Based on an analysis of historical data of listings for an item, an online marketplace generates a price curve for the item to describe the likelihood to sell as a function of price. Based on seller preference data, an analysis of historical data of listings, or both, the online marketplace estimates the utility preferences for the seller account, such as the cost of time. Using the utility preferences and the price curve for an item, the online marketplace can generate a utility curve that estimates the utility for the seller account as a function of the item price. Using the utility curve, the online marketplace generates utility-based price guidance for a particular seller of the item. A user interface presents the utility-based price guidance to the seller and enables the seller to set the price of the item based on the price guidance.