — Non-Discrimination 2 Article 3: ND — Life, Liberty, Security Article 3: No Data — Life, Liberty, Security 3 Article 4: ND — No Slavery Article 4: No Data — No Slavery 4 Article 5: ND — No Torture Article 5: No Data — No Torture 5 Article 6: ND — Legal Personhood Article 6: No Data — Legal Personhood 6 Article 7: ND — Equality Before Law Article 7: No Data — Equality Before Law 7 Article 8: ND — Right to Remedy Article 8: No Data — Right to Remedy 8 Article 9: ND — No Arbitrary Detention Article 9: No Data — No Arbitrary Detention 9 Article 10: ND — Fair Hearing Article 10: No Data — Fair Hearing 10 Article 11: ND — Presumption of Innocence Article 11: No Data — Presumption of Innocence 11 Article 12: ND — Privacy Article 12: No Data — Privacy 12 Article 13: ND — Freedom of Movement Article 13: No Data — Freedom of Movement 13 Article 14: ND — Asylum Article 14: No Data — Asylum 14 Article 15: ND — Nationality Article 15: No Data — Nationality 15 Article 16: ND — Marriage & Family Article 16: No Data — Marriage & Family 16 Article 17: +0.16 — Property 17 Article 18: ND — Freedom of Thought Article 18: No Data — Freedom of Thought 18 Article 19: +0.80 — Freedom of Expression 19 Article 20: ND — Assembly & Association Article 20: No Data — Assembly & Association 20 Article 21: ND — Political Participation Article 21: No Data — Political Participation 21 Article 22: ND — Social Security Article 22: No Data — Social Security 22 Article 23: ND — Work & Equal Pay Article 23: No Data — Work & Equal Pay 23 Article 24: ND — Rest & Leisure Article 24: No Data — Rest & Leisure 24 Article 25: ND — Standard of Living Article 25: No Data — Standard of Living 25 Article 26: ND — Education Article 26: No Data — Education 26 Article 27: ND — Cultural Participation Article 27: No Data — Cultural Participation 27 Article 28: ND — Social & International Order Article 28: No Data — Social & International Order 28 Article 29: ND — Duties to Community Article 29: No Data — Duties to Community 29 Article 30: ND — No Destruction of Rights Article 30: No Data — No Destruction of Rights 30
Negative Neutral Positive No Data
Aggregates
Editorial Mean +0.42 Structural Mean +0.33
Weighted Mean +0.48 Unweighted Mean +0.39
Max +0.80 Article 19 Min +0.16 Article 1
Signal 4 No Data 27
Volatility 0.26 (High)
Negative 0 Channels E: 0.6 S: 0.4
SETL +0.15 Editorial-dominant
FW Ratio 50% 9 facts · 9 inferences
Evidence 8% coverage
2H 2L 27 ND
Theme Radar
Foundation Security Legal Privacy & Movement Personal Expression Economic & Social Cultural Order & Duties Foundation: 0.29 (2 articles) Security: 0.00 (0 articles) Legal: 0.00 (0 articles) Privacy & Movement: 0.00 (0 articles) Personal: 0.16 (1 articles) Expression: 0.80 (1 articles) Economic & Social: 0.00 (0 articles) Cultural: 0.00 (0 articles) Order & Duties: 0.00 (0 articles)
HN Discussion 5 top-level · 1 replies
bdcravens 2026-02-27 19:21 UTC link
It doesn't make for as good of a headline, but learning to look at solds (and even more importantly, sell through rate) is the first thing you learn (or should learn) if you do any reselling.

Additionally, you have to factor in free shipping. A rough way to do it is to multiply the % times the average shipping price and deduct that from the average sales price (so the "real" average sales price for the totes is closer to $14 or so)

dangus 2026-02-27 20:55 UTC link
Could have been helpful for the article to include a tutorial:

In the filters, there’s one for “completed” and “sold,” you want both checked.

