posted on November 16, 2000 10:15:51 PM new
Sorry for the questions but I'm trying to figure out the best way to get the buy it now into my auctions.
Are you guys going in and revising your existing auctions to include this feature? When starting a new auction are you going directly through ebay to list it or are you still going through AW to list then somehow adding it to your acution as with the revising method.
It is so much easier to go through AW than to start with ebay and add a link to my picture. I actually don't know if I remember how to do that.
Thanks in advance for the help. As usual I learn so much by just lurking around here at night.
posted on November 16, 2000 10:22:44 PM new
AW doesnt have that option of BUY IT NOW in their ebay pages, so I just went in thru ebay itself and revised from there. It was very easy to do.
posted on November 16, 2000 10:47:25 PM new
I'm not trying to detract from any of the elation you guys are feeling for having made your sales, but as a bidder and collector I have to say that I don't like the idea of Buy It Now.
I collect from several categories for very specific items, so I have about twenty or so bookmarked title/description searches that I check once or twice a day. What I like about the auction format is that it gives me the opportunity to compete for an item, whether I see the listing on the first, fourth or last day of the auction.
Buy It Now could well deprive me of having an opportunity to bid on an item I might want -- heck, it could well keep me from ever seeing items that I want if they sell within the first couple hours of being posted.
As a bidder, it turns me off that I could be excluded from the possibility of getting items simply because I can't check my bookmarks every hour, while in the meantime somebody else grabs the item off the shelf because they happened to see it before me.
As a seller, I'm concerned that Buy It Now will turn off bidders for the exact reasons I stated above.
eBay has always been an AUCTION. It's my opinion that it should remain an auction and operate AS an auction. These fixed price sales should be conducted elsewhere.
posted on November 16, 2000 11:33:40 PM new
Spazmodeus, you make a good point. I am only planning on using the "buy it now" feature on items that are not in the realm of highly collectible. I only intend to use it on the more common items. Good collectibles are really more interesting in the auction format as you never know how high something will go. I enjoy the thrill of seeing what will happen at the end. I imagine there are a lot of sellers who will use both formats.
posted on November 17, 2000 04:44:40 AM new
I think the Buy It Now feature will be great for stuff that has just been sitting around for awhile that you are trying to clear out and will be happy with the buy it now price you set.
Since I use an auction listing software that doesn't have this feature built-in yet, I have to go in a revise auctions if I want to use the feature so I don't plan on doing it in any major quantities but will give it a try on a couple items by revising and see what happens.
Also, here's a thought - how about that item that you listed for 7 or 10 days and it is coming down to the last couple days with no bids - go in and revise it, add a Buy It Now price and hopefully it will sell, thus turning an auction that would have ended with no bids into a sale. I think the Buy It Now feature will create some urgency in the buyers to grab the item when they can.
posted on November 17, 2000 05:04:40 AM new
I did a search on "first bid wins" thinking that would show me some auctions using the Buy It Now icon with a buy-price the same as the opening bid.
I found none with the BIN icon [I didn't look at everything]. I did find a lot of auctions with 1 bid. At least one of these bids was placed 2 days ago.
How are people managing those auctions? Do they just come along later and cancel them if they find they had their first bid? Do buyers know not to bother placing a second bid?
If a First Bid Wins auction has the BIN option, does it automatically close and disappear from the listings?
posted on November 17, 2000 05:26:10 AM new
hi loosecannon, like rawbunzel said, Buy It Now prices might be best for certain items and inappropriate for others. I won't be using it on a highly unusual item, an antique or very collectible item, but will use it on just about everything else. It's just an option.
i'm just upset they might start charging for it after Christmas, more fees for ebay.
posted on November 17, 2000 05:51:45 AM new
Well I am testing this approach, which I use exclusively on Yahoo.
In some of my eBay auctions I have the 1st BID WINS in the title and in some I don't but all are set with opening price and BUY NOW price the same - I chose some of our most popular items, so we will see how this works on eBay. I am using the same prices I standardly use on Yahoo.
