A listing is created when you take action to make one of your NFTs available for sale. Only the individual who controls a wallet can make and cancel listings for NFTs in that wallet. OpenSea cannot make or cancel listings on a user's behalf.
Different types of NFT listings
Before we dive in, let's explain what kind of NFT listings are available on OpenSea.
Active listing: An active listing is the current fixed-price listing of your NFT that is yet to be fulfilled on OpenSea. You can view active listings under More → Active listings on your profile.
Expired listing: An expired listing is a fixed-price listing that has expired without being fulfilled on OpenSea. The maximum duration for a fixed-price listing on OpenSea is six months.
Inactive listing: An inactive listing is a listing of your NFT that was never canceled and is still fulfillable should that item be returned to your wallet. Inactive listings will persist unless they are canceled or expire. Canceling an inactive listing on Ethereum will require a gas fee. Inactive listings may exist if:
- You previously lowered the price of a fixed-price listing and did not cancel all listings.
- You transferred a listed NFT to another wallet without canceling all listings (active & inactive). Transferring NFTs to another wallet does not automatically cancel listings, so you should cancel your active listings before initiating a transfer if you expect to have the item returned to your wallet in the future.
Below are some recommendations on when you should cancel an inactive listing.
- If you expect to transfer (or repurchase) an item back to the wallet you originally purchased it with, please review and cancel any inactive listings associated with that item.
- If you don’t plan on transferring an item back to your wallet because you’ve sold or transferred it to another person, there is no need to cancel your inactive listings associated with that item.
Transferring items with active and inactive listings
You'll receive an alert before transferring an item that has active and inactive listings. On the right side of the alert is an option, Review listings.
Clicking this will redirect you to our listings dashboard (see below), allowing you to cancel any inactive listings for that item.
How to cancel inactive listings
- Navigate to your OpenSea profile.
- Click More → Inactive Listings.
- Choose the listing you would like to cancel and press Cancel.
You'll need to sign a transaction in your wallet and pay a gas fee. A confirmation message will appear once the listing is canceled.
Remember - the number of inactive listings on your items is dependent in part on whether you lowered a fixed price listing. For example, if you dropped the price of an item twice, you'd need to pay gas fees for three cancellations (two price drops & the original listing).
Moving forward, to reduce excessive gas fees on lower listing prices, you may want to consider a Timed Auction with a decreasing price method, also known as a Dutch Auction.