How to get alerts for new eBay listings
Save the search on eBay and turn on its alerts: eBay emails you when new listings match, about once a day. If a day is too slow, the eBay app can notify you, or an alert service can check your searches more often.
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Set up alerts on eBay
- Search for what you want. Add the filters you care about, like Buy It Now or a price range, and sort by Newly listed.
- Select “Save this search” at the top of the results.
- Check that alerts are on for it. Your Saved searches page in My eBay lists each search, and you can turn its alerts on or off there.
eBay can reach you by email, by a notification in the eBay app, or by text message. Emails are on by default and follow your communication preferences. App notifications also need to be allowed in your phone’s settings. Your saved searches show in your eBay feed when you’re signed in.
How often eBay sends them
About once a day. eBay’s help says it emails you when new items matching your search are listed, and answers in its Community forum describe a daily email, sent only when something new matched in the past day.
A daily email suits things that sell slowly. For a listing priced well, a day can be too late, which is why buyers turn on the app’s notifications or use an alert service. eBay’s help pages don’t say how often app notifications come.
When saved-search emails stop coming
- Nothing new matched. The email only comes when a new listing matched in the past day, so a narrow search can go quiet for days.
- Alerts are off for that search. Check it on your Saved searches page.
- Your email settings changed. Check your communication preferences on eBay, and your spam folder.
- The search isn’t sorted by Newly listed. An answer in eBay’s Community forum suggests saving the search that way when the emails stop.
Write a tighter search
An alert is only as good as its search. Leave out the words that mark what you don’t want, with a minus sign right in front: sterling -plated skips silver plate, and 14k gold -filled skips gold-filled. Our free search builder writes the line for you, with the reason beside each word it leaves out.
Your options side by side
| Option | Reaches you | How often | Each alert tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay saved search email | About once a day, when something new matched | The new listings, as eBay shows them | |
| eBay app notifications | Your phone | eBay’s help doesn’t say | The new listing |
| Other alert services | Email, app, Discord or text, by service | Set by each service | Varies by service |
| InstaSnipe | Web feed, Discord and email | Each search checked as often as every 30 seconds, and about every 2 minutes on a busy day. Half of all cards reached the feed within 3.6 minutes of listing (329,820 listings, 7 days to Oct 23, 2026). Email starts once a day; switch a search to Discord and new listings come at once. A listing we rate a Pass never alerts you. | Its photo and price; where we can price it, a value, your max buy and a verdict: Buy, or Review with the reason |
InstaSnipe is ours, listed last. Its values and verdicts cover LEGO sets; watches; silver, gold, platinum and palladium; trading cards and sports cards; knives. Every other search still fills your feed, marked Unrated.
Questions
Can eBay alert me as soon as something is listed?
eBay’s help pages don’t promise a timing. Its saved-search emails come about once a day. For more often, turn on notifications in the eBay app or use an alert service.
Why do I get alerts for listings I don’t want?
The search matches words you didn’t mean, like “plated” on a sterling search. Add a minus word for each thing you never buy, like -plated or -parts.
Does an alert service need my eBay password?
It shouldn’t: alerts only need your search words. InstaSnipe never signs in to eBay as you, and you buy on eBay the usual way.
Get each new match, rated where we can price it
InstaSnipe checks your saved searches as often as every 30 seconds, and about every 2 minutes on a busy day. It puts each new listing in your feed with its photo and price, and on the ones we rate, a verdict: Buy, Review or Pass, with the reason.
Try it freeFree while we launch. No card needed.