I do think it may take a little while for the bidding public to catch on to this new "option." I know on Yahoo some still are shocked to find their opening bid bought the item, and Yahoo has had this option for a long time.
posted on November 17, 2000 05:58:26 AM new
Well as a seller, I like this approach, it KILLS AUCTION WATCH - in short time those wanting an item will learn, after they lose a few items they really wanted, that they will have to bid immediately if they want an item or it will be gone!
posted on November 17, 2000 06:40:49 AM new
Hi all. I had another sale overnight with buy it now, so now 3 out of the 6 I have listed have gone in less than 24 hours.
Yes, Buy it now auctions close as soon as a customer chooses the buy it now option.
if they choose to bid like a regular auction, then the buy it now text on the auction (small box next to the quantity) disappears, and the auction plays out exactly like a regular auction did.
I sell vintage and used stuff, no new stuff. I've been using Buy It Now on used books so far, as a tryout. None of them are out of print or antique books. All are books that are available new on Amazon currently. None of them are brand new. In the past two weeks, generally these books (from a large lot I purchased cheap) have been going for the first bid (3.00) or have sometimes gone up to 5.00 or 6.00 and very occasionally higher (but more often they go with the first bid of 3.00 if they do sell). So I have been putting a buy it now price of about 8.00 on these books, still with a starting bid of 3.00. And they are selling for 8.00. That is, in all likelihood, a higher price than I would have gotten for them without Buy It Now. I can live with the tiny bit of uncertainty over whether or two of them would have go higher and make me more money. Whether I use buy it now on other items will be decided on a case by case basis....some yes, some no.
Me, I like this format because I have experience as a flea market vendor and I am used to setting a definite price on things. In selling prices at the fleas, sometimes you go too low and that's the way it is....someone gets a deal, and you could have made more. but generally I've seen a range for most things I sell there, and here, and I'm putting my buy it now price at the high end of that range.
posted on November 17, 2000 07:24:23 AM new
I like the idea of BUY IT NOW, because maybe now I will get a better profit than I have been getting. I buy something for 5.00. I list it for 9.99, someone waits until the last minute and snipes it for 9.99. By the time the listing fees are taken out, and the FVF, I didnt make much profit. If I list it higher, like 12.00 begining bid, nobody bids. It has to be low enough for them to show interest. With BUY IT NOW, I can do the same thing as above, but if someone wants it and doesnt want to wait for sale to end, or knows its a bargain at the BUY IT NOW price, which I put as 15.00, THEN I made my profit and the buyer still got a bargain.
posted on November 17, 2000 07:56:32 AM new
Just sold my 3rd BIN overnight. And yes- it is removed from the active listings immediately- so folks won't see it. The idea, I think, is that potential bidders can't just look at the things that are closing today- they need to check on new listings as well, or they might miss a good deal on something they've been looking for.
Someone said:
"i'm just upset they might start charging for it after Christmas, more fees for ebay."
MIGHT? Ha! Is there any doubt?
Sellers continue to get nickled and dimed to death by auction sites and auction-related service providers, while profit margins become thinner and thinner.
posted on November 17, 2000 08:10:25 AM new
Congrats to those of you who have already picked up sales with the "Buy it Now" feature...I can't wait to try it!!!
Question: I realize that at some point (now, looks like after the holidays) eBay will be charging a fee for this option (no surprize)....BUT....Is there any effect on the original listing fees when using Buy it Now, in a case where the opening bid is in one LF range & the BIN is in another??
Example:
Listing item X....
Opening Bid (standard regular auction format) $9.99 (listing fee $.25)
BIN Price $15.00 (listing fee for this price would be $.50)
Which fee will eBay be charging seller, $.25 or $.50????
posted on November 17, 2000 08:13:10 AM new
The BIN price doesn't affect the listing fee, apparently. It does affect the FVF, as the final bid price becomes the BIN price.
