Is eBay any good for auctions anymore?
18-May-24 6:09pm
#1 Foxhack
I'm thinking of posting some game sets and rarer things I still own on auction on eBay to see if I can raise enough money to begin squaring my home's paperwork so I can sell it off and move, but... has anyone had any success with auctions there lately?
Pretty much all my auctions for non-gaming items are not getting any hits these days (at least according to the stats shown on the My eBay page) so I'm wondering if this is just me being punished for whatever reason they came up with, or just people not buying as much stuff as before. The last time I ran auctions was in december, and they were for charity (half of the money went to VGHF) but everything since then has been very sparse.
So is it the site just not being that good anymore, or is the market drying up for real?
#1 Foxhack
I'm thinking of posting some game sets and rarer things I still own on auction on eBay to see if I can raise enough money to begin squaring my home's paperwork so I can sell it off and move, but... has anyone had any success with auctions there lately?
Pretty much all my auctions for non-gaming items are not getting any hits these days (at least according to the stats shown on the My eBay page) so I'm wondering if this is just me being punished for whatever reason they came up with, or just people not buying as much stuff as before. The last time I ran auctions was in december, and they were for charity (half of the money went to VGHF) but everything since then has been very sparse.
So is it the site just not being that good anymore, or is the market drying up for real?
18-May-24 6:55pm
#2 bumsplikity
I only do auctions in very rare circumstances. Generally I find that auctions just do worse than buy it now listings.
If your item has high supply and high demand, an auction will almost always yield less than market price.
I only ever do auctions on items that have a high demand but a low supply. I only do a few a year on items that meet very specific circumstances, and even those usually don't do well.
That being said, the feeling of doing an auction and seeing it outperform your expectations feels great.
#2 bumsplikity
I only do auctions in very rare circumstances. Generally I find that auctions just do worse than buy it now listings.
If your item has high supply and high demand, an auction will almost always yield less than market price.
I only ever do auctions on items that have a high demand but a low supply. I only do a few a year on items that meet very specific circumstances, and even those usually don't do well.
That being said, the feeling of doing an auction and seeing it outperform your expectations feels great.
18-May-24 7:09pm
#3 Foxhack
I was half hoping that people would see a bunch of great games up and try to bid on as many as they could. It's what I do when I'm looking at someone's auctions, I check to see if they have other things I might want to get at the same time.
#3 Foxhack
I was half hoping that people would see a bunch of great games up and try to bid on as many as they could. It's what I do when I'm looking at someone's auctions, I check to see if they have other things I might want to get at the same time.
18-May-24 8:19pm
#4 bumsplikity
I will say that if you are putting up traditional console games and are wanting to do auctions as a way to get some money quickly, you will do fine. Might come in a bit below market but you won't lose your shirt.
I don't know the market for the DVD games you collect, so putting those up for auction might be a bit more dicey.
When I do auctions, I run them for 10 days and start them on Thursday around 7 pm PT so that they end at that same time on a Sunday, which is the best time for auctions to end according to my research. If you don't want to wait the 10 days id do a bit of research to make sure yours are ending at a good time, as that is really important to getting the highest final price. Having an auction end mid day on Tuesday, for example, won't work out well in your favor.
Oh and if you are going to automate your listings to start/end at a certain time, make sure to stagger them by a few minutes so that the same person can potentially be bidding on multiple as they end, otherwise your auctions are competing with each other. I generally use weird end times (7:52, 8:13, etc) to try and minimize the number of other auctions ending at the same time.
#4 bumsplikity
I will say that if you are putting up traditional console games and are wanting to do auctions as a way to get some money quickly, you will do fine. Might come in a bit below market but you won't lose your shirt.
I don't know the market for the DVD games you collect, so putting those up for auction might be a bit more dicey.
When I do auctions, I run them for 10 days and start them on Thursday around 7 pm PT so that they end at that same time on a Sunday, which is the best time for auctions to end according to my research. If you don't want to wait the 10 days id do a bit of research to make sure yours are ending at a good time, as that is really important to getting the highest final price. Having an auction end mid day on Tuesday, for example, won't work out well in your favor.
