What is profit-per-hour in reselling?

Your net profit, after what you paid, eBay fees and postage, divided by every hour you spent sourcing, sorting, photographing, listing and packing. It's the number that tells you whether the work is actually worth doing.

Why isn't revenue a good measure?

Revenue ignores cost, fees and time. Plenty of sellers turn over thousands and earn less than minimum wage once they count the hours. Profit-per-hour is what separates a business from an expensive hobby.

How do I improve my profit per hour?

Batch similar work, bundle low-value singles instead of listing them individually, template your listings, and stop doing the work that pays least. Most gains come from cutting the tail, not selling more.

Profit per hour: the only metric that matters

Plenty of card sellers turn over thousands a year and earn less than minimum wage. Revenue hides that. So does profit, if you never count the hours. The number that tells the truth is profit per hour, and once you measure it, it changes what you sell.

How to calculate it

Take your net profit: the sale price minus what you paid, minus eBay fees, postage and packaging, and divide it by every hour the stock cost you. Not just listing time. Count:

Sourcing: travel, browsing, negotiating, collecting.
Sorting and identifying: the tedious middle where most hours vanish.
Photographing and listing: per card, this is the killer.
Packing and posting: plus trips to the post office.
Admin: messages, returns, records.

A worked example

You buy a collection for £100 and sell it for £320. Fees and postage take £55, so your net profit is £165. Feels good. But it took 15 hours to sort, list, pack and post, so you earned £11 an hour. Now the question isn't "did I profit?" but "could those 15 hours have earned more?"

What it reveals

Once you measure it, uncomfortable patterns appear. Low-value singles almost always pay worst: a £3 card takes nearly as long to photograph, list and pack as a £60 one. Bundling those same cards can multiply your hourly rate even though it lowers the headline price, which is the whole argument in singles vs bundles vs bulk. It also shows which sources are worth your travel, and which lots to leave.

How to raise it

Cut the tail. Bundle or bulk the cards that earn pennies per hour. This is the single biggest lever.
Batch the work. Photograph twenty cards in one session, not one at a time.
Template everything. Listing titles, descriptions, packing routines.
Price once, properly. Re-checking sold comps card by card, tab by tab, is where hours quietly disappear.
Buy better. A good buy raises profit without adding a single hour.

The traps

Don't count gross as profit. Don't forget the stock that never sold, those hours still happened. And don't ignore returns and the time they eat. Honest numbers are the point; a flattering figure helps nobody.

Curio records what you paid, the fees, and the real net on every card, so profit per hour stops being a guess. It's the heart of running a card-selling business.

FAQ

What is profit-per-hour in reselling?: Your net profit, after what you paid, eBay fees and postage, divided by every hour you spent sourcing, sorting, photographing, listing and packing. It's the number that tells you whether the work is actually worth doing.
Why isn't revenue a good measure?: Revenue ignores cost, fees and time. Plenty of sellers turn over thousands and earn less than minimum wage once they count the hours. Profit-per-hour is what separates a business from an expensive hobby.
How do I improve my profit per hour?: Batch similar work, bundle low-value singles instead of listing them individually, template your listings, and stop doing the work that pays least. Most gains come from cutting the tail, not selling more.

Last updated August 2026