So- you could list things at 9.99 for a 25 cent listing fee, with a $15 BIN price.
posted on November 17, 2000 08:20:12 AM new
Thanx, Mag_guy....I realize that the FVF would be charged according to the "Sell Price" (regardless of SAF {Standard Auction format} or BIN format...But the Listing Fee is real nice to know!
posted on November 17, 2000 08:23:34 AM new
yes, listing fee is based on the opening auction price not the BIN price. I saw an ebay employee verify this this morning in the Q and A board on eBay (i think---could have been the DNF board).
posted on November 17, 2000 08:34:47 AM new
This may be a stupid question - but should/does the BIN price include the cost of shipping or are the shipping costs added to the BIN price after close of auction?
noteye
A sad Texan once commented "I Wish it would rain, not so much for myself, I have seen rain before. But, for my 10 year old son."
posted on November 17, 2000 09:15:12 AM new
noteye: I don't believe Ebay has made any definite rule on that anywhere. I am not including the shipping in my Buy it Now price. In my humble opinion it's easier and more consistent for bidders to know they will always have to pay shipping and it's going to be extra no matter which way you purchase. I am going to begin, today, putting in a line in my terms of service on the listing page that says something about it, like "Buy it Now Price does not include shipping. Shipping cost will be $------- and will be added to all winning bids".
All of my buyers, so far, (three---not a large enough sample by any means, but it's something) have understood that shipping was extra without me telling them, because all three asked "I just won this, how much is shipping?"
One thing that IS going to be a problem though----is that one buyer told me he thought he already paid the buy it now price, minus shipping, through Billpoint. Probably because he had to enter a CC to bid. But I told him I don't accept Billpoint and I am not signed up, and that the verification thing is NOT an automatic charge--it's for ebay's verification or something. We are going to have to do some buyer education, but I think they will catch on quickly and it won't be a big problem in a few days. I already wrote an email to ebay (not that they will care) mentioning this.
posted on November 17, 2000 10:42:41 AM new
I'm trying it on two auctions. But, I don't have cheap prices on the BIN so they may not sell that way. One is for 175.00 the other for 30.00. We'll see.
posted on November 17, 2000 12:33:59 PM newMe, I like this format because I have experience as a flea market vendor and I am used to setting a definite price on things. In selling prices at the fleas, sometimes you go too low and that's the way it is....someone gets a deal, and you could have made more. but generally I've seen a range for most things I sell there, and here, and I'm putting my buy it now price at the high end of that range.
With all due respect, brighid, eBay is NOT a flea market, it's an auction house. Personally I don't want to see it become a flea market, or be infected with a flea market flavor. I think it would do a disservice to all of us who believe in online auctions.
BTW, magazineguy, I'm a little surprised and disappointed to see you of all people advocating the Buy It Now feature, particularly given your association with the Online AUCTION Users Association. The operative word being AUCTION.
posted on November 17, 2000 01:00:39 PM new
spazmodeus: are you saying that because something starts out as one thing that means it can never change or evolve?
I can appreciate your concern and that you do not want to see Ebay go through this particular form of evolution. We will have to agree to disagree on that.
However,in a larger sense, the whole world of online auctions is evolving and changing and it's going to continue to do that....What it means to be an online auction itself may change a *lot* more in the next year or so. Real world auctions have evolved to a fairly static form....online auctions have not.
You may not see auctions that include Buy it Now as "auctions"....but that definition itself may fundamentally change as people get used to the new feature and the other new features that ebay is 100% sure to bring out, over time. The users may begin to think of "online auctions" as places they can choose from several different types of competition for merchandise, both old and new.
On the one hand we could change the name of what ebay is, and not call this particular evolution of ebay an "online auction". I think I am safe in saying that you would hold that it is not an auction (in fact I think you just did? That's your point of view. I know many share it.
Or on the other, we could adapt the definition of "online auction" to include these different types of competitions for merchandise and make it more inclusive of different types of shopping behavior. That's my point of view. I don't expect everyone to agree, I'm just throwing the idea out there. Who was the politician who said "Good people can disagree"?
posted on November 17, 2000 01:24:43 PM new
Hi Kim,
Sorry, but the "agree to disagree" philosophy doesn't cut it for me when I see something happening which I believe will have a negative effect on my livelihood. I tend to be rather vehement when it comes to such issues.