Oh and if you are going to automate your listings to start/end at a certain time, make sure to stagger them by a few minutes so that the same person can potentially be bidding on multiple as they end, otherwise your auctions are competing with each other. I generally use weird end times (7:52, 8:13, etc) to try and minimize the number of other auctions ending at the same time.
18-May-24 8:22pm
#5 Foxhack
I was considering posting stuff tomorrow so it ends on a sunday, but with it being memorial day weekend I'm not sure if it'd help or not.
#5 Foxhack
I was considering posting stuff tomorrow so it ends on a sunday, but with it being memorial day weekend I'm not sure if it'd help or not.
18-May-24 10:39pm
#6 Gypsy
Auctions are great for buying, bad for selling in my experience. Lots of great advice from @bumsplikity though.
#6 Gypsy
Auctions are great for buying, bad for selling in my experience. Lots of great advice from @bumsplikity though.
18-May-24 11:50pm
#7 nonamesleft
I dont understand the benefit of an auction vs a buy it now. If you have an item that people want, someone will buy it. Why risk auctioning it and getting less than what it would be worth?
#7 nonamesleft
I dont understand the benefit of an auction vs a buy it now. If you have an item that people want, someone will buy it. Why risk auctioning it and getting less than what it would be worth?
19-May-24 3:34am
#8 bonanza125
The games will sell at auction if you start the bidding low however most times then not stuff sells for less than what the market value is at auction. If you want to just get rid of stuff and have no issue accepting less then sure auction off. That will most likely be successful as far as sales depending on the item. However if you are expecting market value I would suggest doing the research on what items are selling for and what they sold for then just use fixed pricing buy it now with best offer. In some cases specific items may not be selling at all.
#8 bonanza125
The games will sell at auction if you start the bidding low however most times then not stuff sells for less than what the market value is at auction. If you want to just get rid of stuff and have no issue accepting less then sure auction off. That will most likely be successful as far as sales depending on the item. However if you are expecting market value I would suggest doing the research on what items are selling for and what they sold for then just use fixed pricing buy it now with best offer. In some cases specific items may not be selling at all.
19-May-24 7:07am
#9 Tony
I've had decent success with eBay auctions over the years. Selling on eBay is inconsistent. I've relisted items multiple times before they sell - sometimes for more than they could have been purchased for the previous week. I realize many Sellers will say some of my decisions cost me sales, but I'm OK with my choices.
My process is:
Look at what identical items have sold for and price my item at or just below the highest sold price. I do not set a Buy-it-Now in the first week.
I schedule my auctions to end at 7 PM Pacific time (10 PM EST) so that all time zones can see it in the evening it ends.
I list everything on the same day with the same end time, but I vary the day my auctions end. This makes if very easy to do a Bulk Relist.
If I have similar items that might be purchase by the same Buyer, I include a statement in my ads: "Please see my other auctions. I will combine and discount S&H if you win more than one."
I set a separate price for S&H and accept Refunds of the selling price only with the Buyer responsible for return postage. eBay charges their 15% fee on postage, so if postage on an item is $4.13, I set Buyer pays postage of $4.75.
If the item has not sold in the first week, relist it at the same starting price with a Buy-it-Now.
If it doesn't sell again, I lower both the starting bid and BIN.
Repeat until it sells and/or stop lowering the opening bid at the lowest price I'm willing to sell it at. If the prices drop below what I am willing to accept, I combine items and relist them as a "lot".
#9 Tony
I've had decent success with eBay auctions over the years. Selling on eBay is inconsistent. I've relisted items multiple times before they sell - sometimes for more than they could have been purchased for the previous week. I realize many Sellers will say some of my decisions cost me sales, but I'm OK with my choices.
My process is:
Look at what identical items have sold for and price my item at or just below the highest sold price. I do not set a Buy-it-Now in the first week.
