AW Daily - Tips & Tactics - Before the Auction: Timing Your Auctions

Home > Tips & Tactics > Tip

Page 1 , 2

Before the Auction: Timing Your Auctions

Like most old sayings, the adage that timing is everything is indeed true. As an online auction seller, timing your auctions is crucial--it can literally make or break a sale. But what's the best day of the week to list or end an auction? How long should an auction run? And what about the best time of day to end it? These are the types of questions you'll be thinking about more often, as you become a more experienced and more ambitious seller. Read on for information on how to better time your auctions.

Auction Length
Before listing, you'll need to calculate which day you want your auction to end (this in turn will dictate your auction's beginning day). Auction sites typically offer several choices for auction length; most range from three to ten days. Remember: If an auction is too long, it might get lost in the shuffle, whereas if it's too short (three or five days, for example), it might not generate any steam and disappear too quickly.

In general, it's best to let auctions run for at least a week. Granted, this can be a long wait for sellers who want to close a deal; however, by having an auction encompass a full seven days you'll potentially reach people who browse the Internet and auction sites only on certain days of the week. More importantly, the listing will run during a weekend, when Internet traffic is generally higher. Running a short auction that doesn't encompass a weekend can hurt your chances of finding bidders. Some sellers prefer the ten-day option; that way, if they list on a Thursday evening, their auction will be listed during two weekends.

Eight Days a Week
Although opinions vary, Sunday is generally considered to be the best day to end an auction. If you start and end an auction on a Sunday, you'll get a full week and a full weekend's worth of exposure. Again, Saturdays and Sundays tend to bring out more users (not everyone has the luxury of surfing the Web while at work during the week).

What's the worst day to end an auction? Fridays can be particularly bad because you don't get that weekend surge. Also, people who take three-day weekends are away from their computers on Fridays and Saturdays. By ending an auction on a Sunday, though, you can still appeal to folks who have been away for most of the weekend but go online when they get home on Sunday afternoon or evening. Ending auctions on a holiday weekend can be a different story; some sellers avoid closing on holiday weekends because people are out of town en masse for longer periods of time.

Keep in mind, though, that the best day might depend on the kind of client base you're targeting. For example, an AW member who sells software (primarily to college students) found that ending auctions on Thursday evenings worked best for him. Why? Perhaps it's because college students are online more often during the week than the weekend.

Next Page | What's the best time of day?