I don't mean to sound cold, but I have always felt that if someone's not getting the price they want for their items in a regular eBay auction, then perhaps they should seek some venue other than eBay to sell them. That's always been my take on it. Of course, now that's moot because unfortunately, eBay -- like any American corporate entity -- wants to be "everything to everybody" in the hopes that it will turn a buck for them, regardless that they are betraying the very people who have brought the site to its present state of success. So rather than set up a separate site -- FleaBay, maybe -- they inflict "Buy It Now" on the rest of us, regardless of whether we want it or not.
I guess I can't begrudge you for taking advantage of the option since eBay itself has made it available, Kim, but please don't ask me to be understanding about it. I have been doing very well on eBay for years just as it is (was). I don't want that to change, and I do believe that Buy It Now will have a detrimental effect on us auction users in the long run.
posted on November 17, 2000 01:38:26 PM new
If the posts here on AW are an indication, I'd say, for some people anyway, eBay has been moving away from being an auction site for some time. How often, when discussing starting prices, have you read "I start my items at the point where, if I get one bid, I'm happy"? Or when discussing handling/shipping charges, the advice offered is "Just build it into your starting bid"? A pricing strategy which is based on one bid only isn't much of an auction.
For better or worse (depending on your point of view, I guess), "Buy it Now" appears to be just another step down a road that has already been taken by a lot of sellers.
posted on November 17, 2000 01:58:42 PM new
mrpotatohead,
I agree with what you said, except now instead of being a backroom activity that we could frown upon and hope that it was just a limited number of people engaging in such practices, eBay has now given it the stamp of approval, which is bound to make it more widespread. My feeling has always been, if these folks don't want to be in an auction, then don't sell on eBay. I always start my items out at low bids, often lower than what I've paid for them, because I know I have the ability to sell them for more. And sure, sometimes I take a hit because I miscalculated or just had some bad luck. But it's all part of the auction experience. I always felt that if sellers don't want to take the risk of an auction, they shouldn't be trying to sell on one. They should go back to the flea markets, the antique malls or try a fixed price site.
Regrettably, now eBay is well on its way to becoming a flea market/antique mall. What a waste.
I think a consistent component of eBay's success has been the excitement and unpredictability of the auction format, for both buyers and sellers. Buy It Now is going to seriously detract from that. It may also create a mindset whereby bidders become impatient with the auction format and begin to resent sellers who won't sell for a flat price.
Buy It Now is just a hard slap in the face to those of us who have made eBay what it is.
Regrettably, now eBay is well on its way to becoming a flea market/antique mall.
It appears so. For everyday run-of-the-mill generic type items (1,000's listed, one closing every 15 minutes), it looks like this is where things are headed, but I think that sellers with truly hard-to-find items would be foolish to abandon the auction format entirely. How many sellers that ends up being remains to be seen.
posted on November 17, 2000 02:12:44 PM new
...or it could invigorate the auction buyers and sellers and benefit ALL the ebay users by encouraging bidding, period. Since there's no Buy it now icon at the moment, that means people looking for auctions with the Buy It Now option will be looking at *lots* of auctions of all types! Who knows what they may bid on... Others will want merchandise that isn't available as Buy it now. I don't see the bidders going out of style because buyers get their chance too. And some people will fall into both categories depending on what they want to buy. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess.
And by the way, I'm not using BIN because I have 1000 widgets to sell new...I sell vintage items and books and usually run 25 auctions a week. And my average from straight auctions have been fine....I am using Buy It Now because I enjoy trying out new things, not because I can't sell things anyother way. Sheesh!
[ edited by brighid868 on Nov 17, 2000 02:23 PM ]
posted on November 17, 2000 02:17:51 PM newSince there's no Buy it now icon at the moment,
At the moment.
The day it happens -- and that day is apparently anticipated -- we're going to see a segregation in the listings that's going to do irreversible damage, IMHO. Particularly in instances when there are two or three identical items in the listings and one of them has a "Buy It Now" icon.