I schedule my auctions to end at 7 PM Pacific time (10 PM EST) so that all time zones can see it in the evening it ends.
I list everything on the same day with the same end time, but I vary the day my auctions end. This makes if very easy to do a Bulk Relist.
If I have similar items that might be purchase by the same Buyer, I include a statement in my ads: "Please see my other auctions. I will combine and discount S&H if you win more than one."
I set a separate price for S&H and accept Refunds of the selling price only with the Buyer responsible for return postage. eBay charges their 15% fee on postage, so if postage on an item is $4.13, I set Buyer pays postage of $4.75.
If the item has not sold in the first week, relist it at the same starting price with a Buy-it-Now.
If it doesn't sell again, I lower both the starting bid and BIN.
Repeat until it sells and/or stop lowering the opening bid at the lowest price I'm willing to sell it at. If the prices drop below what I am willing to accept, I combine items and relist them as a "lot".
19-May-24 7:49am
#10 benstylus
Buyers are more impatient now so most sellers have switched almost exclusively to buy it now listings.
People want to buy something right away, not wait 5 days and hope they actually win the privilege of buying it.
Unless you have something that is (a) in demand and (b) doesn't have a bunch of other listings from other sellers as competition, you're probably better off just doing buy it now listings.
#10 benstylus
Buyers are more impatient now so most sellers have switched almost exclusively to buy it now listings.
People want to buy something right away, not wait 5 days and hope they actually win the privilege of buying it.
Unless you have something that is (a) in demand and (b) doesn't have a bunch of other listings from other sellers as competition, you're probably better off just doing buy it now listings.
19-May-24 9:26am
#11 Feeb
If I know I have something that lots of people want, but aren’t biting- sometimes an auction gives a little added pressure- and it exceeds my BIN ideal. If I have a pretty high dollar item I put it up with a “dream” BIN to get exposure. Then when it has enough watchers- set it loose.
That FOMO psychology works pretty often.
#11 Feeb
If I know I have something that lots of people want, but aren’t biting- sometimes an auction gives a little added pressure- and it exceeds my BIN ideal. If I have a pretty high dollar item I put it up with a “dream” BIN to get exposure. Then when it has enough watchers- set it loose.
That FOMO psychology works pretty often.
19-May-24 1:54pm
#12 DrizzDrizzDrizz
nonamesleft wrote:
I dont understand the benefit of an auction vs a buy it now. If you have an item that people want, someone will buy it. Why risk auctioning it and getting less than what it would be worth?
Not sure this ever happens anymore but i assume the benefit is that an auction can potentially get you a higher price, if there’s a bidding war
Buy it now as the safe option, auction as the riskier but higher upside option
I wouldn’t expect this to work that well nowadays though. Haven’t bid on an ebay auction in like 20 years
#12 DrizzDrizzDrizz
nonamesleft wrote:
I dont understand the benefit of an auction vs a buy it now. If you have an item that people want, someone will buy it. Why risk auctioning it and getting less than what it would be worth?
Not sure this ever happens anymore but i assume the benefit is that an auction can potentially get you a higher price, if there’s a bidding war
Buy it now as the safe option, auction as the riskier but higher upside option
I wouldn’t expect this to work that well nowadays though. Haven’t bid on an ebay auction in like 20 years
19-May-24 6:54pm
#13 nonamesleft
Feeb wrote:
If I know I have something that lots of people want, but aren’t biting- sometimes an auction gives a little added pressure- and it exceeds my BIN ideal. If I have a pretty high dollar item I put it up with a “dream” BIN to get exposure. Then when it has enough watchers- set it loose. That FOMO psychology works pretty often. Hmmm. Interesting twist there. Smart.
#13 nonamesleft
Feeb wrote:
If I know I have something that lots of people want, but aren’t biting- sometimes an auction gives a little added pressure- and it exceeds my BIN ideal. If I have a pretty high dollar item I put it up with a “dream” BIN to get exposure. Then when it has enough watchers- set it loose. That FOMO psychology works pretty often. Hmmm. Interesting twist there. Smart.
