Help center → In-store sourcing tool

In-store sourcing tool

7 minute read · Available on all plans including free

The sourcing tool helps you decide whether something is worth buying before you spend any money. Use it while you're standing in a thrift store, estate sale, or anywhere you source inventory.

How to access it

Tap Source items in the left sidebar of the app. The tool is available on all plans including the free tier — identifying sourcing opportunities doesn't count against your monthly analysis limit.

Which input method you see depends on your device

Android Chrome
Scan barcode
Real-time barcode scanner using your rear camera. Point at the barcode and it detects automatically — no button tap needed.
iPhone / iPad
Take photo
Opens your native camera directly. Take a photo of the item or its barcode. Apple doesn't support the barcode scanner API in Safari.
Desktop / laptop
Upload photo
Upload a photo from your computer. Or type the item name or barcode number directly in the text field.
Best experience for sourcing: Use the app on your Android phone with Chrome for the fastest barcode scanning. iPhone users get the photo option which works well — just tap Take photo and point at the item.

Step by step — sourcing an item

  1. Open the app on your phone and go to Source items
  2. Scan the barcode, take a photo, or type the item name in the text field
  3. Wait a few seconds for the item to be identified and comps to load
  4. Enter the store price — what the tag says
  5. Select the condition — New, Like new, Good, Fair, or Poor
  6. Read your instant verdict and profit estimate
  7. If you decide to buy it, tap Add to inventory

Understanding the verdict

After entering the store price and condition you get one of three verdicts:

✓
Buy itEstimated profit of $15 or more. Strong ROI based on recent sold comps. Worth buying at this price and condition.
~
MaybeEstimated profit of $5–$15. Decent ROI but not outstanding. Consider if you have space in your inventory and time to list it.
✗
Leave itEstimated profit under $5 or a loss after fees. The store price is too high relative to what it sells for. Walk away.

What the profit estimate includes

The profit estimate accounts for:

It does not include your time or fuel costs. Keep that in mind when evaluating "Maybe" verdicts.

Cross-platform comparison

Below the verdict you see a breakdown of estimated sale price across all 6 platforms — eBay, Poshmark, Depop, Etsy, Facebook, and Mercari. This helps you see where a specific item tends to sell for more. Some items command higher prices on Depop (vintage, streetwear) while others do better on eBay (brand-name goods with model numbers).

Adding to inventory after buying

When you decide to buy an item, tap Add to inventory on the sourcing result screen. This creates an inventory entry with:

You will still need to run a full analysis (with photos) to generate the complete platform listings. The sourcing tool gives you the pricing intelligence — the main analysis screen generates the actual listing copy.

Workflow tip: Source multiple items in the store using the sourcing tool, then when you get home run full analyses on everything you bought. This keeps your sourcing trips efficient — you're not stopping to take 8 photos of every item while still in the store.

Pricing accuracy in the sourcing tool

Sourcing tool pricing is based on real eBay sold comps when a barcode matches a known product. For items identified by photo or name search, pricing uses the AI's market knowledge. Barcode lookups are generally more accurate for common retail products — clothing without barcodes relies on the photo/name match quality.

iPhone barcode scanning

The real-time barcode scanner is only available on Android Chrome because Apple's Safari browser doesn't support the BarcodeDetector API. On iPhone you have two options:

Typing the barcode number is actually the most reliable method across all devices for products with UPC codes.