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ollym · 08-09-2006, 3:30 PM

What does everyone think is the best day and time to end an eBay auction - I'm sure we could offere each other some useful insights.

I'm assuming lunchtime or evenings has obvious benefits are more people are able to get onto the internet..

Also, I think auctions ending on Sundays must do better?

smellybum · 08-09-2006, 5:42 PM

Sunday evening

naughty_10382 · 08-09-2006, 7:18 PM

And in addition, start the listing on a thursday evening and make it a 10 day auction - you get 2 weekends for more people to see it then.

razorbladekisses · 08-09-2006, 7:20 PM

I agree. I usually list my items on a Thursday evening and they finish in 10 days time on a Sunday evening.

little miss thrifty · 08-09-2006, 9:47 PM

We do Sunday evenings too, although i did also find that for baby items, early weekday evenings (4-6pm) was good too

John_T · 09-09-2006, 8:58 AM

I find that most of my items sell at roughly 12.30am Saturday and Sunday, I can only assume people go on eBay after chucking out time, I wonder how many people receive their item in the post before the realise they bought it when drunk :-)

netwalk · 09-09-2006, 10:21 AM

You may find the following informative:

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/...02/abu0113/s04

It is a survey a couple of years old but still seems to concur with finishing on Sunday evenings.

Good luck with your eBaying.

Julian

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 09-09-2006, 10:41 AM

Sunday evenings!!

pin · 09-09-2006, 11:09 AM

I have found that week day evenings (Tue to Thurs) after dinner (around 7.30 to 9) to be a good time.

tomstickland · 09-09-2006, 11:12 AM

I don't care when the auction ends - I just list it when I feel like it and assume that people will bid if they want it. I've just won a reel of armoured cable and the auction finished at 6.00am this morning.

FamilyGuy · 09-09-2006, 1:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomstickland

I don't care when the auction ends - I just list it when I feel like it and assume that people will bid if they want it. I've just won a reel of armoured cable and the auction finished at 6.00am this morning.

I agree. And with the growing popularity of Sniping sites, people don't have to be at their computer to bid.

barrymoney · 09-09-2006, 8:11 PM

Hi,
(BTW, I'm a low-rank ebay buyer, not much of a seller).
This link was discussed on Slashdot today ("The Science of eBay"):
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz...907_223337.htm

Most of the points are totally obvious, but Point #8 says that auctions ending during peak hours are ~10% less likely to result in a sale! Ah, statistics

I guess its possible: someone really wanting your item will have spotted it during last 12-48 hours, but seeing lots of similar items ending at the same time distracts them?

Contains Mild Peril · 09-09-2006, 8:27 PM

I tend to list on Thursday evenings to finish on Sunday evenings. I've not had much success with items finish on Saturdays when people get home from the pub. Surprisingsly, I've found mid-afternoon more successful than lunchtime on weekdays, but evenings seem best.

eggwater · 13-09-2006, 12:07 PM

If it's what someone wants they'll buy whatever time it ends.

I do try and end on Sunday evenings though around about the time Songs of Praise is on.

I think with items that are in abundance but still sell make sure you end on an evening to get the best price.

dj3266 · 13-09-2006, 1:55 PM

I find Sun day evenings for auctions - Saturdays aren't as good as a weekday evening.
If I'm doing a BIN, then list for 3 days and if not sold with 1 and a bit days left, then revise listing to 5 days (which will extend it 2 days), then 7 and then 10, as this keeps it in the top end of search results, when listed by 'time left', so more people take note of it!

wjs001 · 13-09-2006, 2:41 PM

As a quite successful eBayer I thought I would add to this board. I mainly deal with clothes mostly mens and mostly suits. I have found various annomolies in my favourite ending times but generally stick with Tue, Wed, Thurs 7-8.30. I believe it totaly depends in what your selling ie if you were selling a football shirt between 3.00 and 4.45 on a Saturday you would not get your best price. I also only sell in auction format on the basis that everything has it's price and if you list it well enough then you will get it. With regards to listing things at anytime I simply do not agree. It takes two people to make an auction work and you have less chance of finding them if you end your auction after midnight. A good start is also important, if you have a competitor product listed just before you in bold and highlighted yours will not stand out as much and you have wasted your extra promotional money. Ultimately eBay is a science in itself and unfortunatley I still make many mistakes and am learning constantly.
In summary I buy when people list things badly or at bad times so I try my hardest not to mimic them - so watch out when you list your Paul Smith suit to end on a Sunday evening - theres a sniper about!!!

steve6375 · 13-09-2006, 8:23 PM

I agree with the last poster, evenings are better or Sunday afternoon (after Sunday lunch) is the best time to end. But a key element is to see if any similar items are already on eBay. This allows you to decide whether or not to postpone your listing altogether. If someone has a better version (i.e. newer, better condition, cheaper) then do not list until that one finishes. Then you can list with a Buy It now price as well as an auction price, and if there were several bidders on the earlier item, the disappointed buyers may try to snap it up.

If there is a counter on the previous sellers ad, this gives you a clue as to how many people were interested in it. If a similar item has a low count, then maybe your item will not sell, so delay your ad for a while.

So don't just put it on immediately - study the competition first and delay if necessary.

Pitstonerock · 13-09-2006, 9:34 PM

..... and send an email to those who made the best unsuccesful offers drawing their attention to your auction. I look at the selling prices of completed auctions for the same item and if a recent auction has had high unsuccessful bidders I include a BIN a bit higher than the successful bid as well as the standard auction. You can often push those bidders a little higher than the previous auction's selling price for the security of not being outbid again.

THRIFTY CHICK · 13-09-2006, 9:58 PM

Sunday evenings are the best time to finish - definitely!
I've also found that listing for longer periods e.g. 7 or 10 days doesn't get you a higher price, it just takes longer to sell as most bidding is done in the last few minutes! This can be a bit scarey, thinking that you are going to sell you prized possession for a few quid, but if you look at how many watchers your item has got and how many hits your page has had it will give you an idea of how many people are interested.
I usually list on Thursday to finish on Sunday (3 days). Also I ALWAYS start at 99p, this encourages bidders and lowers your listing fees. I have quite often sold my item for 25% more than someone selling a similar item with a higher starting price.
If you aren't in when you want to start an auction, use the Turbo Lister (free to download) and you can use it to schedule your start time. Handy if you want to go to the pub!
Good luck!

DannyMcdoubleDD · 13-09-2006, 10:51 PM

While I agree with a lot of what has been said about competition, one thing that always strikes me about e-bay is that if you are not a very regular seller, you need to consider the value of your time. If you can get £5 for something, it might not be worth your time spending hours checking the competition for another 50p.

I mostly sell stuff I want rid off, but don't want to skip or give to a charity shop. A quick listing and cover my postage has always made the most sense for me. It would be no way to run an e-bay business though.