19-May-24 6:58pm
#14 nonamesleft
DrizzDrizzDrizz wrote:
nonamesleft wrote:> I dont understand the benefit of an auction vs a buy it now. If you have an item> that people want, someone will buy it. Why risk auctioning it and getting less than> what it would be worth? Not sure this ever happens anymore but i assume the benefit is that an auction can potentially get you a higher price, if there’s a bidding war Buy it now as the safe option, auction as the riskier but higher upside option I wouldn’t expect this to work that well nowadays though. Haven’t bid on an ebay auction in like 20 yearsBut would the bids exceed the buy it now by so much that it would be worth risking an auction? I understand what you're saying. To me it just doesn't seem worth it though.
I remember the days when I was bidding pretty often on stuff. Now, not so much. I guess it was a phase.
#14 nonamesleft
DrizzDrizzDrizz wrote:
nonamesleft wrote:> I dont understand the benefit of an auction vs a buy it now. If you have an item> that people want, someone will buy it. Why risk auctioning it and getting less than> what it would be worth? Not sure this ever happens anymore but i assume the benefit is that an auction can potentially get you a higher price, if there’s a bidding war Buy it now as the safe option, auction as the riskier but higher upside option I wouldn’t expect this to work that well nowadays though. Haven’t bid on an ebay auction in like 20 yearsBut would the bids exceed the buy it now by so much that it would be worth risking an auction? I understand what you're saying. To me it just doesn't seem worth it though.
I remember the days when I was bidding pretty often on stuff. Now, not so much. I guess it was a phase.
19-May-24 7:08pm
#15 benstylus
nonamesleft wrote:
I remember the days when I was bidding pretty often on stuff. Now, not so much. I guess it was a phase.
Ebay used to charge insertion fees for every item based on starting value, and it was extra for a buy it now price to be added. So there was incentive to list low and let bidders drive up the price, rather than list for what you want to get, risk not selling and being out the insertion fees.
Once they went to free listing fees (unless you have hundreds of items to sell) for auctions and buy it now, people can just list it and sit on it at whatever price they want until it sells.
#15 benstylus
nonamesleft wrote:
I remember the days when I was bidding pretty often on stuff. Now, not so much. I guess it was a phase.
Ebay used to charge insertion fees for every item based on starting value, and it was extra for a buy it now price to be added. So there was incentive to list low and let bidders drive up the price, rather than list for what you want to get, risk not selling and being out the insertion fees.
Once they went to free listing fees (unless you have hundreds of items to sell) for auctions and buy it now, people can just list it and sit on it at whatever price they want until it sells.
19-May-24 8:16pm
#16 Foxhack
The thing is, I've tried listing some of these items with competitive buy it nows with best offers, and crickets. No offers, no hits, nothing. I try sending offers to people and they don't even bother sending a counteroffer. It's like no one is really interested in buying stuff, almost as if accounts are keeping an eye out to see how much the item sells for so they can list it at the same price...
Maybe the tin foil sombrero is a bit tight, but it's really awful for me. :\
I pulled some items from BINs and will relist as auction at lower prices and pray someone actually buys these things. I'm not listing the games I had hoped to list because this thread made me uneasy about it...
#16 Foxhack
The thing is, I've tried listing some of these items with competitive buy it nows with best offers, and crickets. No offers, no hits, nothing. I try sending offers to people and they don't even bother sending a counteroffer. It's like no one is really interested in buying stuff, almost as if accounts are keeping an eye out to see how much the item sells for so they can list it at the same price...
Maybe the tin foil sombrero is a bit tight, but it's really awful for me. :\
I pulled some items from BINs and will relist as auction at lower prices and pray someone actually buys these things. I'm not listing the games I had hoped to list because this thread made me uneasy about it...
19-May-24 8:30pm
#17 Tony
As I said, eBay selling prices can vary greatly from week to week depending on who is looking for the item that week.
I leave the first week of a listing without a BIN in case I've misread the market. When I have put BIN pricing on items, I've had times when someone placed the minimum bid and it started a bidding war. The item ended up selling for more than the BIN.
