Bids

[magpay_99]

So I post a pair of shoes auction style with starting bid of .99(eBay suggestion) so auctions almost over it says 2 bids but the price says $1.29. Surely they aren't making $.10 bids are they? I must have something  wrong. But these are trials runs anyway but if someone can tell me what I need to do id be very grateful. This.

[inhawaii]

What you need to do is learn how ebay works BEFORE you list something.

Things like...

Starting bid price.

Reserves.

Make offer.

Buy it now.

Fixed price.

Immediate payment required.

Promoted listings

If you have specific questions, feel free to come to the boards for advice/help.

[m60driver]

Your shoes should not be listed for an auction but rather as a fixed price item (BIN).  And never pay attention to what Ebay suggests and never start an auction at 99¢ unless you are willing to sell the item for 99¢.  Do not cancel the auction if the item has a bid but you can end the auction if the item has no bid and then relist as a BIN.

[chapeau-noir]

People aren't making 10 cent bids - it's just that starting your auction at 99 cents means that's how tiny the increments in proxy bidding are.  Please don't take eBay's suggestions on pricing - they don't sell anything themselves and, to be honest, I don't think they know much about how retail actually works - that's our job as sellers to know.

Auctions are a losing proposition for 90% of items sold on here.  Unless the item is rare and highly sought after, they're a fad that has long since died.

This auction has to run since it has bids, but in future, fixed price/immediate payment required is much better, particularly for a new seller such as yourself.  I see you have a BIN on one auction item, so that's good.

Clothing, shoes and accessories is a very tough category to sell in.

[downunder-61]

But these are trials runs anyway but if someone can tell me what I need to do id be very grateful. 

When listing on eBay there is no such thing as a ''trial run'' 

You can not try out an auction and then refuse to sell to the winner because it did not get enough money.

Once you list it and it sells - the buyer pays and you must then ship it to the buyer.

When listing an item, you start the item an an amount you will be happy with should you only receive one bid.

[2013grotz · Accepted solution]

Note what the others say very well.  Your auctions *both* have bids, so you will have to sell to the winner on both of them.  (People will scope out "deals" and both of yours are)

Note, you will also lose money on both of these auctions because you started them at a much smaller price than you need to recover your ebay fees on them.  Like was also said, there is no such thing as a "trial run", these are real sales that you will have to honor at the winning bids if you want to gain and get good standing on ebay as a seller.

That said, you do have quite a lot to learn, and the money you will be paying to give away these shoes will be a good reinforcement.  As a suggestion for future times, stick to BIN - things rarely work all that well with auctions.  99% of what you do will be with BIN anyway, if you're smart about it.  If you insist on setting auctions, always start at the minimum you'll take, if at BIN set your price.   Expect offers, but don't go below your minimum.

Like was said, start with inhawaii's list and go from there.  Read up a lot more and ask questions if you're unsure before you post something else for sale.

[reallynicestamps]

EBay's suggestions are good for eBay.

Do you have a Managed Payments account? If not you cannot get paid.

The first bid was something in excess of $1.29 and showed as 99c, your chosen opening bid.

The second bid pushed that to $1.29.

And yes in 99c auctions, the bids can be as small as a dime, or even a penny.

Since your Final Value Fee will be 30c plus 12.55% of the winning bid PLUS 12.55% of your shipping charge PLUS 12,55% of any Internet (state) Sales Tax, you will lose money on this sale.

At least you are charging a reasonable amount for shipping. How much will packaging cost you though?

With the possible exception of vintage collectibles, Auctions are not a good way to sell on eBay. Less than 15% of transactions are by auction and they attract most of the Unpaid Item Disputes.

[johnrj1226]

FYI info eBay used to promote  the idea the  auctions would also improve  sales by 11% for the first 3/4 years I started  to sell  eBay January are 2010..  That  percentage never  changed year after, year.  found that  would be  very unique.  I also wonder how they  actually calculated that percentage or did they simply  pulled  it out of sky.  Me thinks it was  made up. 

The 99 cent start suggestion for auctions  does not make  for enjoyable and  profitable business transactions.  Although the trading card sellers seem to like it.though. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@magpay_99 wrote:

So I post a pair of shoes auction style with starting bid of .99(eBay suggestion) so auctions almost over it says 2 bids but the price says $1.29. Surely they aren't making $.10 bids are they? ....

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That's how bid increments work. Each new bid must be at least one bid increment above the current high bid showing.

When there was just one bid on your auction, it showed as 99 cents, so the bid increment was 

5 cents. Somebody bid the minimum, $1.04.  Then at $1.04, the bid increment is 25 cents. The original bidder must have placed a bid for $1.29 or more, because his bid now shows as that amount.  His actual full proxy bid might have been much higher.

[soh.maryl]

"Trial runs"?

There is no such thing on eBay.  You list.  Someone buys.  They pay.  You ship.

Did you read nothing at all about how eBay works (except that erroneous 99 cent suggestion?)

[dbfolks166mt]

     Others have already provided suggestions and until you gain some experience as a seller using fixed price BIN listings with immediate payment required is probably the best format.  Make sure you understand the eBay fee structure, shipping costs, tax implications, etc. if you are attempting to make a net profit on your sales.

     Others have suggested using OBO which is a personal choice but I have not used that in years since I prefer not to deal with all the bartering over the price.  I also noticed that the two items you had listed have sold and your listings are shown as "seller does not accept returns". Make sure you fully read and understand the MBG and are aware that not accepting returns does not equate to no refunds. Not accepting returns only applies in cases or buyer remorse returns. 

[ten_o_nine]

Always start your auctions with what you're willing to accept, if auctions bring more, that's better, or start with 99c with reserve in the amount you would accept. Never start an auction with 99c unless high demand items. eBay is dead when it comes to auctions, it's not like the old days.

[reallynicestamps]

@dbfolks166mt 

using OBO which is a personal choice but I have not used that in years since I prefer not to deal with all the bartering over the price.

You don't have to communicate at all even with Best Offer.

You can set parameters for Acceptable and Not Acceptable.

Not Acceptable offers get an automatic polite refusal.

Acceptable get billed and you get notified of the sale.

[luckythewinner]

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@magpay_99 wrote:

So I post a pair of shoes auction style with starting bid of .99(eBay suggestion) so auctions almost over it says 2 bids but the price says $1.29. Surely they aren't making $.10 bids are they?

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The bid history shows exactly what bids were made.

The first bid was $1.04

The second bid was $1.29 or higher.

The shoes were then apparently bought using buy it now.

So the answer to your question is no, they were not making 10 cent bids.

[12345jamesstamps]

Auctions are for those who have sold items over a period of time. Need a little feedback also to sell. Start out small. I list auctions and enjoy doing them. Some stuff I want to sell. I don't want stuff sitting for 6 months so I do auctions. An auction bring people to your items for sale because you have something on sale. Just like doing "Promoted Listings" sort of. Free shipping brings people to your items for sale. Getting people to see your stuff on sale is what sellers want to do. And you want repeat buyers as well. Have to think outside the box. An example: I had some cheap stamps on auction and my repeat buyer bought them...same repeat buyer bought something buy it now that was very expensive in 5 minutes when I listed it.

Good luck and don't give up!