eBay and Why ‘Auction’ is often better than ‘Shop’ or ‘Buy It Now’ formats
Published November 17th, 2006
Why ‘Auction’ is often better than ‘Shop’ or ‘Buy It Now’ formats
* Auction is the best way possible to ‘price’ an item whose value is uncertain or for which guidelines are not available elsewhere. A good example is autographed items and signed letters from famous people no longer living. By their very nature many such items will have already been snapped up by collectors and the chance of new ones coming onto the market is far less than for similar items appearing from living celebrities!
* Auction is a great way to test demand for a product so you won’t overstock on what later proves of no interest on eBay. Furthermore, early successful testing means you can buy in bulk and avoid running out of hot sellers. BUT: Be warned, just because a product is in fast demand today, doesn’t mean it will sell well next month, or even next week. Other factors can reduce demand, such as changing consumer patterns, copycatting by rival suppliers, or the item may be a fad destined for limited shelf life. The moral is: don’t ever buy more than you can realistically expect to sell!
* Auction is also a good way to test the optimum price for your product which, once ascertained, can be applied to BUY IT NOW and SHOP items.Avril Harper is a UK based writer and eBay PowerSeller. For more articles about selling on eBay visit www.publishingcircles.com
Related Articles
* Auction is the best way possible to ‘price’ an item whose value is uncertain or for which guidelines are not available elsewhere. A good example is autographed items and signed letters from famous people no longer living. By their very nature many such items will have already been snapped up by collectors and the chance of new ones coming onto the market is far less than for similar items appearing from living celebrities!
* Auction is a great way to test demand for a product so you won’t overstock on what later proves of no interest on eBay. Furthermore, early successful testing means you can buy in bulk and avoid running out of hot sellers. BUT: Be warned, just because a product is in fast demand today, doesn’t mean it will sell well next month, or even next week. Other factors can reduce demand, such as changing consumer patterns, copycatting by rival suppliers, or the item may be a fad destined for limited shelf life. The moral is: don’t ever buy more than you can realistically expect to sell!
* Auction is also a good way to test the optimum price for your product which, once ascertained, can be applied to BUY IT NOW and SHOP items.Avril Harper is a UK based writer and eBay PowerSeller. For more articles about selling on eBay visit www.publishingcircles.com
