Will Auctions grow in popularity again?
Ever heard the term, "What's old is new again." ?
Like when I was working at Target 🎯, they literally brought back 70's fashion of all that yellowy brown colors & plaid. Not kidding like literal 1970's again fashionable merch and clothing at Target.
So... Does anyone feel that Auctions, aka auction-style listings will grow in popularity again? Especially for younger generations that didn't get to live through its prime peak days back in 199 9 and the beginning of the new millennia.
Thank you and interested to see feedback on this, especially from any eBay longtime veterans. 🙂
21 comments
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoI'm not sure how simply wanting to purchase and pay the old fashioned way is wanting something "yesterday" - it's just wanting to, you know, buy the danged thing without playing some kind of game.
meme6253
·1 year agoVery doubtful that they will, Most buyers want fast shipping because they want their purchase to arrive quickly, Waiting for an auction to end & then maybe not even winning the auction is a put off for buyers, Plus I often hear on this forum of buyers not paying after winning or canceling the order, I think some are just doing it for fun to see if they will win, But not really willing to pay.
pickapaper
·1 year agoI don't think auctions will ever come back, not the way they used to be anyway.
But who can forget the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat from sitting there watching the minutes count down, then in the last few seconds throwing in a high bid, only to find out I lost out to someone who beat me by a dollar or two. Either that or the selling price went so high I couldn't have afforded it anyway. Or sometimes I actually won. Yipee! I wasted a lot of evenings watching for auctions to end and waiting till the last possible seconds to bid, and sometimes I was too late, cut the seconds too close or my computer would hiccup. I'm talking about the days before sniper programs; that took all the fun out of it.
legalbeagle52
·1 year agoHi @honest_humanitarian
It is funny to see all the 70's fashion again. But what gets me are the 70's & 80's home decor, it's back again too. It wasn't that great the first time around! 🙂
I don't think auctions will see a revival. I think that ship has sailed. I had my first sale in 2004. I thoroughly disliked auctions from the beginning. I was an early user of BIN only listings and I didn't have a lot of company back then. Sure, auctions could be exciting when they sold for so much more than you could imagine ... but oh-so-disappointing when it went for the first bid or two and you still had to pack it up 'nice' and ship it. The uncertainty of it all drove me nuts.
Everybody wants their items yesterday. We all got used to it with online shopping and we're spoiled now. I like a 'done deal' ... couldn't stand waiting a week for auction to end, waiting for buyer to pay, just waiting... I'm much more at peace with BIN listings. I do think auctions still have a place for collectibles and certain items. I buy a lot of original artwork on eBay and people are there bidding against me like crazy and I still dislike it, but it does work for those one of a kind items.
coastaltechsolution
·1 year agoFondue was a party favorite again few years ago, maybe still is?
Please never bring back shaggy carpet, carpet in bathrooms, Avocado colored appliances and many other 70's disco inferno trends ðŸ˜
legalbeagle52
·1 year agoI will admit to having a great big shaggy rug in my living room 🙂
but NONE of those other things.
Carpet in bathrooms? Was that ever a thing?
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoFor the most part, auctions were a fad. They've NEVER been a method for buying 90% of 'stuff' in any other world. It's not that people want things 'yesterday', but more they really don't want to have to hang around to see if they 'win' that shirt or keyboard, then have to start shopping again if they don't. Rare items, unpriceable, etc., are another story and those auctions can be exciting.
sextons-sweet-deals
·1 year agoWith all the drama today, I expect to see more garage / community sales coming.
onefootflipper
·1 year agoThe traditional 7 day auction format is dead and it is not going to revive, almost nothing is ever the correct choice for that format anymore, most auctions go without a single bid and those that are purchased usually only bring in 60 percent of what the same items bring in buy it now.
The customers who want to bid are at the live auction websites where they can wait 30 seconds instead of 7 days.
You see once buy it now was introduced it basically guaranteed that auctions would become terrible. Have a "Billy Rocket Action Figure", well there are already 30 of them for sale buy it now and the cheapest one is $13, which means the most your auction could possibly bring in is 12.99 (likely much less) so you can do the auction or just list your item 10 cents cheaper buy it now and have a halfway decent chance of selling it in less than 7 days. If the cheapest example of something doesn't sell on ebay in any given week then the item wasn't suitable for auction anyway, as the demand is not high enough.
