posted on May 3, 2007 08:46:37 AM new
I know this is one of those questions that keeps coming up, but I also realize the market is constantly changing. So what days/times are good for auction closing? I used to end my auctions on Sunday nights a few years ago, but then everyone started closing on Sundays. I am wondering if Thursday is a good or bad night for closing. I'm thinking that many people are preoccupied by watching Survivor and CSI or Greys Anatomy and not on their computers. Or, do people like to surf on the computer and bid on eBay while the TV is on?
posted on May 3, 2007 09:02:55 AM new
Only thought I have is I have noticed peope do not bid on E-Bay while they are at work like they use to. We work for a cleaning service and some of the companies we deal with the employees are locked out from going on the internet. The companies that have government contracts are very strict on security.
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posted on May 3, 2007 09:02:57 AM new
Whether people are surfing or looking for particular items on ebay: I have a feeling it depends on what sorts of things they want to buy. For collectibles, I have a hunch most collectors have their favorite stuff on "search" function. I know that I do, for our museum, so I know when items are ending and will bid on them day or night, no matter when they end, or on what day.
If I were just in the mood to surf--perhaps a category or two--or looking for bubble envelopes--I'd put that off until my favorite TV shows are over.
When I know there are a gazillion of the same item, I can look for it anytime I want, so the timing isn't essential.
I also know that if something we want for the museum is ending during the daytime, maybe 9 to 5, I'll have a much better chance of getting it cheaper because the regulars who bid against me are distracted by other things, or away from home.
I do know that I don't end things on Sunday nights any longer, or during massive events like Super Bowl, Academy Awards, etc.
Hope this helps you a little.
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posted on May 3, 2007 09:34:40 AM new
On weekend,you can track how the bidding goes all day,people will submit their bids through out the day,few do last minute bidding.
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Lets all stop whining !
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posted on May 3, 2007 09:38:11 AM new
Thursdays in the past have been the best night to close auctions. People do like Thurday TV, but many multi-task and do their computer and the TV at the same time.
posted on May 3, 2007 10:27:57 AM new
hwahwa wrote: On weekend,you can track how the bidding goes all day,people will submit their bids through out the day,few do last minute bidding.
I disagree with you hwahwa. I sell unique items; antiques, primitives, vintage, or hard-to-find collectibles - not wholesale items or things that anyone can get their hands on...and I have found that about 95% of my bids come in within the last 10 minutes of the closing time.
And one of the reasons I do not do FP or BO is because sometimes it is difficult to determine the value of an item if you do not specialize in it or cannot find any research materials - especially primitives. Many times the primitives were hand-made or one-of-a-kind, and I have found that I can start something out at $9.99 (thinking it was worth very little) and been very surprised to get hundreds of dollars for it.
So again, I guess each seller's marketing strategies can be very different, depending on the type of products they are selling.
But I was wondering what nights seem to be clogged with bidders.
posted on May 3, 2007 11:06:10 AM new
I'm confused here.
Many times the primitives were hand-made or one-of-a-kind, and I have found that I can start something out at $9.99 (thinking it was worth very little) and been very surprised to get hundreds of dollars for it.
If this happens to you often enough that your whole marketing strategy is built around it, wouldn't it make sense to become an expert on primitives so you can price things appropriately out of the gate?
The problem with letting the bidders be the experts is that you don't always have two experts bidding against each other. With only one, the item goes for a low price.
In addition, I would say that the main problem with a $9.99 start is that you will lose the bidders who are relying on you for pricing guidance. We all know there are such people. They don't know what something is worth but assume that surely the seller or store must know or they wouldn't have priced it like that.
posted on May 3, 2007 11:14:35 AM new
Once again, here, we have the Great Divide between people who sell collectibles and people who sell the same things/same categories all the time!
The thousands of subcategories in "Collectibles" alone show that the field is almost limitless. We'd never have the time to thoroughly research a category we know nothing about.
I'd love a separate Vendio Community category just for us sellers of unique items; I know that won't happen, but the eBay community categories aren't as helpful as they could be.
I pick up things here and there that I *think* are collectibles. (I might list them for $9.99 and they'll sell high--or might not sell for much at all.) I research as best I can, fairly quickly, and put them up for sale. How they sell, and whether they do or not, teaches me something about that sub-sub-sub-category.
I've noticed that even antiques store owners/dealers don't know the value of everything they have in their shops. They're guessing a lot of the time. Witness the people on Antiques Roadshow who'll say they bought something for $25--and they find it's worth several times more. The shop owner who sold that (and who SPECIALIZES in antiques) didn't know the value.
