posted on January 13, 2001 11:42:18 PM
I suppose it depends on what you sell, but in general, when do you think are the best and worst time to start and end an auction?
Generally I run 7 day auctions that start and end on Sunday mornings and afternoons. (PST)
Occasionally I run 3 day or 10 day auctions, launching them on a Thursday evening so they end on Sunday evening. I experimented with Tuesday mornings and afternoons/evenings (5 & 7 day auctions), but that wasn't too successful. I sell automotive literature, ads, accessories, etc. Most of the time they are impulse purchases, I think. (about half are eBay newbies)
The demographic profile of my average buyer is male (about 70% of the time), age, probably anywhere between 18 to 45. I believe many of my items appeal to college/university students, as well as middle class, middle income white collar workers, so I try to anticipate when they will have time to quickly check (or really spend some time looking).
I think some people check out listings early in the morning before work or school, or first thing at work. Students may check out the listings near the end of the day. Most people can spend more time at home in the evening (the time zones are a killer), and of course the weekend. I think most people are busy on Friday and Saturday, but will have time during the day on Sunday.
posted on January 14, 2001 12:26:11 PM
I generally run 7 day auctions that end on Monday evening. I don't sell enough to track any trends, but I figure this gives bidders the entire weekend to find the stuff without having to wait all week for the auction to end. I've read that Sunday evening seems to be the busiest/best time, but that makes me wonder if it is also the time that ebay is most likely to crash and burn. JMHO.
posted on January 14, 2001 01:07:39 PM
I have found auctions that end on Sundays do the best.Most of my own computer time is spent on the weekends.during the week it is to easy to get side tracked.also when the auctions are from different time zones(east coast to west coast)I can't stay awake that late on a weekday.
posted on January 14, 2001 02:35:36 PM
I tend to like ending my auctions on Sunday in the afternoon. I figure, despite the time zone differences, people are more likely to spend time on the computer then, or if they were watching some auctions during the week, they can relax and have more time to snipe, etc.
I'm always impressed when I find my auctions were sniped. I like that many of my items are snipe-worth.
I sometimes use 3, 5 and 7 day auctions, but I make it so they end on Sunday. Like I said, the time zone thing is a real hassle. Say for example, someone in Alberta should have just as fair a chance to bid as someone in Florida. That's why I think Sunday afternoons are best.
posted on January 14, 2001 03:02:49 PM
I generally list Thursday nights between 9pm EST til Midnight. 10 day auctions to end following Sunday night. I wanted to do some shorter auctions to end Sunday, but someone told me that the shorter auctions don't show up in the same order at the end (another words the one you put in as a three day auction may only have an hour left but it won't show up in the same place as the 10 day). Last year I tried a few and found it to be true maybe someone knows if it's still like that. As I get most of my bidding at the end that becomes important. I also found that lunch hour over the zones say 12-3pm EST I get a lot more activity than other times of the day during the week.
