Any Thoughts on Using 10 Day Auctions?

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi all. Just had a 10-day duration auction close. It was a vintage collectible item in the medical device category. Looking at past sales on-line for it, I found others like it and they did well. Mine did ok, but fell short of the expected target. I chose 10 days so more prospective buyers would find this specialized niche item. But now i am wondering if 10 days was just too long. I had many views and watchers early on. While that is no guarantee of anything, it did get traffic, but very little bidding at the end of the listing. There are so many factors that come into play when analyzing results. But i am curious. What has been your experience with auction durations? Appreciative of points of view from both buyers and sellers. Thanks!

[castlemagicmemories]

I'm really sorry you didn't get the results you wanted from a ten day listing.  I know that 10 days is used to garner more interest for the listing, but I think, in some cases, people may not care for the longer duration of a ten day as opposed to a 7 day, let alone a fixed price, IPR listing that they can swoop in and immediately buy.  Other things might grab their attention in that time, so you might sacrifice interest for longer visibility and that isn't good.  You don't want that initial interest to move on to something else, or get bored and look elsewhere. 

It all boils down to what you are listing, and how much interest you can expect a ten day to gather for it.  Some things might work like a charm for a ten day listing, others, not so much.

[sweetpieces4you]

Hi, 10 day auctions are what I use on a regular basis. It gives the items a better chance to be seen by more people and the more people the better chance for a good outcome!! I have had many auctions basically END in ( 1 day ) already and then the complete opposite has happened. The 10th day the item exploded with bids !! Most use 7 day auctions but if you are listings many items for bid you want to spread them out (say 1 or 2 a day or more if you can keep up the pace) and 10 days allows me the time to do that !! And ALWAYS make sure the items you are listing for a auction are auction worthy PIECES !! Meaning are other items in the category up for auction or are they all in the buy it now category. If you put any PIECE up for auction you could find yourself getting burned by the final bid PRICE !! Like your starting price !! 

[gew6463]

I rarely do auctions anymore, but I prefer using the 10 day option when I do. I agree that those extra few days can bring a lot of new eyes (and hopefully bidders) to your auction. If a prospective buyer has a really busy week, they could miss the auction completely on 7 days, but may catch it in the beginning, or near the end on a 10-day (I know that's a bit obvious, but just thinking like a buyer for a moment, which I also often am 🙂 ). I feel a little more comfortable starting at a lower price on a 10-day for that same reason. 

I'm wondering if we are going to see a resurgence in auction-style listings soon with the new BIN policy? I guess only time will tell. I hope your auction goes well whatever you decide. Good luck! 

[postingid2017]

As a buyer, I will not bid - I like and think seven (7) days is long enough - as a seller, it did not work out well for me so I do seven (7) days.

Let me add that I no longer sell here, but if I did (which I doubt) it would be seven (7) days only even w/BIN - that GTC was annoying too.

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

The best way to use 10 day auctions is to list them so they encompass 2 weekends

[luckythewinner]

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@fashunu4eeuh wrote:

Hi all. Just had a 10-day duration auction close. 

Mine did ok, but fell short of the expected target.

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If there were enough previous sales to define an "expected target", then perhaps a fixed price listing at the expected target might have been a better option to obtain that expected target.  

The top bidder might have been willing to pay more - but was not required to. 

[southern*sweet*tea]

Rarely do auctions do anything for me.  It has to be something really hard to find or in demand, and even then auctions are piddling at best.  BIN w/BO works best for me.

[juststuffisell]

I like the 10 day auction. I use it most times in my auction listings. I have found that you generally get more eyes over the extra 3 days than you might otherwise.

The most important thing with auctions on eBay is running them on a regular basis. You will build a following of auction buyers. If you do like I do and run them every blue moon, you have to build those auction buyers back up,. which means few bidders. The second most important thing is set your opening bid to the minimum amount you will sell the item for because there is a good chance you may only get one bid. For me, if I have an item at fixed price might land a 20 offer, and I got a buck into it, I will open the bid at 5 bucks plus shipping. If I sell for 5 bucks with one bid, fine. That is what I normally see with listings when I auction off stuff. Granted, I think most of my auction stuff is needing repair, or in shoddy shape 🙂 that said, I have had nice items only get - one bid - which kind of stinkers.

You got some other really good feedback on the topic that I read with interest 🙂

Cheers