Getting the most for eBay sales.

I would run if I saw opening bids changing on a lot I was interested in. However, and correct me if I'm wrong guys, but you cannot change price in the last 24hrs so this whole theory is an exercise of futility not to mention a bit devious plus you would be nitpicking over a few dollars plus my time invested in this practice is worth more than I would gain anyway if it were possible

 

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When I list a coin I try to find other coins of the like that have sold and I look at what they sold for. Most of the time it's all over the place. There was an error quarter that I recently sold that had sold for anywhere from $25-$75. I actually listed it and sold it for $35. So I don't list my coins for the lowest I'd take because I would rather get more than the lowest I'd take. If I don't get any bites by the last day then I change bait.

 

I'm a committed sniper and, like a fair plurality of Ebay buyers, rarely bid on auction coins which start over 99 cents. That demographic is large enough that it's proven 99 cent starts do better in the long run. If you start a $75 coin at $50 I probably won't even read the whole auction, much less bid, unless I want that one very badly.

No coin is so unique that there won't be another - not in my price range - so I know I can be patient.

 

Let's go back to the example you had before, with the $100 coin. Why don't you just start that at $95 if you are willing to part with it at that level. I'm not saying start it at the lowest price you can take, but start it at the lowest price you would put it up for using this method.

 

Last 12 hrs you can't change the price (info from ebay below):

More than 12 hours




What you can and can't change

Are there bids?: No

You can:

• Remove the following optional listing upgrades: Buy It Now, eBay photo upgrades, reserve price, 10-day listing (in applicable categories).
  
  
• Add optional listing upgrades to increase your item's visibility.
  
  
• Add or change photos.
  
  
• Add a second category, unless there are category restrictions. (Fees may apply.)
  
  
• Reduce the starting price of your item. (You won't receive credit for any difference in your insertion fees.)

You can't:

• Change the listing format.
  
  
• Extend the listing duration if 2 or more hours have passed since the listing was submitted.

Are there bids?: Yes

You can:

• Add a second category, unless there are category restrictions. (Fees may apply.)
  
  
• Add to the item description.
  
  
• Add photos.
  
  
• Add optional listing upgrades to increase your item's visibility.
  
  
• Reduce the reserve price of your item, in applicable categories. (You won't receive credit for any difference in your insertion fees.)

You can't:

• Change the listing format.
  
  
• Change the listing duration.
  
  
• Change the starting price.
  
  
• Edit the listing description.

Less than 12 hours



What you can and can't change

Are there bids?: No

You can:

• Change the category and add item specifics.
  
  
• Add a second category, unless there are category restrictions. (Fees may apply.)
  
  
• Add to the item description.
  
  
• Add optional listing upgrades to increase your item's visibility. (Fees may apply.)
  
  
• Add a page view counter.
  
  
• Add photos.
  
  
• Add new payment methods and ship-to locations.

You can't:

• Change the listing duration.
  
  
• Change the starting price.

Are there bids?: Yes

You can:

• Add optional listing upgrades to increase your listing's visibility. (Fees may apply.)
  
  
• You can answer buyers' questions, but you can't post the questions and answers to your listing.

You can't:

• Change the listing duration.
  
  
• Change the starting price.
  
  
• Edit the listing description.

 

Ya.... Just found out earlier you can't change the price that soon. Epiphany not applicable.

Oh well, no shortcuts here.

So what kind of successes have you had with this? What kind of things do you look for?

I try to snipe out coins I want that aren't getting the attention they should. I also will, while watching some TV or laying in bed at the end if the night, just do a search for us coins in auction format that are ending soonest and then just kinda scroll down looking for what I think is a good deal. That's where most of my best snags come from but I want to learn how to snipe like the pro's. Teach me the ways?

 

I get what your saying. I think it is a viable option for someone who wants to do that. Might not be everyone's slice of cake but whatever! We all have different ways of getting to the same, or hopefully, best outcome.

 

I have found that the least risky approach is to do a BIN listing that actually corresponds with the coin's realistic value based on past sales. Just start with a price a bit above market value and lower it until people bite. The 99 cent auctions are what I prefer to bid on but there is some risk when you are selling.

Starting with a high opening bid gives you the worst of both worlds, because it attracts fewer bidders but doesn't guarantee a higher price.

Probably 90 percent of all Ebay listings, both auction and BIN, have a totally unrealistic price. I'm not sure why sellers even bother to list at those prices.

 

You just outlined my two best techniques yourself.

I do a lot of coin photography myself, and look at hundreds of others' work every week. It's taught me to pick details out of poor images, and find diamonds in the rough that others don't. I'm usually seeking varieties rather than grade, though. Then there's the ones which are mislabeled or titled with typos - they get lost too sometimes. Like you said, seek the ones getting too little attention.

And I've spent entire evenings trolling the Ending Soonest on Ebay, on the off chance I'd happen onto something. It's worked a time or two.

 

Glad to hear I'm not alone in, what my better half calls, my "good deal crack addiction"