Ebay Strategies

[palidin20603]

I keep thinking that Ebay functions on normal fear and greed like the real world, but I am thinking it operates a little different because of so many resellers. I am going to try and "collar" my sales by starting my auction at the low end of what I want but have a BIN at the high end but close enough to the start price that someone may BIN to get it before the auction expires. For example I am going to start an auction at $150 then have a BIN at $195. I am happy at $150, but would love to make more. Does this make sense as a startegy?

 

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[Iron Patch]

Yes, makes perfect sense, and I do it all the time, but I guarantee ebay functions the same way as the real world... because it is the real world.

I hate that ebay makes you put the BIN about 30% higher, or whatever it is. A few weeks ago I was listing somethig and started it at a price that I thought someone could realisticly go for. But I also wanted to add the BIN, but it was so crazy high there wasn't even a point to doing it. Part of what makes the BIN effective is it puts pressure on people to make that first bid, but if the buy it now price is so high they'll know they're pretty safe waiting because it's not likely anyone will click it.

 

[diggummup]

I hate that ebay makes you put the BIN about 30% higher, or whatever it is.

Yeah, 30% is a little ridiculous. They could have compromised and made it 20% if they wanted to change it from the original 10% that it was forever. I'm telling you they have teams of idiots that sit around thinking of what they can do next to "improve" the site. Well here's an idea... if it ain't broke don't fix it. Instead they are constantly tweaking things. I've noticed this has been happening a whole lot more in this past year than the 10 previous years before that, or so it seems. Or maybe i'm just imagining it, but I don't think so.

 

[palidin20603]

wait, you are required to do 30% or higher?

 

[Iron Patch]

Yeah, 30% is a little ridiculous. They could have compromised and made it 20% if they wanted to change it from the original 10% that it was forever. I'm telling you they have teams of idiots that sit around thinking of what they can do next to "improve" the site. Well here's an idea... if it ain't broke don't fix it. Instead they are constantly tweaking things. I've noticed this has been happening a whole lot more in this past year than the 10 previous years before that, or so it seems. Or maybe i'm just imagining it, but I don't think so.

I've yet to come up with the idea of how that's better for them. I think the best idea I feel I had that if the BIN is higher it makes the initial starting price more attractive. That's of course a decent strategy for some items, so what I'm thinking is Ebay thinks most sellers are too stupid to figure that out so they'll do it for them.... but for some stuff it simply just doesn't work. If I list a coin for $400 and that is what I consider a good price for me, ain't no way anyone is going $520. $450 makes a lot more sense but you can't do it. So to have a BIN anywhere in the reasonable range it would mean I have to drop my starting price, and obviously I am not doing that because if I put it $30 lower, it will likely sell with one bid for $30 lower. Just doesn't make sense.

 

[Iron Patch]

wait, you are required to do 30% or higher?

Yep!

 

[jerseyben]

That 30% thing really ticked me off when I realized that it had been implemented.

I just listed a few things this afternoon and I noticed there is an automated process for listing stuff now.

So much for process improvement. I tried to follow their "automated process" and I ended up making mistakes on 2 of my listings. Yet I had absolutely no problem using the templates I had been using for years on the old listing process. Yikes...

 

[clovis97]

Your right, J-Ben.

We've had a few times that ebay's new process literally defaulted to free shipping, and numerous times, the listing changed to an auction instead of a BIN.

It is also creating a buying problem too. So many sellers are using the ebay shipping estimate, even though the tool that I am buying will easily go in a flat rate envelope. All the newbie sellers are using the auto-fill stating $12 to $15, when it will ship for $5 in the real world.