posted on May 13, 2004 01:44:17 AM new
I know this is a total newbie question, but what can I say... I'm a newbie.
Many people have said that the best time to have an auction end is about 9pm on Sunday nights. Then Saturday nights, then Friday nights, then Monday nights, then Tuesday nights (and then Wed. & Thurs. are pretty bad).
Well, do all of you only have your auctions each week end on Sunday nights (or a few of the best nights), or do you have many auctions end every night of the week and let the chips fall as they may?
Do you save your best (most valuable) items for Sunday nights, etc.?
Or does it really matter at all and I am way over analyzing this?
posted on May 13, 2004 03:45:06 AM new
I have found that Sunday is NOT a good night for me?? I sell mostly antiques and collectibles so I don't know if that matters or not.
Thur has always been my best night??
Can't give anything away on Wed.
The best I can say is that what works one week may not work at all the next week. You have to know your market and even then stuff happens that can change that too. A bad new report / a good new report?? A beautiful day / a bad storm??
Good luck
posted on May 13, 2004 03:59:11 AM new
I agree, it totally depends on what you sell. I sell mostly craft products. Friday through Sunday are dead for me, my best sales are Monday through Wednesday. Most hits on Monday morning, I think it is something to do with kids being back in school, and Mum getting access to the computer again!
posted on May 13, 2004 04:02:59 AM new
I end auctions every day but Friday and Saturday. I have found that those two days are 'dead' for me. Sunday has usually been pretty good and I admit sometimes I save the more expensive things for then. Thursday has turned out to be a surprisingly good day for me. I sell a little bit of everything collectible.
posted on May 13, 2004 04:33:16 AM new
For me it seems it depends on when in the month it is. The first week is so-so. The second and third weeks are great. The last week is no good. The last week of the month is understandable because that's when most people are paying bills like rent, utilities, etc. At least, that's when I pay them. I never have any money at the end of the month. The day of the week really hasn't had an impact as far as I can tell.
posted on May 13, 2004 05:12:14 AM new
I try different days and find that for me ending Satuday nights works best, because of the post office here in Portland is open on Sunday's I can ship the next day when payment is made through paypal.
posted on May 13, 2004 05:21:58 AM new
Thanks for all the answers.
So besides which days have worked best for you, do you have auctions end pretty much every day of the week?
I end everything on Sunday night between 8 and 9. That seems to be the best for me as far as final bids. Other days haven't done as well.
Like Cheryl, I've noticed a difference depending on what part of the month it is.
Another reason is since almost everyone uses PayPal, most are paid no later than Monday evening. I ship on Tuesday. The few snail mail payments I get are usually in by the following Saturday so those packages go with PayPal ones on Tuesday.
posted on May 13, 2004 05:50:50 AM new
I sell primarily in one main category. I carry both New and Used products. The New items I have a constant supply of... while the used ones I have to search for on a regular basis.
My auction strategy is fairly simple. The New items, I list as fixed price auctions with a quantity of approximately how many I expect to sell that week. If the fixed price ends early ('cause all the items sell!), then I immediately re-list the item. This way, I have about 40+ auctions running all the time... and my turn-around for these items is great!
The used items... I schedule to list at the same time, since a lot of them are related to each other. I usually list 75-125 used items each week. I like to launch these items alternately at 6:00 pm PST on Thursdays and at 6:00 pm PST on Sundays. By alternating the weeks... I think that I catch some people the second week that didn't see the item the first week.
Anyhow... not sure if that method will be of any help to you, but I thought I'd share. Hope that helps!
posted on May 13, 2004 07:38:52 AM new
I have items ending every day for the most part. I list five books per day, usually, and haven't found any one day better than any other for ending an auction.
____________________
We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people. -- John F. Kennedy
posted on May 13, 2004 09:49:59 AM newDo you have auctions ending every day?
Yeah, I do. I like money.
Other than some very general guidelines (like not having an auction end at 3 am) I don't do a lot of thinking about auction scheduling. What's important is:
1) cash flow
2) inventory turns
Which means (when you run 1 cent no reserve auctions) that you just get the stuff up there on eBay so folks can bid on it and not worry too much about losing a nickel here or there of potential revenue.
