Timing Is Everything

Best Time To List your Auctions on Ebay

Timing is crucial in selling. As in everything else, get the timing right and your chances of selling increase. Most people will bid on auctions in the last hour. They will surf Ebay looking for bargains so you need to take this into account when listing your auctions. It’s no good having an auction that ends at three-o-clock in the morning. If someone bids on your auction they want to go to bed knowing they have won it. I’ve experimented with this and can tell you from my experience that auctions that end in the early hours are not as successful as an auction that ends earlier.

You should spend some time listing your items so they end at the optimum time for buyers searching Ebay. You need to get your product under the noses of your potential customers. you can’t do this by just listing your items in a haphazard way. Develop a listing stratergy and your chances of making sales will increase.

The best time to end an auction is Sunday evening. Research has shown this to be the optimum time for sellers to be surfing ebay looking for a last minute bargain. Between seven and eleven is the time to end your auctions for maximum sales exposure. good strategic listing is crucial to timing your auction to end at the right time to enhance your chance of a sale.

You have a choice when you list your auction to list for 1,3,5,7 or 10 days. The longer you list your item for the greater the exposure to sellers. Obvious, I know, but just because something is obvious doesn’t mean we shouldn’t investigate it to see how we can manipulate it to our advantage. The length of time you choose is also important because it will determine when your auction ends. The basic theory is the longer the listing the better. The longer its active the more people will see it and hopefully bid on it.

Listing for ten days is my prefered option. I want maximum exposure for my products. I will place things on auction that I’m not particular bothered whether they sell or not. My stratergy is to get people to see my auctions and lead them into my shop. They may not be interested in what I’m auctioning but they may buy something from my shop. this is a stratergy that works. If I sell the items I’m auctioning that’s a bonus.

Using an auction of a shorter duration also has its advantages if you use it correctly. Using a short term auction implies urgency. If you push the sense of urgency in your sales page this will reinforce it. There’s also a school of thought that says using a 10 day option is pointless because the bidding frenzy always occures towards the end of an auction. by using a 10 day auction you are just delaying this bidding frenzy. This is a good argument and has a lot of truth in it. If you want to kick off the bidding as soon as possible then go for the short term auction. My stratergy of using auctions to pull people into my shop requires that I get the maximium exposure so the 10 day auction is best for this.

Short term auctions have their advantages. you need to work out which stratergy is best for the products you are selling. A one day auction for example is ideal if you were selling concert tickets, or tickets to some other event. Putting these up in a one day auction close to the even can generate that all important bidding frenzy that every seller wants to create.

Which auction duration works best for you will depend on your own circumstances. Once you gain that all valuable experience you will be ablke to decide on which type of auction listing is best for your lifestyle and the products you sell. If you are listing a lot of products then it may be best to stagger them so they don’t all end at the same time. On the other hand you may prefer this, so you can deal with all the postage at the same time. it’s really up to you. Many people have a regimented routine, they may list religiously on one day only. I stagger my listings. I don’t like to be suddenly swammped, I prefer a more leisurely work load. I’ve also got a website which brings in sales at any time so I take that into consideration.

Good Auction Days

Sunday

This is the best day to end an auction. Sunday evening between seven and eleven. The kids will be in bed, the washing up done and the parents will be relaxing either watching tv or surfing Ebay looking for that bargain. Bank holidays are the exception and things drop off in summer as people enjoy the evening sun. As a rule though Sunday is the best day to end an auction

Monday

This is a good day, not as good as Sunday but not bad. A ten day auction will span two weekends and if you time it right end on Monday.

Wednsday

Forget this day! Avoid ending your auctions on wednsday, it’s the middle of the week, people are tired and stressed from work, surfing Ebay to buy something is the last thing on their minds. I even sell less from my shop and website on Wednsday, in fact i see it as a day off.

Listing your items at the right time for the right duration will enhance your sales. get this right and you will sell more. Other factors come into play of course. I mentioned generally that wednsday is a bad day to end auctions on, that doesn’t mean no one buys on wednsday. The products you sell may do well on wednsdays. The above advice is taken from my own experience and research and is generally correct buth there’s always exceptions. The best way to decide which day and listing duration is best for you is by experimenting. Take a note of the day you have listed your product and the interest you get for it. List it another day and time and compare notes. A little experimenting will soon reveal the best stratergy for your products and lifestyle. Just bear in mind that listing at the right time is an art. Timing is everything.
Until next time.