help with auctions please

[pushingtides88-37]

I posted a question in questions, but I am getting no thoughts  back, so if posting it twice is annoying, Im sorry. I have one auction. I dont know if it is set up wrong, but I cannot find it anywhere when I search , even with exact wording..what am I doing wrong?

[ypdc_dennis · Accepted solution]

I see from one image the spine has "Pirie on Botany" -- if that is the book title it should be used as part of the auction title.

Would recommend a few more images from inside the book to get people bidding. The cover images are pretty boring to look at.

-..-

[femmefan1946 · Accepted solution]

Most auctions get most of their bid in the last few minutes of the sale.

With so many using phones to shop online, the first four words of your title are the most important.

• You actually do not give the title of the book either in the title or in the Description.

Move the pictures of the inside illustrations etc earlier in your Gallery of photos. The title page is more important than some marbling.

It is never a good idea to say you don't know something about your product. "Two signatures, see photos" would be better, in my opinion.

There is a big difference between your BIN price and your opening price. Will you be happy if you get only one bid and it sells for the opening?

[tyler@ebay · Accepted solution]

Hi @pushingtides88-37  - you've been given some great insight on making your item more searchable for buyers!

I want to chime in and say that when first listed for sale, it can take up to 24 hours to become fully searchable. This is a process called 'indexing' and it is essentially the lead-time it can take all of our systems to incorporate your item into the search engines for our sites around the world. 

It looks like your item is definitely visible at this point, though I would also recommend taking a look at some of the suggestions here to make sure it gets the exposure that it deserves!

[pushingtides88-37]

Thank you everyone. Im still a bit nervous about how to secure my numbers, I understand my buy it now is far from my starting price,...so the number of my reserve should be somewhere in the middle? Ive switched out a few pictures ,  and will be patient...yes, it is indexed now, finding it in lots of searches..thanks again.

[femmefan1946]

You do understand that your Buy It Now is NOT a Reserve, right?

Most experienced auctioneers will tell you not to use Reserves.

• Buyers hate them and will backbutton without bidding at all.
• If you absolutely MUST for your own mental health use one, tell the buyer what it is.
• Your opening price is a 'reserve' since no one can bid less.
• If the book doesn't sell, you don't get the cost of the Reserve auction back.

So if you want $500 for the book, open the Auction at $500 rather than put a reserve on it.

Or ignore the dying Auction category and go for Fixed Price/Immediate Payment Required  and list for 30 days.

Over 85% of transactions are Fixed Price.

Same cost as an Auction, and more exposure.

[tyler@ebay]

To tack onto this @pushingtides88-37  - the reserve price extra feature is pricey and as Femme points out, you don't get that money back even if your item doesn't sell. 

My personal preference for my own items is Fixed Price with an added Best Offer. I list at a 'high end' price and then entertain all offers down to my own 'can't let it go for less' price.

There are other ways to do it too! If you prefer auction style, Femme's suggestion to start the opening bid at your 'can't go lower' price you're effectively setting your own reserve price without incurring that extra charge. 

Fingers crossed that you end up with a good price!