nothercastle 2026-02-28 01:35 UTC link
Ha this summarizes marketplace problems in one sentence. All items that are still available for sale are typically priced too high. The slices of market that actually moves a minuscule 1-5% of items and they don’t hang out for long
arjie 2026-02-28 06:05 UTC link
This is a classic problem when people try to find "the current price" of something. A typical error is to take an average of the current rentals currently on the market and describe that as the average rental cost somewhere. Usually the book is so thin that a few places being taken off the market will shift the price a lot while most people can be paying something like half of that and every rental that lists for less than the clearing price is acquired so rapidly that any sampling method will reliably miss it.
atoav 2026-02-28 14:05 UTC link
Even better are people who sell a used piece of equipment for a higher price than a new one.
usui 2026-02-27 23:15 UTC link
Why would you want "Completed" if you want to know how much an item sells for? This would be telling you how much it didn't sell for.
Editorial Channel
What the content says
+0.80
Article 19 Freedom of Expression
High Advocacy Framing
Editorial
+0.80
SETL
0.00

Core article topic: Author freely exercises freedom of opinion and expression by publicly criticizing mainstream news outlets (Patch, Wall Street Journal) for journalistic malpractice and advocates evidence-based reporting standards.

+0.50
Preamble Preamble
High Advocacy
Editorial
+0.50
SETL
+0.32

Content advocates for truthfulness and accuracy in reporting, aligned with dignity and justice principles underlying the Preamble's call for freedom and human worth.

+0.20
Article 1 Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood
Low Advocacy
Editorial
+0.20
SETL
+0.14

Article indirectly supports equality by advocating that all people deserve truthful information rather than misleading price claims that exploit or deceive.

+0.20
Article 17 Property
Low Advocacy
Editorial
+0.20
SETL
+0.14

Article advocates for accurate representation of property values and transparent pricing practices, supporting informed property-related decision-making.

ND
Article 2 Non-Discrimination

No observable reference to discrimination or differential treatment based on protected characteristics.

ND
Article 3 Life, Liberty, Security

No reference to right to life, liberty, or personal security.

ND
Article 4 No Slavery

No reference to slavery or servitude.

ND
Article 5 No Torture

No reference to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

ND
Article 6 Legal Personhood

No reference to recognition as a person before law.

ND
Article 7 Equality Before Law

No reference to equal protection or equality before law.

ND
Article 8 Right to Remedy

No reference to effective remedies for rights violations.

ND
Article 9 No Arbitrary Detention

No reference to arbitrary arrest or detention.

ND
Article 10 Fair Hearing

No reference to fair trial or legal proceedings.

ND
Article 11 Presumption of Innocence

No reference to criminal liability or presumption of innocence.

ND
Article 12 Privacy

No reference to privacy, family, home, or correspondence.

ND
Article 13 Freedom of Movement

No reference to freedom of movement or residence.

ND
Article 14 Asylum

No reference to asylum or refuge from persecution.

ND
Article 15 Nationality

No reference to nationality or change of nationality.

ND
Article 16 Marriage & Family

No reference to marriage or family rights.

ND
Article 18 Freedom of Thought

No reference to freedom of thought, conscience, or religion.

ND
Article 20 Assembly & Association

No reference to freedom of peaceful assembly or association.

ND
Article 21 Political Participation

No reference to participation in government, democratic processes, or public administration.

ND
Article 22 Social Security

No reference to social security or economic welfare entitlements.

ND
Article 23 Work & Equal Pay

No reference to work, fair wages, or labor rights.

ND
Article 24 Rest & Leisure

No reference to rest, leisure, or limitations on working hours.

ND
Article 25 Standard of Living

No reference to health, food, clothing, housing, or medical care.

ND
Article 26 Education

While content employs educational framing and provides instruction, it does not directly reference education as a right or access to schooling.

ND
Article 27 Cultural Participation

No reference to cultural participation, scientific advancement, or intellectual property.

ND
Article 28 Social & International Order

No reference to social and international order or institutional frameworks.

ND
Article 29 Duties to Community

No reference to community duties or reasonable limitations on rights.

ND
Article 30 No Destruction of Rights

No reference to prevention of rights destruction or misuse of freedoms.