Several years ago my wife listed a book by Matthew Reilly and believed people would only buy it with a BIN. It sold with the first two hours of being listed to someone who was willing to pay the postage to get it sent to Australia. My wife had looked at the completed sales for the title before setting the price, but didn't realize collectors paid much more for First Editions. First Editions were selling for over $100.
Several years ago I was selling AOL CDs on eBay. Yes, some people collect them. One week I had a CD sell for $16. A few days later I found another of the exact same CD. Even though there were two bidders who ran the selling price up to $16 the week before, this one only sold for $8 - to the same Purchaser as the previous CD.
Several years ago I listed a rare Christmas CD by Evie. Most of the finished auctions I looked at showed it selling for about $65. I think I started the auction at $60, but for some reason it finally sold for about $85. If I had put a BIN on it at the start, I would have lost a significant amount of money.
#17 Tony
As I said, eBay selling prices can vary greatly from week to week depending on who is looking for the item that week.
I leave the first week of a listing without a BIN in case I've misread the market. When I have put BIN pricing on items, I've had times when someone placed the minimum bid and it started a bidding war. The item ended up selling for more than the BIN.
Several years ago my wife listed a book by Matthew Reilly and believed people would only buy it with a BIN. It sold with the first two hours of being listed to someone who was willing to pay the postage to get it sent to Australia. My wife had looked at the completed sales for the title before setting the price, but didn't realize collectors paid much more for First Editions. First Editions were selling for over $100.
Several years ago I was selling AOL CDs on eBay. Yes, some people collect them. One week I had a CD sell for $16. A few days later I found another of the exact same CD. Even though there were two bidders who ran the selling price up to $16 the week before, this one only sold for $8 - to the same Purchaser as the previous CD.
Several years ago I listed a rare Christmas CD by Evie. Most of the finished auctions I looked at showed it selling for about $65. I think I started the auction at $60, but for some reason it finally sold for about $85. If I had put a BIN on it at the start, I would have lost a significant amount of money.
21-May-24 3:16pm
#18 bonanza125
Foxhack wrote:
The thing is, I've tried listing some of these items with competitive buy it nows with best offers, and crickets. No offers, no hits, nothing. I try sending offers to people and they don't even bother sending a counteroffer. It's like no one is really interested in buying stuff, almost as if accounts are keeping an eye out to see how much the item sells for so they can list it at the same price...
Throughout the years sales and interest has actually declined. More individuals and businesses are now looking to buy stuff for cheap and resell items on Ebay so you will see more stuff available. Some platforms the demand is extremely low if no interest at all. Unless you are giving the stuff away for a bargain price you will more than likely have a long wait on your hands. Example I have Star Wars action figures which are sealed. Very nice collection of stuff. Sold 10 items of 60 in 7 months. Back 5 to 10 years ago I would sell NES Nintendo consoles quickly as in 1 to 2 days. Now it literally takes months to get a decent price.
#18 bonanza125
Foxhack wrote:
The thing is, I've tried listing some of these items with competitive buy it nows with best offers, and crickets. No offers, no hits, nothing. I try sending offers to people and they don't even bother sending a counteroffer. It's like no one is really interested in buying stuff, almost as if accounts are keeping an eye out to see how much the item sells for so they can list it at the same price...
Throughout the years sales and interest has actually declined. More individuals and businesses are now looking to buy stuff for cheap and resell items on Ebay so you will see more stuff available. Some platforms the demand is extremely low if no interest at all. Unless you are giving the stuff away for a bargain price you will more than likely have a long wait on your hands. Example I have Star Wars action figures which are sealed. Very nice collection of stuff. Sold 10 items of 60 in 7 months. Back 5 to 10 years ago I would sell NES Nintendo consoles quickly as in 1 to 2 days. Now it literally takes months to get a decent price.