I turned inventory eight times last year. This year I'm aiming for ten.
posted on May 13, 2004 10:01:45 AM new
Each to his or her own way of doing business. I know that Fluffy is a high volume seller & it makes good sense to have auction on every day. I am the opposite. I run 5 to 15 auctions a week. I start all of my auctions on Thursday night @ 11:30 & run them for 10 days. That way I have 2 weekends & they close on Sunday night @ 11:30. I have been doing this for about 4 yrs with good success.
[ edited by sanmar on May 13, 2004 01:14 PM ]
posted on May 13, 2004 01:02:35 PM new
Agreed....like Fluffy...I like money too...and while for some, eBay is a hobby, it's a different story for us. When it's your livelyhood, and you depend on income, as Fluffy indicated, "cash flow", a steady revenue stream is what is your #1 priority (next to keeping your customers happy...lol)....
But, back to the question at large here...when you don't have the inventory or a type of area to specialize in...I'd suggest that you focus your efforts in an area that you are most knowledgable in...be it sports, antiques, weird tv show memorabillia, or maybe your the TV Guide collector of all time and you know someone who has every one that ever came out...open your eyes to the world as you eBay canvas. When building inventory though...remember "buy low, and sell at a profit". It's easy to get caught up in buying cheap cool stuff for inventory, but if you can't sell it, it's just cheap cool stuff collecting dust (at your expense too).
Do your homework and study the areas of selling that you want to focus on...and see what fetches the best prices (a good way to learn current eBay market values)...although, it's also prudent to remember that just because Widget A sold yesterday for $100., doesn't guarantee it will sell that way when you list it (unless there's a sudden sales surge). Although there's always instances like currently in the MUSIC/CD area, anyone who has listed NORAH JONES' first limited edition CD ("First Sessions"-which were essentially her "demo tapes" for Blue Note Records...is fetching anywhere in the neighborhood from $150+ for the CD regularly (within the last couple of months)...but like the wind, that will probably change again too.
We also incorporate various forms of "upselling" to our customers. Our email correspondence to customers encourages them to take advantage of "reduced/combined S/H" by ordering multiple items (and yes...this might seem like "double dipping"-but you have to think global here folks...a lot of our customers are international, and many of the items we offer-music memorabillia-can not be found anywhere near where they live...so it benefits them to look at all our items and at our store before paying).
Stay open to change, move with the market, and learn who your customers are, and most of all...in these turbulent time...try to keep your head above water.
posted on May 13, 2004 03:44:54 PM new
I run about 25 - 30 auctions per week and have them ending almost every night, mostly around 7:30 - 9:30 pm (eBay time). I'm like Fluffy...I kinda like that steady cash flow.
As Cheryl said, seems like some weeks are better than others, and for me, no particular day seems better consistently. Not all of my 'widgets' are alike...so I figure that plays an important part in the variance.
posted on May 13, 2004 03:51:59 PM new
I end auctions every day, I sell DVDs'Music Cd's Books and audio books and some collectable items. But I am not a big seller.
posted on May 13, 2004 03:55:05 PM new
Mine end every day. I try to upload 10 each day. Some days are better than others, but I need the money!!! My best days are Monday through Thursday.
posted on May 13, 2004 08:00:31 PM new
Someone posted there numbers from the view tracker expirement which did have some interesting results. Much of which you were quoting in your original post. Those numbers however where not typical of most bidding activity. The flaw was the fact the numbers were only taken from listings from around tax time, which is also traditionally the slowest and most unstable time of year. The results would most deffinetly be different when the results are compiled from a whole years worth of data. In reality, you will find that just about any day is good if you know when to list and end your auctions.
I list auctions for myself and for my employer and have also been doing some consignment auctions as well. I too find that Thursday evenings are the best times for me to have auction end for my personal collectibles. Then Sundays.
For my consignment items, again depends upon the item, but most have been high dollar items and the best night for those has been Monday.
At work, any night of the week including Saturday has been good except Friday. But in a strange twist, Friday about 1 PM western time has been an excellent time to end auctions.
The best advice, try different days and ending times.
-which were essentially her "demo tapes" for Blue Note Records...is fetching anywhere in the neighborhood from $150+ for the CD regularly (within the last couple of months)...but like the wind, that will probably change again too.
