OhMsLucy
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posted on February 28, 2005 08:11:24 PM new
Hi all,
Bizzy and I were just having a conversation about auction ending times. I'd appreciate your input on the subject.
I've been ending mine between 8:00 and 9:00 PST, more or less. Thinking that might be a bit early, I'm considering moving the end time out an hour. Of course when we get into the longer days and Daylight Savings Time I definitely end them later.
A lot of my high bidders are on the east coast, which could mean I'm ending too early for the west coast folks. (Personally, I like west coast bidders. They get their package quicker and sometimes it saves a bit on the shipping.)
When do you end your auctions? Any particular reasons why?
Lucy
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Libra63
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posted on February 28, 2005 08:21:48 PM new
I have tried many times but what I have decided I will end my auctions when it is best for me. i.e. the time needed to send invoices so that I am not stressed late at night, if payment comes, time that I need to mail package the next day. If they pay immediately I do mail next day. So I have started to start my auctions on Monday mid afternoon. I had only 3 auctions end last week but they ended up where there was sniping so I would say if you have what people want they will bid no matter what time you start or end your auctions. I also notice that if one week I don't get many bids I relist right away for the next week and it seems that I then receive more bids. Not everyone is on all the time so if I list two weeks in a row I should hit most of the buyers. i.e. I had a postcard on for $6.99 I received no bids. I immediately relisted it at $4.99 and it went off for $10.50. So I really don't think there is a good or bad time.
I listed 35 auctions today mid afternoon and that's a lot for me since I usually only do 10. I have had numerous hits on all but two auctions. Best I have ever had. Yes and I do have bids.
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cta
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posted on February 28, 2005 08:29:41 PM new
Hi Lucy - I usually end my auctions around 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. EST. I live on the east coast (Maine) and gear my auctions to a time that works well for me. That way, I can sit and watch the auctions end...and I've been lucky and had a pretty good sell-thru rate most weeks. I sell mostly antiques and vintage or unique items, no new or easily found merchandise.
But reading your post, I may re-think my time and bump it up by at least an hour or more. That way, the folks on the west coast may be watching and bidding as well. Although it seems I do an awful lot of shipping to California.
Lynne
~ Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes. ~
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HerbsCraftsGifts
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posted on February 28, 2005 08:32:06 PM new
Depends on what I am listing. If it is for the ladies then I have it expire before the eastcoasters leave for the day which makes it just after lunch on the west coast. The sell through rate is better during the week.
For collectibles and other stuff Sunday seems to be the best. Louise
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cta
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posted on February 28, 2005 08:44:21 PM new
If it is for the ladies then I have it expire before the eastcoasters leave for the day which makes it just after lunch on the west coast.
So HerbsCraftsGifts, what you're saying is all kinds of people are bidding while they are still at work? Shouldn't they be "working" while at work? 
[ edited by cta on Feb 28, 2005 08:45 PM ]
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dadofstickboy
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posted on February 28, 2005 08:57:18 PM new
I have always had my auctions start & end at 6:00pm PST.
It has given me good results for years.
6:00 PST is 9:00 EST.
I have always figured it was late enough for the west coasters to be in the house.
And early enough that the east coasters weren't yet in bed.
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Roadsmith
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posted on February 28, 2005 09:27:55 PM new
I've ended mine between 6:50 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.,all PST. USually Sunday evenings. But I had to list small groups, recently, at intervals of a day and I still had bids. I'm just not sure Sunday night is the best night to end auctions, with so many thinking the very same way.
If it's something for young mothers, I'll try to guess when they can finally relax after getting children to bed. Not sure if I'm guessing right. I do think items geared to non-working (outside, that is) women should NOT end during dinner time, but then that varies too with time zone!
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sparkz
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posted on February 28, 2005 09:43:13 PM new
I tend to agree with Dad, except I would move the first time for ending up from 6:00 P.M. to about 6:45 P.M. Many commuters here on the west coast are still hung up in traffic at 6:00, especially in the L.A. area and the Bay area which are your biggest markets out here. (what used to be a one hour commute in the 90's is more like a 1 1/2 hour drive now). I'm having serious second thoughts about ending auctiona on Sunday nights. Too many other auctions ending that night and a bidder who is interested in your item may be watching several others, forcing him to choose one to exert the effort to win. I've found that Mondays are working better for me than Sundays.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
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Libra63
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posted on February 28, 2005 10:36:46 PM new
Question. If everyone ended their auctions at the same time wouldn't the bidding be lower. Think about it. If everyone ended their auctions, let say at 7 PST, how would the person that is snipping, snipe more than one auction? It would seem that bidding would be lower. Did I figure that right?
