Auction
I am new to listing items on auction. Is it common to get views and no bids. Is it strategy to wait until the last day to place bid?
Thanks.
21 comments
I am new to listing items on auction. Is it common to get views and no bids. Is it strategy to wait until the last day to place bid?
Thanks.
pls-consignments
·2 years agoThank you for your opinion.
mr_lincoln
·2 years agoHi @rayd8ter
I sell a lot Auction style. For my categories what I have found to be most successful is to do the sold search research to see what items have actually sold for and then determine the starting bid price on that information as well as my target profit margin.
So in basic terms, I price auction starting prices the same way I would price a Buy it now item so that if one bid wins the auction I make my profit. NEVER take eBay's bad advice to start an auction at 99 cents.
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoI use the auction format almost exclusively simply from a time management perspective but it depends a lot on the type of item you are selling. It is not unusual for either auction or BIN type items to have viewers or even watchers without them placing a bid or buying the item but it varies. I have had bidders place a bid on an item the first day I had it posted and I have had those that waited till the last day or few minutes to place a bid your results will vary.
Others already mentioned the need to fix you titles which will better assist potential bidders/buyers finding your items in their searches.
12345jamesstamps
·2 years agoThe last 3 seconds of an auction sometimes is when buyers bid.
The watchers are those who bid at the last minute.
You need to change title before any bids....hop to it...Sea shells.
Rather cool things at a cool price.
pls-consignments
·2 years agoI rarely use auctions anymore, especially since auction sniping apps were created. I think there are at least a 1/2 dozen or so on Google Play. But occasionally I will do an auction depending on the item. When I do, it's always for 10-days ending on a Saturday or Sunday night.
Unfortunately, eBay is no longer the "auction" site it once was. So keep your expectations low.
a_c_green
·2 years agoYou have a problem with auction sniping apps? What problem would that be?
pls-consignments
·2 years agoWell, since I've been on long enough to see contrast, I do actually. In my opinion, it creates an unfair advantage over others. Especially in vintage categories where the demographics are older. Since many more buyers are now more aware of these apps, including youtube videos on how to use them "as an advantage", it's just another negative deterrent for older buyers. I started including verbiage in my description that encouraged proxy bidding, even experimenting with late night auction endings to see if that would help. But no noticeable difference. But again, it's just my opinion. 😉
nobody*s_perfect
·2 years agoSniping services have been around longer than apps. I've been using esnipe.com since before apps were invented.
a_c_green
·2 years agoI think you may be applying age as a preconceived notion, thinking that older bidders don't know how to snipe an auction. I've been auctioning in various vintage categories over the years, and in some cases I do learn my buyers' age when chit-chatting back and forth about the item(s) they bought. I've had plenty of older buyers, and they snipe my auctions as effectively as anyone else.
(I can also say, as a bidder, that I can manually snipe a bid within seconds of the end; it's really not rocket science, although I would recommend that you make sure that your PC is set up to synchronize its clock with the network each day, since seconds count.)
Bidders in an open-outcry auction where there isn't a drop-dead time limit can still take a similar approach, sitting out the early bidding and waiting until the auctioneer is threatening to drop the hammer before swooping in with their bids. The fact that an eBay auction is going to end at an exact time, five seconds from now, just adds to the excitement.
Making things difficult with strategies such as late night auction endings will benefit those using sniping services while inconveniencing those manual bidders that you want to favor, and of course you can end up with a lower sale price for your efforts as well. I would just focus on making your auctions as clear, attractive and accessible as possible, and not on exactly how your winning bidder won.
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 years agoFor many buyers an auction is not of any interest. It requires investing more time in a purchase and unless one is an inveterate bargain hunter or absolutely passionate about the purchase, they will purchase a fixed price item before your auction ends. Adding buy it now to an auction only works if the buy it now is a fair retail price. Often the buy it nows on many auctions are the things that dreams are made of.
Those are really attractive shells. Many of us have shells in our basements and attics that we acquired over the years, that were once on display. We no longer bring them back from vacations and certainly would not buy any. You are looking for an uncommon buyer. Time is required to find one.
chapeau-noir
·2 years agoShe's doing well with them, though. People look for them for terrariums, fish tanks, dioramas, displays, etc.
I would run an auction once then switch them to fixed price if they don't sell.
kensgiftshop
·2 years agoSome people just look at listings with no interest in buying or bidding on the item.
a_c_green
·2 years agoYes, absolutely. It makes no sense to bid on Tuesday for an auction that's not ending until Thursday. While it is true that the winner is the highest bid, not the latest, you would simply be giving someone with deeper pockets much more time to drive up your price, regardless of whether they actually surpass it. You will not see me (in my buying account) until the final few seconds of your auction.
Most days of your auctions will be idle; you're listing it for a week to give people a chance to find your auction, but they won't necessarily act on it until the very end. Good luck with yours. 🙂
buyselljack2016
·2 years agoIs it common to get views and no bids
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common indeed.
Do you bid on everything that you look at?
slippinjimmy
·2 years agoDoesn't matter if it's an Auction of Fixed Price, not every person who views a listing is going to buy or bid. You would be doing EXTREMELY well if one out of 10 viewers bid or buy.
umccars
·2 years agoYou need "sea shells" in your item title.
ckimodog
·2 years ago@rayd8ter
No, some people watch the auctions until the last day. Be careful of scammers, hun. You're new and they'll be watching you. PS I really like your shop!
Wishing you good luck and happy sales.
rayd8ter
OP2 years agoThank you, you are so kind. I visited your listiings, you have beautiful jewelry.
bonjourami
·2 years agoMaybe you should have 'seashells' in your title? Had to open it up to see what they even were.
rayd8ter
OP2 years agoThanks for the suggestion. Title? Do you mean my user name, rady8ter?
Connie
selsa84
·2 years agoAlot of bidders like myself will wait till the last 10 seconds