Is this reel right-hand or left-hand?

Short answer: check the model page. Where the maker also makes a left-hand version of a baitcasting reel, the page says which sizes, and the left-hand size has its own code.

Examples from the makers’ own size tables:

• Shimano Antares (2025): also made in a left-hand version (100MG, 100HG, 100XG).
• Shimano Calcutta Conquest DC (2026): also made in a left-hand version (100MG, 100HG).
• Shimano Calcutta Conquest MD (2023): left-hand sizes are 300XGLH and 400XGLH.
• Shimano Stile (2025): also made in a left-hand version (100PG, 100XG).

If an eBay listing does not say which side the handle is on, ask the seller before buying: the left-hand and right-hand versions have different codes and are separate items.

Related: How do I read a model code? · How to buy