In all cases when I say cheapest you can assume I mean cheapest for condition.
tinsoldierunderground
·1 year agoI'm not unhappy to see the auction format drop off. Over the years I've watched sellers put up uncommon items in a fair value BIN listing, only to have no one show any interest. But in an auction, I've watched those same people bid the same item to the moon, far exceeding the BIN listing. Sure it's great for the seller, but to me it's a total PITA. I'd rather pay the fair price of a BIN listing, know that it's a done deal, and move on. Especially true if it's that once in a blue moon item I need to complete an area of my collection. I don't need to wait a week and a half to wonder if I'm going to win the item or not. I've probably not won as many online auctions as I've lost, but not by a lopsided ratio. I rarely bother with them anymore, though I still enjoy going to live auctions.
mam98031
·1 year agoI can see them picking up a bit in the late summer, early fall as parents try to prepare their kids for returning to school.
The important thing to remember is WHY auctions slowed tremendously from a decade or so ago. It is because of buyer habits. Buyers moreover wanted to find what they want, purchase it and move on. Saving themselves time and likely money.
There certainly are a few areas where auctions remain OK, collectibles is one.
I'd admit that doing auctions is more fun. As a seller I know how I use to enjoy it, when there were people that wanted to utilize the auctions. Sadly for me about 2014 is when my auctions completely died out and I moved to all GTC listings.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoThe use of Ebay auctions is far greater than it should be. Far too many auctions sell on one bid. They are effectively fixed price sales with a little extra upside potential, and are unattractive to Ebay buyers who have other activities to occupy them other than Ebay. When Ebay auctions flourished there was no online streaming, no podcasts, and little other to attract people elsewhere on the internet. Geographic arbitrage was commonplace, with items which were common as dirt in one part of the country drawing buyers in areas where they were rare. Thanks to the internet, people are now selling many items which were not native to their area and values have dropped due to excess supply.
Those early days of Ebay destroyed the value of many types of collectibles. Modern First Edition books were a prime example. The entire pricing structure was upended with tons of what were priced as rare books coming out of attics, basements and bookcases all over the US. Would be collectors flocked to Ebay's auctions to buy a bargain. And bid over a week period to try to succeed. Today many of those books are offered for fixed price sale, on good until sold or cancelled listings at those bargain prices. It is only old folks who remember their former high values.
People are not wasting time, and values of most items no longer rise.
harborauction
·1 year agoThis all depends on what you're selling and what your definition of "popular" is, I guess. Auctions are still quite popular in some categories, however;
The widespread use of the auction format here is a relic of ebay's past when everything was offered via auction. Also since the early days there has been a great shift in the merchandise offered, ebay began with a focus on antiques, collector's items & etc. gradually moving to mostly new consumer goods and with that came BIN listings. Anything antique or collectible (unless it's trading cards) is now an afterthought to ebay.
No one wants to wait on an auction for a pack of tube socks, toaster, wrench set, car part or any of the widely available merchandise listed here, auctions work for the rare items and in categories where auctions have been traditionally used. Many of the coins dealers I follow here have built a highly successful auction business on ebay.
12345jamesstamps
·1 year agoThose who have auctions every week do an excellent business.
These sellers have 'repeat buyers' so they will always be successful in my category.
I used to do auctions but for no reason stopped doing them.
Sellers who have a lot of 'buy it now' items with 'auctions' do a great business.
I only buy from auctions....it's rather fun as thus.
Sometimes the key is an auction starting .01 and very low or free shipping.
This is where a lot of sellers fail at listings 'auctions'.
A starting auction where first bid has to be $50.00 is not considered an auction to me.
luckythewinner
·1 year agoI do not think auctions will ever gain the popularity.
chevymontecarlo88
·1 year agoNot on this platform. IMHO
simba6
·1 year agoMost buyers want it yesterday. They won't wait for an auction to end.
campanaelia
·1 year agoAuctions are mainly all I search for. In computers and electronics they are very popular with many bidders. I stock up on things before I run out so I'm never in a rush to receive them. Most of the time I don't even open them for a couple of weeks.
animal-house-8
·1 year agoI doubt it, ebay fees and minimal seller protection has pretty much killed it for me. I have a friend who will only sell with auctions and he makes money on half of what he sells and loses on half, he makes no more than I do but he works twice as hard.
coastaltechsolution
·1 year agoI remember some years back platform shoes made a comeback, now I see flared pants are back, well flared and baggy. It's like seeing a world of Greg and Marsha Brady's ðŸ˜
I think if it is a special item, like very hard to find an auction could make sense today but for the overall popularity of auctions, nope I think those died off as buyers want they are seeking and want it now.
Hope sellers that still do many auctions will chime in as it will be interesting to read about their input.
dhbookds
·1 year agoI don't think they will........at least on common items for which there are many listings........when ebay started....auctions were the ONLY way to buy. For rare items, they still work.......but now many fewer "rare" items with a billion listings or so.........