Too soon to start Ebay auctions?

[fishsandwich]

I have a pile of stuff to sell but I haven't sold anyting in a while.

Is it too early to list?

What's the best time frame for an auction? 3 days? 5? 7?

What's the best time for it to end?

Many, many thanks!

[jb143]

I always used to have my auctions end saturday or sunday late afternoon or early evining but now I'm starting to think that it doesn't really matter. 7 days is usually good and I have only done 3 days on a few items. Most items if I though a 3 day auction was ok I'd just set a BIN instead. Typicaly mid to late january is when ebay sellers start back up so depending on what you have now would be as good a time as any. That way your items won't get lost in the crowd.

If you havn't sold in a while or aren't too experienced I'd also suggest starting slow. Listing a ton of stuff at a time can get overwelming when it's time to ship, send invoices, send reminders, and keep everything straight.

[Cornelius]

Is it too early to list?
Can't say I really know. I'm going to hold off a while longer, but I go in phases anyway and now is sort of a down time anyway.

What's the best time frame for an auction? 3 days? 5? 7?
I'd say 7. The times I've done shorter ones they've come up short of where I'd have expected. Could just be chance, but I only do 7day now.

What's the best time for it to end?
I always end Sunday evenings. That's the conventional wisdom from what I gather, and in my case that is just often a convenient time for me to list so I don't have to pay for a start time. I'm not convinced it matters, though. Especially for video games since often times gamers keep odd hours. All speculation on my part, though.

I'd also add... don't underestimate the chunk eBay and PayPal take out of your sales. You can often do as well here on DP or better on Craigslist.