Do you know when you should start an eBay listing? Do you know what the best time is for an eBay auction to end to get the best price?
Believe it or not, this is one of the biggest questions I am asked when consulting with clients. It is also a hot top amongst many discussion groups and eBay forums.
There are a few different schools of thought worth considering – what you ultimately do is your own decision and you’ll eventually work out what suits both your product and your buyers.
Many believe that there are far too many variables in play and therefore it is almost impossible to prove anything about the best time to end an eBay auction. After all, eBay isn’t black and white. Just like Cassini, the eBay search engine, there are an endless number of considerations in play. However that does not stop many successful eBay sellers sticking to a ‘proven’ routine.
- International sales: If you are selling on eBay and offering your products internationally then there really is no best time. No matter what time of the day of night it is there will always be someone on eBay in every time zone around the world.
- Motivation: Then you need to consider that there are lots of factors motivating people to buy – did they just get paid? Are they looking for a specific item for an upcoming holiday or event?
- Auction sniping programs: There are plenty of automated programs available that bid at the very last minute. Actually at the very last second. What this means then is that these programs actually give buyers the flexibility to be away from their computer when auctions end. Buyers are using these programs more and more because some are free, others are very low cost for the convenience they offer, and these programs are much more efficient at submitting the bid than a human clicking a mouse.
So when is the best time to start and end an eBay auction or eBay listing? My advice is to work out what is best for you personally. If you like your listings to end on the weekend because you have more time to devote to packaging then work back and determine when to start them. If you like listings to end at night because you feel your customers shop when the kids are in bed and they have time to themselves then approach it that way. Of course remember that this really only applies to auction listings.
If you have buy it now listings, with or without best offers, then as soon as you have your items ready to go, list them. There is no better time to start selling than now because people can buy whenever they want.
The important factor to always remember when selling on eBay is to get your item out there on eBay as promptly as possible so that buyers can see it. If buyers can’t see your item, they can’t buy it.
Right?
