Best time to end ebay auctions?

[MetMan]

I was wondering what your opinions are as to the best time to end ebay auctions (for rockets, of course) as a seller. Also, what's the best time to score bargains?

I've found that for selling there are a lot of auctions that end Sunday evenings. Monday evenings are another prime time. During winter, Sunday afternoons seem to feature a lot of bidding wars.

For bargains, I think holiday weekends during the summer are a great time to catch people napping, or at picnics, the beach, vacation, etc. Also, Christmas and Thanksgiving seem to be a great time to catch folks stuck at the in-laws.

MetMan

 

[sandman]

My vote, Sunday night at about 8:00 or 9:00 P.M.

 

[powderburner]

Originally posted by sandman
My vote, Sunday night at about 8:00 or 9:00 P.M.

I would suggest that if you are selling, and want maximum exposure to possible bidders, that you aim for Saturday. If you end on Sunday, lots of people are in church that day and will not bid.

Auctions that end during business hours will catch many people at work where they cannot track or bid. Auctions that end in the early or middle evenings may cause some bidders to drop out if they have regularly scheduled activities on that particular weeknight.

I like the auctions that end at-or-around midnight. That way, if an auction is important to just about anyone, they can usually manage to be on-line at that time no matter what time zone they are in (at least, here in the U.S.). Kind of levels the playing field?

 

[AlexM]

I say 10:00 Saturday night. Or Sunday if it is rainy, but you cant really predict that.

 

[Fore Check]

Interesting topic - I was thinking about this myself.

As you accurately note, there are a lot of auctions that end Sunday evening.

I've noticed that the auctions for the rare rockets with the highest value seem to end at midnight or even in the middle of the night (like 2 am sometimes.) For someone like myself, this works two ways. I either don't bother because I won't be awake at that time to bid, or I bid quite high to give myself a chance to win without being there to "snipe" or protect myself from being sniped.

I got my best bargain on an auction that ended at about 10:00 am on a Thursday.

Here's what I mean. About 2 1/2 months ago, Great Lakes Hobbies auctioned off a batch of great kits, including an Attack Craft Orion, Skybolt, Mars Lander, and Estes Nomad. I *really* wanted the Orion and the Nomad. All of the GLH auctions (there were a number of them) ended at like 2 am local time. So, I put in what I thought was a high bid for the two rockets and confidently went to bed. When I woke up, much to my suprise and disappointment, I had lost both auctions (the Nomad went for like $110!!)

Then, a few weeks ago, some other guy put up an auction that included a Nomad, a Space Station Aquarius, and a Cougar. That auction ended mid morning during the work week, and I won all three for $62. Glad I didn't win the GLH Nomad (which is what I ultimately wanted anyway...)

I'll be interested to hear what others have to say. I have a couple of kits I want to auction off so I can by a bunch of parts and stuff, and I too would like to strategize for maximum value.

 

[BlueNinja]

Speaking of ebay, there is a loc 5.5" V2 (assembled) running for $21, 38mm mount. I don't know if that is stock.

 

[rocketsonly]

Originally posted by MetMan
I was wondering what your opinions are as to the best time to end ebay auctions (for rockets, of course) as a seller. Also, what's the best time to score bargains?

I've found that for selling there are a lot of auctions that end Sunday evenings. Monday evenings are another prime time. During winter, Sunday afternoons seem to feature a lot of bidding wars.

For bargains, I think holiday weekends during the summer are a great time to catch people napping, or at picnics, the beach, vacation, etc. Also, Christmas and Thanksgiving seem to be a great time to catch folks stuck at the in-laws.

MetMan

I used to run my own eBay store (lego_heaven_store) during the summer. I read somewhere the best time was Saturday morning, around 10ish.

 

[vjp]

Best time to end an auction is payday, 20 minutes after the bars close.

"I bid HOW MUCH for the complete 'Mama's Family' anthology on VHS!?"

 

[rocketsonly]

Originally posted by vjp
Best time to end an auction is payday, 20 minutes after the bars close.

"I bid HOW MUCH for the complete 'Mama's Family' anthology on VHS!?"

Oh wow! That's actually a very good idea!

 

[Juaru]

As an Ebay power seller, I have found through trial and error, that for most items Friday nights (late) and Holidays are good times for the items that I sell.

Also, you have to remember that when it's 10:00 where you are, it's 6:00 somewhere else. (or vice-versa)

I do occasionally list rockets, and I would have to agree that Sunday evenings seem to be really good for them.

John (not Jon) Arthur

www.JonRocket.com

 

[flying_silverad]

Boy, if I had a nickel every time I thought about this, I'd be a rich man. I think ending sunday evening works best for me but I'll let you in on a little secret...it's not just the END time that's important.