tis the Season...to quit auctions?

[keziak]

I'm usually pro-auctions because they often work well for me, including bidding up sometimes.  Usually I run auctions for book- and AV-lots.  These days a lot of Easton Press books (collectible). 

Today I am displeased because last Sunday I spent all day writing auctions but as of now, no bids. In fact my only bids for anything are the Eastons.

The main reason I avoid fixed price for this stuff is the shortage of room to store boxes of bulky lots. I tried using my storage unit but got disorganized despite labels and lists, so I stopped that. I only use the unit for storing unlisted stuff now.

I guess my only real option is to use all the space I do have and push Fixed Price.  I know that if I was shopping for the holidays now I would have little patience for auctions.

[simba6]

A lot of buyers want their item right away and don't want to wait for an auction to end. 

[luckythewinner]

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@keziak wrote:

I know that if I was shopping for the holidays now I would have little patience for auctions.

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Perhaps the lack of interest in your items has nothing to do with a lack of patience by holiday shoppers. 

[*smedley*]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@keziak wrote:

I know that if I was shopping for the holidays now I would have little patience for auctions.

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Perhaps the lack of interest in your items has nothing to do with a lack of patience by holiday shoppers. 

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i would say that's most likely...

[chapeau-noir]

I don't quite understand this: "The main reason I avoid fixed price for this stuff is the shortage of room to store boxes of bulky lots. "

If the items sell on auction, they'll probably sell just as fast with fixed price, or auction with a BIN (which may be a good compromise if you're not doing it).

[jayjaspersgarage]

I add the BIN option for items I list as auctions if I think time is an issue for buyers.  It only costs a nickel to add Buy It Now to an auction in many cases so for ten days the item is a BIN.  This method has helped me boost sales, especially if I set the starting price at less than half the value.

[keziak]

Ouch. Several sold as soon as I moved them to the Store though. Same with many Eastons that didn't sell at auction but as soon as I made them Fixed Price. Other Eastons sell at auction and some get bid up but I don't really know which will.

I may try the compromise of putting Best Offer on more auctions and try to sell the stuff before it has to go into my storage area for Store items. I do this some but other times hope for bidding up.

[keziak]

Thank you for the non-acid reply. I have a theory that some stuff may sell quicker with auction & BIN than just from a Store, due to the pending end date. There is less urgency for Fixed Price listings unless someone decides they can't risk just watching and go ahead and buy.

[keziak]

Yes, I think you are quite right. The only possible shortfall of using the BIN is maybe selling instead of getting bid up.  I might try running that risk more often by adding the BIN to more listings.

[coolections]

With books being a dime a dozen I cannot imagine a whole lot of demand for people wanting to buy books using the auction process. 

[keziak]

Not all books are a dime  a dozen by a long stretch. As I said at the top I like the auction format and have done pretty well with it but just now I am wondering about somehow getting the BIN angle going more comprehensively in case, well, tis the season. 

One thing definitely true: the vast majority of books are  not gift-worthy unless, I guess, if they are out of print and someone knows a person would would welcome a used copy. For example when my sister-in-law bought an old children's book for her young daughter - an ex-prison library copy!

[chapeau-noir]

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@keziak wrote:

Thank you for the non-acid reply. I have a theory that some stuff may sell quicker with auction & BIN than just from a Store, due to the pending end date. There is less urgency for Fixed Price listings unless someone decides they can't risk just watching and go ahead and buy.

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OK - it may be worthwhile trying different methods depending on what you've got. I used to sell collectible and old books (actually, any books) and sometimes I had a difficult time knowing what to auction and what to just sell, not wanting to leave money on the table, but also wanting to move my stock.  I ended up having a mix of auctions, fixed price and running sales, auctions with BINs, etc.

I'm completely fixed price IPR and drive urgency by having sales, so that's another option.

[chapeau-noir]

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@coolections wrote:

With books being a dime a dozen I cannot imagine a whole lot of demand for people wanting to buy books using the auction process. 

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Not even remotely true.

eTA: I've had books bid up from $10 to over $100 - you need to know your market.

[luckythewinner]

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@keziak wrote:

Ouch. Several sold as soon as I moved them to the Store though. Same with many Eastons that didn't sell at auction but as soon as I made them Fixed Price. 

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When I search your sold items on this account for 'Easton', I see 27 that have sold since Oct 10, but only 4 of those were fixed price.