Auction Techniques for better sales

[redhippo]

some opinions from experienced sellers
needed on selling
domains on ebay, here or any auction
bay.

seller says start price at say $5.00

but BUY now at now at $50.00

what does it means? is the reserved at $50

or will he part with at lower bid if he has no reserve
price.

can seller back out if bids are LOW but

did not indicate any reserve price?

say for example in the above case after 48hrs(or whatever
the stated period of time)

the last bid was $9.00, can he refuse to sell.


what are the Rules of auctions in NP? if there
are any..
pointers would be helpful



thanks



:gl:

 

[Jennifer]

If a seller starts the bidding at $5 and sets the "buy it now" price for $50 - that means that you can simply buy it outright for that price. If you bid $5 and no one else bids, by law you get the item for $5. If there is a reserve price set, that changes everything... the item will not be sold for under the amount of the reserve... which is not disclosed (unless you contact them and ask) some people will tell you, and some won't.

*The seller cannot back out if there is no reserve! Its the chance they take when listing without a reserve.

I've done tons of selling at ebay, please feel free to pm or email me if you have any more questions.

Good Luck

Jenn

 

[redhippo]

thanks jennifer. that sounds about right. just that i have some reservations with the BUY now at $XXX which looks like that's the "reserved price"

by your experience I want to know whether or not it is better to have a reserve price?



:tri:

 

[Jennifer]

They way I work the system is:

If I have what I feel is a "premium name" (and I don't use the word loosely) then I will list with a reserve.

If I have an "OK" name that will probably sell, but might not - I just use a flat price like 14.99 or more.

Back in the old days it was worth it to list with a reserve price because they didn't have the outrageous fees that they have now. The fact is, all those fees start to add up, and if you don't sell the domain... you are SOL! I believe they started adding the fees to deter people to setting outrageous reserve prices that would never be met.

I haven't listed on ebay in a while now because it's just not worth it to me anymore. It's not to say that I never will...

So to sum it up - If you've got a stellar domain that will most definitely sell, it may be worth the fees to list it. If you've got an average name that you'll have to list a dozen times to even get people to look at it... It's better to take your chances elsewhere.

I can't just come out and say it better or not to set a reserve price at auction... It really just depends on the domain you are trying to sell. Use your best judgement...

Once again, if you need more info...just yell

Jenn

 

[redhippo]

that cool info. thanks amillion. very helpful. when i do venture into ebay i will remember to consult you:bingo: before i drop into a hole:hehe:

 

[Coastalguy]

Those "fees" do sneak up on you. eBay is like the banks these days...they nickle and dime you to death.

Another question related to eBay Reserves...should you post the reserve price or not? I've seen both done and honestly don't know which method is better. What I find is that if you don't post the reserve somewhere, you end up getting alot of e-mails asking for the reserve price.

ST

 

[redhippo]

Originally posted by Coastalguy
Those "fees" do sneak up on you. eBay is like the banks these days...they nickle and dime you to death.

Another question related to eBay Reserves...should you post the reserve price or not? I've seen both done and honestly don't know which method is better. What I find is that if you don't post the reserve somewhere, you end up getting alot of e-mails asking for the reserve price.

ST

what a way to die:lol: more votes on the poll welcome:cy:

 

[Elefekt]

hmm i think that buy it now is just giving the buyer and the seller a better and quicker oppurtunity

 

[redhippo]

seeking more skill auctionners for advise and tips, please!!!:bingo:

 

[Jennifer]

Originally posted by Coastalguy
Those "fees" do sneak up on you. eBay is like the banks these days...they nickle and dime you to death.

Another question related to eBay Reserves...should you post the reserve price or not? I've seen both done and honestly don't know which method is better. What I find is that if you don't post the reserve somewhere, you end up getting alot of e-mails asking for the reserve price.

ST

No Way!

I have experimented with this, and the conclusion that I've come to is this:

If you have something up for auction with a reserve, and you have the reserve price listed....

there will be no bidding wars because people know where you stand.

Keeping it private keeps people bidding against eachother! It makes it a challange for them.

Although... if someone emails me for the info, more times than not, I will tell them. It really depends on what your selling.

This is just my tactic of course.... but it's worked wonders in the past!

Good Luck!

ONE MORE THING!

Another important tip for those wanting ebay advice!

Gallery images, and bold print are worth the extra coin when listing domain names! You'll get many more hits that way. Many times a domain listing will get lost in the mix..... you'll want to make it stand out above the rest.... People are more likely to click a listing if it jumps out at them!

For my auctions, I create domain name logos... It really works well!

(check the domain bash link in my sig, and then go to the domain page to see what I mean)



Jenn

 

[redhippo]

yes this cool tip. need to remember all these finer points on auctioneering:gl: