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

Home > Tips & Tactics > Tip	Page 1 , 2

Before the Auction: Timing Your Auctions continued ...

Morning, Noon, or Night?
Some sellers will tell you that launching and ending an auction in the morning is preferable because people can see it when they arrive at work (also, the listing process might go more quickly because site traffic will be lower and servers less taxed). However, evenings, or prime time, typically work best. Buyers might secretly check out auction sites at work, but they're more likely to browse seriously and place bids while at home during the evening or on the weekends.

By ending an auction in the evening, you have the whole day to build up interest. Be sure to consider time zone differences as well. Try to close your auction at a time when people on the East Coast are still up and West Coast folks are just getting home from work (6 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT). It's important to have your auctions appear as new or closing--the times when auctions are most visible--during peak traffic periods.

Research
Remember, the preceding tips are just general guidelines. The best way to find out how to time your auctions is to do a little research. By using counters (available right here at Vendio), you can track when your auctions receive the most hits. Our counter service also provides you with a daily breakdown of page views--invaluable information for sellers trying to determine which selling strategies are the most effective. Furthermore, consider experimenting: list items on different days and times, as well as run auctions for varying durations. Compare your success-failure ratio and see which times and days work best.

Monitoring Auctions
Starting an Auction Business