Auction and Buy Now?

[phdeed.6azjyh]

we have some top-notch cut-crystal glasses we have put up for Auction (with a reserve price) and have added a Buy Now option...does this make sense?

[john1297576]

"OR List an item on Buy it Now and maybe add the best offer option on the listing."

In my opinion there is an even better option which costs nothing unless sold.

You use Auction with a start price that you would be happy to sell at but have best offer.

With a BIN and best offer No one will offer more han the BIN price, but with an auction, started at a price you are happy to sell for, a serious buyer can offer any price they wish and I would say that over 50% of the offers I get are OVER the start price.

It gives the buyer a chance to get the item earlier than waiting until the end. In effect it gives you all the benefits of a BIN but the chance of getting a better price. You can set Best Offer to automatically reject offers below any figure you chose, so you don't have to bother declining silly offers.

[captain*obvious]

Reserve prices are often considered money wasted as you pay the fee regardless of whether the item sells.

It's better to start the auction at the minimum amount you want to receive for your item with a buy it now price that you'd consider good enough to be willing to sell early for.

As soon as someone bids the buy it now option vanishes - except in this case. Your use of a reserve means the buy it now option will remain in place until a bidder's maximum meets the reserve price.

There's no point removing the reserve price now if you've already added it and the listing has been submitted.

[1956glyn]

Whoops apologies i didnt know that 😞

As soon as someone bids the buy it now option vanishes - except in this case. Your use of a reserve means the buy it now option will remain in place until a bidder's maximum meets the reserve price.

[rusticrye]

Not to me, because:

1. The BIN option disappears the second someone places a bid. But you still have to pay for it. And most buyers won't BIN when they have the chance of getting the item cheaper by placing a bid.

2. Reserves are expensive, and you pay for them whether the items sell or not.

So best to start your auctions at the minimum price you're happy to accept. But the choice is yours, of course.

Also, be aware that collection items should only be paid for in cash or by bank transfer, once the buyer has fully examined the item and is happy with it.  PayPal is unsafe for sellers of collection items, but you can't remove that option from your listings, unfortunately, so buyers will use it. You will have no Proof of Posting receipt, obviously, and that is the ONLY thing PayPal or any payment processor will accept from you to contest an Unauthorised Account Use claim. You would lose your money, the item, and be charged a hefty admin fee into the bargain. That, along with the fact that refunding a PayPal payment to prevent the possibility of this happening is no longer viable (PayPal no longer refund any part of ther payment processing fee) makes Ebay problematic for collection items. So I would advise you to list collection items on Gumtree, Ebay's sister site, in future. You'll have total control over how you're paid, plus you can leave the ad running till someone has actually turned up, paid, and taken the item away.

@phdeed.6azjyh 

[m25jet]

Personally I can't see the sense in adding a Buy It Now option to an auction.  If you do that all you're doing is handing eBay more money in fees, as you get charged for using the Buy It Now option regardless of whether somebody makes use of it or not.  As has already been said, the Buy It Now option will vanish from the listing completely as soon as somebody places a bid, with the exception of listings where a reserve has been placed, but even then placing a reserve on a listing is a waste of time as well for the very same reason - ie:  it just means that you're handing eBay more money in fees.  Either list your items as Auction listings and start them off at a price that would ensure that you got the minimum amount that you wanted for the item after eBay and PayPal have taken their cut of the selling price if you only got one bid, or alternatively if you decide to list the items via Buy It Now listings then set the Buy It Now price up in the same way that I just described with regards to Auction listings.  If you do that then whatever option you go for, you should still be able to get the minimum amount that you want for the item without having to pay eBay more money in fees than you need to.

[1956glyn]

Hi

It makes sense if you want to pay Ebay a small fortune in unnecessary fees 😞

Go to help and contact at the top of the page and search Ebay fees for  sellers and have a good read

If you start a listing on auction format and add a buy it now......as soon as someone bids at the lower price then the BIN option will disappear and is no longer an option and the listing will then run to the end.       Thats a waste of 50p in my opinion.   This is classed as a listing upgrade and costs 50p. 

So far as reserves are concerned these can be expensive.   Again using a reserve is classed as a listing upgrade .  Ebay charge you 4% in fees on the reserve price set.   This is payable even if the reserve is not met and the item goes unsold. 

What i do is.....

Either list an item on auction format and start the listing off at the lowest price you will be happy to sell it for...just in case you only get one bid

OR    List an item on Buy it Now and maybe add the best offer option on the listing.

It is really easy to rack up Ebay fees so you must be very careful not to use expensive upgrades if you can avoid them.