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sparkz
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posted on February 28, 2005 10:50:10 PM new
Libra...That's my thinking. Most sellers are of the notion that ending an auction at 7:00 P.M. on a Sunday night is the best time. A bidder can't be in 2 places at once. He has to choose which one of the auctions he's interested in that he will try to snipe at 7 pm. That will shut out all other sellers from his potential snipe. I would think that 6:45 would be a much better ending time. And any other night but Sunday would be better yet.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
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Damariscotta
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posted on March 1, 2005 05:23:39 AM new
Impulse purchase items are probably more sensitive to end time.
On good antiques, most serious buyers are probably using sniping software, and I have followed items where there is heavy action at odd ending times, and I am sure it is auto-sniping. Because of my travel schedule, that is what I do on all my eBay purchases.
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dblfugger9
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posted on March 1, 2005 05:49:23 AM new
Ref auto-sniping. I would guess that takes care of the bidder being in two places at one time - but are most buyers even that sophisticated yet??? I'm sure there is a certain percentage that are, but are the rest of the general buying population. I'm not sure there is a magic time, but you would think between 7-11PM PST would be when the majority of people are surfing?
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HerbsCraftsGifts
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posted on March 1, 2005 06:48:52 AM new
Shouldn't they be "working" while at work?
LOL Yeah I guess. But not when they are bidding on they stuff.
But I find too that no matter how many things I have listed, in however many catagories, most of the bids come within the last 24 hours. So the question (as discussed before) is how many days to list for? 1 day does not work for me, 5 is OK as is 7, to catch those bidders who look at newly listed. Then it gives them time to bid up.
And the is a quirk of human nature. Why not look at all the newly listed 1st? The pickin's are greater, cause the good BIN are gone at the end.
Who know's? What worked last month doesn't work this month! Louise
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BJBOSWELL
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posted on March 1, 2005 06:58:17 AM new
When we lived in Colorado I ended them at 10pm eastern. We live in NH now and I still use that time to launch and close. TV news here is 11 pm so easterners are up and westerners are for the most part at home. I have had lots of A snip wins lately .... I think it is a very useful tool for everyone buyer and seller. If they want something there is no reason now to "miss the end of the auction". I used to launch on Sundays now I am using Wens. Seems like a good day ...
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Damariscotta
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posted on March 1, 2005 07:03:41 AM new
.. auto-sniping. ... but are most buyers even that sophisticated yet??? ...
It only takes two of them (if they are the right two). Snipers in general tend to be pretty serious about buying, and unless they just do it for a thrill, I would guess that most of them use sniping software by this point. As they say on the info-mercial: Set it, and forget it!
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ladyjewels2000
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posted on March 1, 2005 08:29:37 AM new
I like to end all of my auctions at around 10:30 Eastern time and it works well for me most of the time. Tues and Thur are my best listing days.
I'm thinking of adding a sniping service link on my page? I don't understand why some sellers hate sniping - it increases the
final price - doesn't it?
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OhMsLucy
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posted on March 1, 2005 09:34:05 AM new
Lots of good thoughts and ideas...
Seems like the day of the week can make a difference depending on what's being sold.
Maybe the time in the month also? I generally have a bid or two come in over Sunday night but none this time and a lot less watching.
Of the 11 auctions I closed last Sunday (end of the month) 9 sold. But two weeks prior (first of the month) only 4 sold out of 9.
Hmmm.... Maybe I'll do a bit more research.
Lucy
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ebayvet
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posted on March 1, 2005 10:56:55 AM new
I try to end mine between 5 and 7 PM Pacific Time. This gives me enough time that night to process invoices, and 8pm eastern seems good to me. I've tried earlier, and it did not work well. I haven't really tried later, but people do go to sleep early on Sunday so I don't want to close later than 10pm.
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dst1
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posted on March 1, 2005 01:28:39 PM new
It appears to be anybody's guess. I remember reading that the highest traffic occurs between 12 p.m. - 3 p.m. PST (weekdays). This is about lunch hour time. I also hear a lot of people state that Sundays are a good day to end auctions.
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