Best time to end Ebay Auctions?
December 20, 2007
Ebay, Ebay, Ebay….tell me your secrets. A lot of discussion centers around the ways to get an edge on the other Ebay sellers in your niche. The optimal day and time to end an auction is always up for lively debate with each proponent offering up differing results.
I can tell you that from my perspective the day makes very little difference as I list auctions randomly and they end when they end and we see pretty similar results from all of our auctions. I tend to have my auctions end between 7 and 9 pm EST time simply because that is usually the hours that I do my listing. This might be optimal for an EST buyer but the west coast ebayers might not even be home from work yet.
Too many variables and too much gray area if you ask me. I don’t know that anyone can legitimately say they see a noticeable difference from the time of day that the auction ends.
I think it’s more of a Pied Piper affect…whatever the latest Ebay gurus book says is the best time to end an auction becomes the standard. Prospective Ebay entrepreneurs start setting their auctions to end at that time and voila, the stats go up and you have a large percentage of auctions ending at that time. Monkey see, Monkey do.
My theory is that you should end your auction when it is convenient for you. Make sure you will be available to answer any last minute questions that might arise and be ready to cancel any bids if necessary. I do think you can influence your success with your listing, no doubt, but I just don’t think that when the auction ends is that important. I would pay more attention to the following:
-
Auction Title – Make it keyword rich and appropriate. Avoid using adjectives like great, super, hot as people don’t search for those items.
-
Starting Price – Price your item appropriately. If it’s a fast moving item start it low with no reserve, if you’re the nervous nelly type then start the bid at your minimum acceptable price. Avoid Reserves when possible…buyers HATE them.
-
Photos – Great pictures sell auctions. You could probably even leave the description right out if you have the right pictures. Consider using a photobox and good lighting. Pictures SELL product.
-
Description- Be concise and be accurate. Nobody wants to read a diatribe. Just the facts M’am, just the facts.
If you get these 4 items right then you will be well on your way. Let the pocket protector crowd worry about starting and ending times and make sure you cover the basics first. Once you have established a history on Ebay you will know for yourself what works best with your product.
I’m a Powerseller and you could be too.
