Shipping Charges on eBay

The importance of shipping cost as an incentive or disincentive varies widely. Some people will pay without hesitation shipping charges that are equal to the cost of the goods, or even double the cost, perhaps because the item you are selling is difficult to find or perhaps because the buyer lives in an isolated area or for one reason or another finds it difficult to get to physical stores where they could find anything comparable. Other people will drive many miles to pick the goods in person and thereby save a few dollars in shipping cost. Be flexible and understanding.

Choosing Starting and Ending Times for eBay Auctions

Most bids on any single item will take place during the last few hours of the auctions. This is because, as auctions move closer to finishing, they automatically move closer to the top of the list when people do a search. No matter how many days you choose to run your auction, it will always end at the exact same time of day that you placed it. Choose the time of day you place your auctions carefully. If your auction is going to end on a Tuesday, don't place it at 10:30 AM, because everyone will be at work, and no one will be bidding! Likewise, it is not a good idea to have auctions end on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday evenings, because many potential bidders will be out eating dinner at a restaurant, partying, seeing a movie, etc. Good times to end auctions are weekday evenings (After 10 o’clock or so, when dinner is done, the kids are in bed, and people have time to use the computer). Other good ending times are weekend afternoons, but not too close to dinnertime. Of course, time zones differ across the country, so when it’s 10 PM in New York, it’s only 7 PM in California. Keep this in mind and post your auctions accordingly.