21-May-24 8:40pm
#19 Tony
Markets are constantly changing. 15 years ago I could get $15 to $20 for a used DVD of any the original Star Wars Trilogy in the first week on eBay. Today, they aren't worth listing because they have been rereleased in other formats and package deals.
My daughter and her fiance have been together for 6 years. She grew up wanting to complete collections of books, movies, and some toys. He is of the growing group that believes you shouldn't own physical copies of anything that can be had through streaming. She's kept a lot of her books and physical copies of her favorite movies, but doesn't even own a CD player.
When my mom died about 15 years ago, she left behind her collection of depression glass, Hummel Figurines, and a few other odds and ends. An auctioneer looked at her beloved items and basically said they were worthless. They had high value to her generation, but her generation was dying off and so many of those items were now available to the diminishing number of collectors that you could barely give them away.
You can hold on to collectibles too long.
#19 Tony
Markets are constantly changing. 15 years ago I could get $15 to $20 for a used DVD of any the original Star Wars Trilogy in the first week on eBay. Today, they aren't worth listing because they have been rereleased in other formats and package deals.
My daughter and her fiance have been together for 6 years. She grew up wanting to complete collections of books, movies, and some toys. He is of the growing group that believes you shouldn't own physical copies of anything that can be had through streaming. She's kept a lot of her books and physical copies of her favorite movies, but doesn't even own a CD player.
When my mom died about 15 years ago, she left behind her collection of depression glass, Hummel Figurines, and a few other odds and ends. An auctioneer looked at her beloved items and basically said they were worthless. They had high value to her generation, but her generation was dying off and so many of those items were now available to the diminishing number of collectors that you could barely give them away.
You can hold on to collectibles too long.
21-May-24 9:30pm
#20 KCPenguins
Tony wrote:
When my mom died about 15 years ago, she left behind her collection of depression glass, Hummel Figurines, and a few other odds and ends. An auctioneer looked at her beloved items and basically said they were worthless. They had high value to her generation.... You can hold on to collectibles too long.
This. Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay. You need to maximize the two if you're looking for profit. You can sell rare items for profit if you have the buyers willing to pay premiums for said items in the condition they are looking for. I valued playing games more than buying complete immaculate condition. I lost out on a ton of potential profit buying functional games with condition or completeness issues. I found this out when my copy of fire emblem (gcn) game and case was worth less than the manual (alone) on ebay some years ago.
#20 KCPenguins
Tony wrote:
When my mom died about 15 years ago, she left behind her collection of depression glass, Hummel Figurines, and a few other odds and ends. An auctioneer looked at her beloved items and basically said they were worthless. They had high value to her generation.... You can hold on to collectibles too long.
This. Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay. You need to maximize the two if you're looking for profit. You can sell rare items for profit if you have the buyers willing to pay premiums for said items in the condition they are looking for. I valued playing games more than buying complete immaculate condition. I lost out on a ton of potential profit buying functional games with condition or completeness issues. I found this out when my copy of fire emblem (gcn) game and case was worth less than the manual (alone) on ebay some years ago.
21-May-24 9:42pm
#21 bumsplikity
You also just have to be patient. Gaming the ebay alogrithm is so Important when trying to make sales. Ebay controls which listings it shows potential buyers, so you need to consistently list items regularly or your stuff will just sit without views for days.
Also, as others have mentioned, the only thing that matters is the market now. Tastes change constantly, stuff that was popular years ago falls out of favor. If you aren't on top of current trends and only use the platform sporadically you can get left behind. Bread and butter items from a few years ago are basically unsellable now in some circumstances.
#21 bumsplikity
You also just have to be patient. Gaming the ebay alogrithm is so Important when trying to make sales. Ebay controls which listings it shows potential buyers, so you need to consistently list items regularly or your stuff will just sit without views for days.
Also, as others have mentioned, the only thing that matters is the market now. Tastes change constantly, stuff that was popular years ago falls out of favor. If you aren't on top of current trends and only use the platform sporadically you can get left behind. Bread and butter items from a few years ago are basically unsellable now in some circumstances.
Is eBay any good for auctions anymore?