Does anyone know when it is the best time to do an auction?

[eye_of_the_tiger]

Hello- question here. Does anyone know when it is the best time to do an auction?

[katzrul15 · Accepted solution]

@eye_of_the_tiger 

Hopefully one that offers exposure across all of the time zones.  

We do not do a lot of them any more, but when we do, I avoid Friday nights and Saturday nights.  I trend for mine to end around 8pm on Sunday evenings (5pm pacific time).  Not too late for EST and not too early for PST.

Good luck.  I am sure many Sellers choose different days/times as auctions end every day of the week, every minute, every hour.  Sundays have always worked best for us.  ymmv.

[eye_of_the_tiger]

Oh! My auction is ending on Friday Western time at 1:52 pm. Well, thanks for the advice!

[na_833338]

Try doing a search for a similar item.

Then check the box for sold listings to be able to see what similar items sold for (highest price first).  Click on any of the listings that interest you to see what day of the week it sold and at what time.

If the search comes back with a ton of results, you can use the tabs to filter out the results.  Do a comparative search using the tab for "Buy It Now" & the tab for "Auction".  Good luck.

[fazil9995]

It depends on mostly what item you sell and your customer base.

Longtime eBay sellers have argued that the optimum time to end an auction is between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST. This translates between 3 pm. and 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time is shown on the auction listing, reflecting eBay's corporate headquarters in San Jose, California. Select an end time that allows as many people as possible to see your article. The optimal end time is 7:00 p.m. Pacific ensures that the bidders on the east coast are always up and awake, while those on the west coast have returned from school and work. The start time of your auction is also the end time of the auction. 

[femmefan1946]

Sri Lanka?

First make sure youcan get paid.

It is reported here that you must register with your government as a business.

And Paypal is not allowed, so you will need a Payoneer account.

After that.

DON'T USE AUCTIONS!

Buyers do not like them and they are less than 15% of transactions.

In addition they have ten times the number of Unpaid Items Disputes, because buyers get bored, wander off, and don't pay.

Use Fixed Price/Immediate Payment Required.

Sell what you know. Know what you sell.

• That means don't dropship from China. The goods are garbage, shipping takes too long, and there are thousands of competitors selling the same things.

But first make sure you can get paid.

The guy who sold you on the idea of selling on eBay lied. Don't trust any of his advice.

[kensgiftshop]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

Sri Lanka?

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No, that's what I thought at first, but they are from the US.

[dbfolks166mt]

     I generally setup my auctions to run for 7 days and start them on Sunday afternoon/evening EST so they end somewhere between noon and 6 PM on Sunday. I sell internationally also so it makes it tough on some of the international buyers but they usually lock in a bid early. 

     A lot of people will tell you not to use auctions they are a thing of the past but personally I like them. The problem with BIN listings is you will NEVER get more than what you have the item listed for unless someone is trying to scam you. There are some things that I cannot post on eBay but have ran through consignment auction houses that have no fees but do have a 20+% buyer premium that they add to the sale price to earn their revenue, nice. There are a few hot items right now because of the political environment that are selling for 4-5 times what they were a year ago. It only takes two people who really want something to have an auction. 

     The other thing I like about auctions is I have them all ending on the same day, Sunday, and most people pay immediately so I can dedicate a day, or part of a day, to packing and shipping everything all at once. One trip to the PO to get items scanned in, weight checked and get a printed receipt. I am not a high volume seller so the auctions work best for me for most things. 

[monroe67]

My selling ID used to go through a lot of mental gymnastics to (try to) calculate the best ending time, the best price, the best - best - best.  That was a good 10-12 years ago.   Now the only things I try to be best at are posting clear and accurate photos and writing good descriptions.  

eBay is open 24 hours a day, 365 to 366 days a year, and reaches a worldwide audience.  

Now, as the old song says, I realized I can't please everyone, so I have to please myself.   I make it convenient for me, with end dates and times on days when I can easily get to the post office to drop things into the box or on the counter -- and then I cross my fingers for prompt payments from my buyers.  

[eye_of_the_tiger]

This is just a test- @eye_of_the_tiger_forever 

[reallynicestamps]

Auctions make up  less than 15% of eBay transactions.

Auctions have many many more Unpaid Item Disputes than Fixed Price listings.

Fixed Price listings last 24/7/30 - or until sold at the same price as Auctions.

You can add Immediate Payment Required to Fixed Price listings.