Soft Close Benefits - add the option

[750lig90]

I think it would benefit Ebay sellers and buyers if a seller could have the option of using a soft close if they want to for certain items.  Very rare collectibles with values hard to predict could benefit from soft close.  ebay could make more money I think.  

Give us the option, let us as sellers determine its benefits.  don't stream line everything according to some seller's opinions.

Most reputable long standing authentic auction houses have soft closes anyway.  

Maybe we could bring back some higher paying customers for rare collectibles.

just suggesting

[soh.maryl]

Not sure what you mean by "soft close".

But if you are suggesting that eBay keep extending the time an auction ends, then that's been suggested many times in the past without any changes.

Every listing on eBay lasts a distinct amount of time, usually a week.

Every bidder has the same amount of time to place a bid.

eBay's current auction format has served them well for quite a few years.  They are not likely to see an advantage in following your suggestion.  

[fuzzface50]

sell on a site that offers that if that is what you want. 

[bashort]

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@750lig90 wrote:

I think it would benefit Ebay sellers and buyers if a seller could have the option of using a soft close if they want to for certain items.  Very rare collectibles with values hard to predict could benefit from soft close.  ebay could make more money I think.  

Give us the option, let us as sellers determine its benefits.  don't stream line everything according to some seller's opinions.

Most reputable long standing authentic auction houses have soft closes anyway.  

Maybe we could bring back some higher paying customers for rare collectibles.

just suggesting

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The sport bidders would love it, they could bid for days on end

[bashort]

One thing about auctions that use soft close is that unlike ebay at the end of the auction they will consider it a binding contract and enforce payment as needed.

[slippinjimmy]

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@750lig90 wrote:

I think it would benefit Ebay sellers and buyers if a seller could have the option of using a soft close if they want to for certain items.  Very rare collectibles with values hard to predict could benefit from soft close.  ebay could make more money I think.  

Give us the option, let us as sellers determine its benefits.  don't stream line everything according to some seller's opinions.

Most reputable long standing authentic auction houses have soft closes anyway.  

Maybe we could bring back some higher paying customers for rare collectibles.

just suggesting

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Been suggested before, been discussed before, been shot down before.......I never say never but the odds of it ever happening on eBay are 99.999999999999 to 1.

don't stream line complicate everything according to some seller's opinions.

Most reputable long standing authentic auction houses have soft closes anyway

eBay is NOT a "authentic auction house", open ended auctions are not suitable for eBay.

[soh.maryl]

eBay pretty much considers it a binding contract also, but you can see how that works out when the buyer has the MBG.

Can you cite a source for the information that soft close auctions are considered a binding contract more so than eBay?  

[reallynicestamps]

Combine a soft close with credit card so that the winning bidder has to pay immediately, to discourage the sport bidders.

But what would happen is that the snipe bidders, who are often the high bidders too, will reduce their bids so as not to be caught by a sport bidder who never pays.

Having been involved with auctions for many years (philatelic, international, with in person, agent, mail, phone, fax, and live online bidding) I will testify that auctioneers really do cut off bidding because this slows down the action and discourages bidders waiting for later lots.

Parenthetically, this is particularly phone bidders who are notorious for being indecisive, for some reason.

[farmalljr]

Soft close auctions would be a bad idea for eBay. They already have a HUGE problem with non paying bidders. The "new" fix to make bidders register a card before they can bid or make offers, isn't panning out well. Less people will bid or make offers, causing less sales and lower prices on sales. 

Soft close is a bad idea. eBay is not the type of platform this works well with. Also, many like me (when I occasionally bid on auctions) would rather snipe. It's a better deal. Otherwise my bid would be lower and I would not bother raising the bid to have an open ended bidding war. I stopped bothering to watch local auctions with soft closes. I put my bid in early and walk away. Auction houses will make WAY less money on bidders like me. Soft closes are foolishness. A giant time suck. 

[doc-holmes]

Problem is you could have bidders from every time zone in the world. Do you think I want to be up at 4 in the morning bidding?

[lepke1979]

I think at this point I think it's unlikely to ever happen. I can't even think of a site that used it that has stuck around for more than a few years.

Sellers might like it because it potentially means more money. But buyers usually don't because what would have been an auction ending at 6 pm on Sunday now becomes an auction one has to pay more attention to and possibly stay up many more hours until it finally ends.

[fuzzface50]

I wish more sites got rid of them. 

[redmodelt]

My example was bidding on several items with close ending times. They were using soft close. Those close ending times were now overlapping because of extensions so I was hopping back and forth between several auctions along with being on the phone with the buyer trying to do live updates with them. Sure, it was a blast, but at the same time, lots if stress. 

[bashort]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

eBay pretty much considers it a binding contract also, but you can see how that works out when the buyer has the MBG.

Can you cite a source for the information that soft close auctions are considered a binding contract more so than eBay?  

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No they do not, if they did at the end of the auction if you were the winner there would be no "waiting for payment" it would be charged to your card, done deal

[bashort]

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@lepke1979 wrote:

I think at this point I think it's unlikely to ever happen. I can't even think of a site that used it that has stuck around for more than a few years.

 Live auctions like estate auctions have been replaced in large part by online auctions with soft close.