2026-04-15
Why sold comps beat active listings for donation floors
Active listings chase upside — donation crews need medians grounded in fees and friction donors recognize.
Buyers negotiating at thrift counters anchor emotionally on what sold recently nearby — not what optimistic sellers listed Tuesday.
Median sold listings blunt outliers automatically — extreme auctions matter less when sample sizes climb.
Vision-first workflows pair nicely because crews capture messy SKUs — comps simply justify what eyes already suspected.
Teach volunteers that Maybe verdicts protect credibility — optimism belongs in storytelling, not Sharpie ink.