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[ edited by roadsmith on May 3, 2007 11:16 AM ]
posted on May 3, 2007 11:20:13 AM new
The $9.99 starting price was a generalized statement and certainly not the case in all things I list - but sometimes it's all a guessing game isn't it? Sometimes it's pretty tough to become an expert on primitives because you could find something that someone made for a particular purpose (their own purpose) and have absolutely no idea what the item is! And here in New England you come across some really interesting handmade items - goes back to that good old Yankee ingenuity.
But my main reason for posting was not to get an idea of what my items are worth, but rather...what days or nights seemed best for ending auctions. But thanks for the input on the other subjects too.
posted on May 3, 2007 11:39:21 AM new
Further thoughts for cta:
The one thing I stay away from is closing times during the day, especially during the workday. But even on weekends, people tend to have stuff to do during the days--errands, chores, etc. I win my best items at great prices when I bid during the daytime hours.
And I've observed (for the kinds of things I list) that hardly anybody is at a computer on Friday evenings. That's probably the very last evening I'd ever end my own auctions.
If you'll note, even the activity here in the EO slows down considerably on Friday nights and weekends. And friends who e-mail me regularly aren't doing it on Friday nights either. Caveat: I'm generalizing here--and just from my own experiences over the years.
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posted on May 3, 2007 11:51:10 AM new
Nobody knows everything --- except maybe Fluffy.
I sell antiques and collectibles, and often pick lemons. There is just too wide a variety within the collectibles category for anyone to be an expert on all of it.
Even specializing in a particular field doesn't guarantee that you'll hit a home run every time.
I've asked a so-called expert on stoneware for an evaluation on a mini advertising jug, and was told it would bring $150 - $225. It closed at $1650. I should have bought from him.
Meanwhile, does anybody need lemons?
posted on May 3, 2007 12:02:37 PM new
I have an item listed at 9.99,it was bidded up to 70 and the high bidder emailed me and said he proxied 5000 and if it ever come to that,he wont pay.
So I told him to cancel his bid and then rebid with a more realistic proxy bid.
He said -HE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO CANCEL HIS BID!
I have read somewhere some of the Parkinson medications cause impulsive/compulsive behavior like gambling,they just cant quit.
I just wonder how many of these patients are active on Ebay.
Not too long ago it was a 65 years old nursing home guy who bidded and said it aint him doing the bidding!
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Lets all stop whining !
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posted on May 3, 2007 12:21:27 PM new
Picking the best closing day is just about impossible. I have found that if you list a rare and desireable item people will find it whenever it closes. You still have a better shot at a bidding war if it is visible and closing during the prime evening hours.
I posed almost this exact question when the new TV season started and there was such a glut of new interesting programs on Sunday and Thursday nights, which used to be my favorite nights for an auction to close. Now, people have Tivo and DVRs, so they can record their shows and watch them whenever.(Zapping past the commercials cuts viewing time almost in half!!)
I remember a thread when someone asked when American Idol was starting back up because he did not want to compete with that show. Well, not everyone watches AI or the other shows mentioned, so you just have to know your buyers. Antiques and collectible buyers probably do not watch the same shows or have the same routines as Star Wars collectors, etc.
posted on May 3, 2007 12:26:35 PM newWitness the people on Antiques Roadshow who'll say they bought something for $25--and they find it's worth several times more
If the road show is your basis, then you are as gullible a newborn.
posted on May 3, 2007 12:54:24 PM new
Long before I became an eBay jewelry seller, I was an antique dealer.
I know about selling antiques and collectibles. Here's a surprise for you: I'm selling some right now, right next to the sterling silver jewelry I have on offer. I have placed actual prices on these things. Why? Because after the first year or so when I was a naive newbie dealer and bought way too much crap, I never bought anything I didn't know about.
I don't get the "no one can be an expert on everything" excuse. Surely you can control what you buy or what you accept on consignment. You can no longer depend on the eBay marketplace to correctly price your goods for you. Those days are long, long gone.
fLufF
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[ edited by fluffythewondercat on May 3, 2007 01:20 PM ]
posted on May 3, 2007 01:17:54 PM newNobody knows everything --- except maybe Fluffy.
I wouldn't say that, but I probably do more thinking about auctions and bidder behavior than just about anyone else.
What I learned from my years as an antique dealer is to depend on objects with intrinsic value, such as precious metals. For example, last weekend at a garage sale I picked up a set of six Gorham (Whiting) sterling silver wine goblets with a strange crest engraved on each one. Seller wanted $10 for the set. I don't need to know what the crest is to sell them. They weigh 3 ounces each, so 18 ounces at $10/oz scrap = $180. Can't lose.
posted on May 3, 2007 03:09:03 PM new
Hey, Stone, I'm not that naive. I know they exaggerate the values on that show. Still, something that cost $25 and is old, collectible, worth in the hundreds of dollars, can and does happen there.
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