eBay listings- Is there a 'better' time to list an auction?

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by Coinsnake, Feb 9, 2011.

  1. Coinsnake

    Coinsnake MorganMan

    Hey guys, I've been buying and selling successfully on eBay for a couple years now. I would like your input on something. I've noticed when buying or selling coins that the auctions often don't get much attention until the last few hours or minutes. I want to know from othercollectors (you guys & gals) if there is a certain day or time frame that would be the coin buying peak of eBay. Also any input on the worst times to end an auction would be helpful. I mean I obviously know that if an auction ends at 3am on a Monday that it probbably won't get much attention, but some input would be appreciated.

    Thanx
     
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  3. bahabully

    bahabully Junior Member

    Sunday late afternoons and evenings seem to be loaded with closing auctions....... My guess is that's the best time.

    After that would be:
    Saturday afternoon through evening
    then any day M-F evening time.....

    Avoid closing on holidays, major sporting events, etc.... anything that would draw large segments of the population to a point away from the ol' pc.........

    EYE could probably run a quick sell price by day by hour comparative view based on some simple delimiting attributes of a common coin or two....
     
  4. coinhead63

    coinhead63 Not slabbed yet

    For buying, I like the auctions that end during a weekday. I seem to have less competition. For selling, I agree with bahabully.
     
  5. Freddypm

    Freddypm Member

    When I sell, I make the auction end on Friday around 9pm Central time. I get the best action across all time zones and it seems like a lot of people are looking on Friday night after work. Maybe because Fridays are a typical payday.
     
  6. medoraman

    medoraman Well-Known Member

    I think people make good points here. One thing I would add is to try to have 7 day listings. I know the shorter ones are cheaper, and you may THINK no one pays attention to your acution until the last minute, but many of us simply peruse Ebay once a week and choose our snipes then. I do my searches and make my snipes, and if you run a 3 day auction there is a good chance I will never see it.

    Many more people see your auction and pay attention then bid. I have an auction for a book I really want closing tomorrow that I have been paying attention to for 5 days. No one will know it until 4 seconds before close though. I bid late and bid strong.
     
  7. Coinsnake

    Coinsnake MorganMan

    Good to know Medoraman. I usually do 3 days or 1 day if I really need the money. 7 days is a long time for me because I get anxious to see results and I usually only sell between 1-5 or 6 items at any one time. I guess being impatient is one of my hang ups. From now on I'll try to just list it and forget it.

    Thank you to all for your advice.
     
  8. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    When I was selling most heavily, five or ten years ago, Sunday evening (9-12 EST) was the best time to get lots of bidders. I was selling computer memory, which was pretty popular and fungible, and I was able to look at closing prices across different times and weekdays. Sunday evening auction closes went significantly higher. Not sure how much it's changed since.

    When I'm buying, I look for things that close in the wee hours, or early morning Eastern time.

    Bahabully's comments about holidays and big events are true, but not universal. I was hoping to score on some neglected auctions during the Superbowl, but I think there were a whole lot of people with the same idea. It didn't work out very well.

    I'm thinking of selling off some junk silver, and I'm trying to decide how to handle it. I'm leaning toward 24-hour auctions starting Saturday night, or maybe even just BIN. But I wonder if a one-week or longer auction might be better:

    Silver price falls over the week -- I get less.

    Silver price rises over the week -- I get more.

    Silver price dips during the week -- I'm unaffected.

    Silver price spikes during the week -- the auction might get bid up during the spike, and once the bids are in, the buyer is on the hook.

    Given the prevalence of sniping, though, I'm just not sure intra-week activity matters much. I see relatively few auctions that get realistic bids prior to the closing minutes.
     
  9. kangayou

    kangayou Junior Member

    I like Medoraman's 7 day auction suggestions. I would add that timing the auction so it will end at a decent hour in the late afternoon according to PST. This way you can calculate when it would be ending on the East Coast as well as Hawaii. 7 day auctions ending on Saturday & Sunday seem to build up the most momentum during the week. Another thing is to list it auction style with a low starting price , but add a "Buy It Now" price set at 10% over the minimum you would expect the item to sell for. This can tip some bidders that are sitting on the fence to place a bid early.
     
  10. mpcusa

    mpcusa "Official C.T. TROLL SWEEPER"

    There seems to be allot of traffic on Monday night,s as well, People dont have
    Anything to do so there usually o there computers!!
     
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