I'm starting this thread, because I've learned a lot about selling on eBay in the year I've been doing it full time. I have learned quite a few things about selling comics and other comic items on the site, and wanted to share a few of these things (as I remember them) and invite other sellers to do the same.
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On weekdays you want your auctions to close by 9:30 pm, this allows folks at work on the west coast to get in a last bid after work.

Friday nights will KILL you so dont ever post then. Unless you like selling lots of dollar books for postage.

Saturdays are good starting after 2 pm, this lets the morning warrior bidders have at your books on the close the next week.

And NEVER overlook the power of selling on sundays. I ususally spend the majority of the day posting books, and I get my best closes on those days.

Choose your stock carefully when you group auctions, and you NEED to group auctions, because if someone bids on something of yours to begin with, the FIRST thing they do is check your other auctions to see if you have anything else they want. Remember, that "limited edition hot book" that you are listing, well, everyone else that has that hot book also has access to eBay, so when there are 500 of them for sale at any time, its not limited.

Buy Auction Assisitant by Blackthorne Software. The entire package costs a little over 100 but thats with the auction ticker and thousands of html setups for auctions. Auction Assistant does EVERYTHING for you, and mine paid for itself in increased sales in the first week. Auction assistant does all the repetitive shit on that "sell your item" form, and also does all your FTP transfer stuff and ALL you cloing emails, feedback and maintenance, It also dresses up your auction with animations, pics, music and just about any wallpaper or type font you could imagine..it is indispensable!!

Very helpful. I'm thinking of getting into this eBay thing (I thought for sure it'd be passing fad...no wonder I'm not rich).

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"This grave violation will not go unreported!"
--The Whitedoves

Giftcomics.com

Out of curiousity--do you prefer the 7 or 10 day auction?

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Greg McElhatton: http://www.gregmce.com
The EXPO/SPX 2000 * iComics Daily Reviews

I believe the 7 day auction is the only one to use at ebay. Having experimented with all the formats thoroughly the 7 day auction is the one (at least for comics) of choice. 3 and 5 day auctions piss people off if its a good book especially, and 10 is a little too long. 7 days fits the temperment of the auction "sale", gives you TWO FULL DAYS in the new/closing listings and 5 days in the search engine.

I like to post all my 7 day auctions to end on wednesday afternoons, and saturday and sunday around 8-10 pm-ish. That seems to yield the highest dollar volume per book.

I agree with Jack 100% that ending your auctions on Saturday afternoon and particularly on Sunday is a great idea; people seem to have more time for those last-minute feeding frenzies. I do like the 10-day auction for the simple fact that, if you time it right -- beginning the auction on Thursday evening -- you can get two full weekends on the auction, with them ending Sunday evening. To me, anyway, this gives more time for 'casual' ebayers to discover what you have for sale. However, I've never been able to make a nickel off comics on ebay -- usually 25% of guide if I'm lucky. My best stuff has been fanzines, original art, and other ephemera.

Jack, have you noticed distinct patterns as to when people bid? Is it mainly weekdays, or mainly weekends?

One more thing: if you are a self-publisher and you're selling stuff on ebay (whether it relates to your book or not), PUT A LINK TO YOUR WEBSITE ON EVERY AUCTION!!! I've had over 6000 hits from people clicking through my auctions.

And good luck!

JE Smith

Visit COMPLEX CITY at www.bettercomics.com

"We've got a blind date with Justice -- and it looks like she's ordered the lobster!" -- MYSTERY MEN

For me, ending on Sunday afternoon/early evening has always worked best, with either the 7 or 10 day auction.

I do very well with comics/retailer posters-promo items/signed books, and even on the 7/10 day sytem, most of my bidding "activity" takes place Friday thru Sunday. Because of this, I have used the 3 day auctions to great success, also.

I've built a loyal fanbase, and have done more business with bidders after the eBay deals, to supplement my income. And some even e-mail me to see what I'll be putting on, so they can make an offer beforehand, or at least get the jump, on everybody else.


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"That's just my opinion, I could be wrong." - Dennis Miller

I don't know why, but some sellers automatically spam me after I buy from them. It's amazing. Like out of all the fish in the sea, you know? I'll call them. Okay that's enough cliches. Know what I mean?

Great Idea JE, the two weekend thing. The drawback to that is it knocks your items out of the new listing pages for the first saturday/sunday, which is when you get your most hits.

SEARCH IS EVERYTHING! Remember that. People use search in eBay more than any other feature to find what they want to bid on. So use your 45 letters wisely in your auction listing. you want to include as many "meta-tag" type words for the search engines as possible.

As Glenn has discovered, eBay is the link that lets any store set up its own successful mail order business, as folks love having access like that to brick and mortar stores. I would say ebay has given me at least 100 steady repeat mail order customers, and I regularly send out notices to folks when I post groups of books that have interest, like when I put up a set of Little Lulu's or Jimmy Olsen's or whatever, there are folks who like to know when those go up.

Greg, you deal with spam by reporting it to ebay. Thats stops it INSTANTLY. What Glenn and I do isnt spam, its buiding a customer base. I dont send out notices to everyone I've ever sold to, only to specific repeat buyers who have literally become customers. Its very cool.

>>However, I've never been able to make a nickel off comics on ebay -- usually 25% of guide if I'm lucky. My best stuff has been fanzines, original art, and other ephemera<<

Hmmm, I just sold a Flash #86 golden age fair/poor. Its the first Black Canary. Centerfold out, otherwise vg, canary story intact. 227.50, 17 bids including a 45 dollar final bid jump. "guide" at poor is 40 dollars

What If #105 vfnm 28.00 "guide" is 15.00

Sonic #3 vfnm 12.50 guide is 8.00

Sensation 66 (1947) almost good 55.00 guide is 16.00

AirboyV6#4(1944) vg 35.00 guide is 17.00

Adventure #130 vg 1947 92.00 guide is 65.00

This is the difference between guide and demand!


Granted, I end up selling some stuff for a buck, because I put it ALL up at 1.00 each, no minimums or reserves.

But the good books almost always sell well, which makes playing your averages safe [img]http://207.69.158.95/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

I never spam, except, on the first e-mail confirmation of a winning bid, or unless the customer requests knowing when certain items may get listed, if I have/get them.

Other than that, you may never hear from me again, unless you win another of my auctions.

I hate spamming, so I don't practice it, myself. [img]http://207.69.158.95/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

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"That's just my opinion, I could be wrong." - Dennis Miller