When is the best time to list something for sale...

[larue]

on ebay.
I have watched several items and it is so strange, some times the same thing will go for a huge amount, and at other times the same item will go for next to nothing. Is there any rhyme or reason for this--or is it just chance?

[sma499]

I think it's mostly just chance, unless you have a super hard-to-find item that a lot of people want.

I've heard before that you should start your auction in the evening hours or on a weekend, so it ends when more people are looking for stuff to buy.

[KimberlyinMN]

I used to sell Beanie Babies at eBay and found the best time for auctions to end is before 5 pm and during the work week because most people browse eBay while at work.

I have found that even when I am buying something, I prefer auctions that either end during the work day OR have a decent "Buy It Now" price.

I think that as far as why some items sell for so much more than others, it also depends on HOW you price your auction.

What I do is start with a low price that attracts attention to my auction but I also have a Reserve price set so that my item doesn't sell for lower than what I want to sell it for. Then I set a Buy It Now for a price I wouldn't mind getting that is within reason. I even tell the Reserve price in my auction description to save people time from bidding in small increments. A Reserve Price fee is only charged if your item doesn't meet the reserve. And.. a Reserve Price will keep the Buy It Now available until a bidder hits the Reserve.

So, for example, I sold a digital camcorder awhile ago. I started the bidding at $9.99 but put my reserve for $200 and a Buy It Now of $250. The nice thing about the Reserve Price is that the Buy It Now won't go away until the reserve is met. So if someone placed a bid of $199, my Buy It Now is still there for other potential buyers to use.

Kimberly

[KimberlyinMN]

Also, I've found to make sure auctions don't end on a holiday.

[ladylinks]

I would look on ebay first, before you list, to see how many of the item you are selling, are up for auction. Sometimes there are dozens of the same thing and other times there are only a few. I would list when the "stock" is depleted! Also look at what that particular thing is selling for.

[laurakj]

I've found that having auction end on Monday or Wednesday seems to help too. The only reason I can think of for Monday is that people are getting back into the groove from the weekend and don't really want to "work" LOL

Do NOT have an auction end on a Sunday. I have always had rotton luck with Sundays. Too many people are doing family things and aren't on the computer.

[pryor208]

I seem to remember reading a selling on ebay book from the library (who would actually buy one when the library has it for free to read!) that said you should try to make a listing end on a Saturday or any time when lots of people will not have anything else to do but watch sales end. Sometimes Sundays are good, just depends. You can search for completed listings of products like what you're selling (sign in, then try an advanced search, it's an option to search only completed auctions) to see what they sold for and when they ended, too.

[Christine Elliott]

I have had great luck with auctions ending on Sat. or Sun. I also start my prices fairly low. Before I list anything (that I am not familar with) I watch other auctions to see what is happening with them. Check to see if there are a ton of the same thing out there. For example, I see that SU "Alphabet soup" is listed everywhere and barley selling.I find that fall and winter is a better time to sell stuff too. People are too busy when the weather is nice, prime vacation times or holidays are near by. Myself, I love buy it nows if they are reasonable. It's a lot easier than waiting for auctions to end.

[GWTW Junkie]

I checked out all the retired sets I had to sell and none of them was going for much, so I am hanging on to most of them right now. I did sell one for $41 though!!! Whoo hoo! Gotta love it when that happens. I found it at a garage sale : )