Structural Channel
What the site does
Element Modifier Affects Note
Legal & Terms
Privacy
No privacy policy or data handling statement directly observable from the provided page content.
Terms of Service
No terms of service or user agreements directly observable from the provided page content.
Identity & Mission
Mission
No explicit mission statement or about page content directly observable from the provided page content.
Editorial Code
No editorial code of ethics or standards directly observable from the provided page content.
Ownership
Personal blog by Dan Lew; no corporate or institutional ownership details directly observable from the provided page content.
Access & Distribution
Access Model
Content appears freely accessible; no paywall or subscription requirement directly observable from the provided page content.
Ad/Tracking
Google Analytics (gtag) script observed; purpose and data collection scope not detailed on page.
Accessibility
No explicit accessibility features or statements directly observable from the provided page content.
+0.80
Article 19 Freedom of Expression
High Advocacy Framing
Structural
+0.80
Context Modifier
ND
SETL
0.00

Site structure (personal blog with comment and subscription functionality) directly enables and structurally supports freedom of expression without apparent editorial gatekeeping or censorship.

+0.30
Preamble Preamble
High Advocacy
Structural
+0.30
Context Modifier
ND
SETL
+0.32

Site structure supports open discourse without apparent barriers to free expression or publishing.

+0.10
Article 1 Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood
Low Advocacy
Structural
+0.10
Context Modifier
ND
SETL
+0.14

Site provides freely accessible information without discrimination or access barriers.

+0.10
Article 17 Property
Low Advocacy
Structural
+0.10
Context Modifier
ND
SETL
+0.14

No structural barriers to discussion or advocacy regarding property valuation.

ND
Article 2 Non-Discrimination

Not applicable.

ND
Article 3 Life, Liberty, Security

Not applicable.

ND
Article 4 No Slavery

Not applicable.

ND
Article 5 No Torture

Not applicable.

ND
Article 6 Legal Personhood

Not applicable.

ND
Article 7 Equality Before Law

Not applicable.

ND
Article 8 Right to Remedy

Not applicable.

ND
Article 9 No Arbitrary Detention

Not applicable.

ND
Article 10 Fair Hearing

Not applicable.

ND
Article 11 Presumption of Innocence

Not applicable.

ND
Article 12 Privacy

Not applicable.

ND
Article 13 Freedom of Movement

Not applicable.

ND
Article 14 Asylum

Not applicable.

ND
Article 15 Nationality

Not applicable.

ND
Article 16 Marriage & Family

Not applicable.

ND
Article 18 Freedom of Thought

Not applicable.

ND
Article 20 Assembly & Association

Not applicable.

ND
Article 21 Political Participation

Not applicable.

ND
Article 22 Social Security

Not applicable.

ND
Article 23 Work & Equal Pay

Not applicable.

ND
Article 24 Rest & Leisure

Not applicable.

ND
Article 25 Standard of Living

Not applicable.

ND
Article 26 Education

Not applicable.

ND
Article 27 Cultural Participation

Not applicable.

ND
Article 28 Social & International Order

Not applicable.

ND
Article 29 Duties to Community

Not applicable.

ND
Article 30 No Destruction of Rights

Not applicable.

Supplementary Signals
How this content communicates, beyond directional lean. Learn more
Epistemic Quality
How well-sourced and evidence-based is this content?
0.82 medium claims
Sources
0.8
Evidence
0.9
Uncertainty
0.8
Purpose
0.9
Propaganda Flags
2 manipulative rhetoric techniques found
2 techniques detected
loaded language
I beg of you
appeal to emotion
I'm ticked off after seeing this Patch post and this WSJ article
Emotional Tone
Emotional character: positive/negative, intensity, authority
measured
Valence
-0.1
Arousal
0.4
Dominance
0.6
Transparency
Does the content identify its author and disclose interests?
1.00
✓ Author
More signals: context, framing & audience
Solution Orientation
Does this content offer solutions or only describe problems?
0.71 mixed
Reader Agency
0.8
Stakeholder Voice
Whose perspectives are represented in this content?
0.40 3 perspectives
Speaks: individuals
About: institutioncorporation
Temporal Framing
Is this content looking backward, at the present, or forward?
present immediate
Geographic Scope
What geographic area does this content cover?
national
United States
Complexity
How accessible is this content to a general audience?
accessible low jargon general
Longitudinal 293 HN snapshots · 56 evals
+1 0 −1 HN
Audit Trail 76 entries
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2026-02-28 21:13 eval_failure Evaluation failed: AbortError: The operation was aborted - -
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2026-02-28 20:41 eval_failure Evaluation failed: AbortError: The operation was aborted - -
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