A Guide to eBay Auction Types.

eBay has a number of different auction types to allow buyers and sellers to have more options. These are:

• Normal Auctions
• Reserve Auctions
• Fixed Price or ‘Buy it Now’ auctions
• Multiple items or ‘Dutch’ auctions

A normal eBay auction is the most common type of auction. This is where an item is listed for a fixed period of time and buyers are invited to bid for it until the auction has ended. The winner of an eBay auction is the highest bidder when the bidding has closed.

A reserve eBay auction is for sellers who do not want their item to be sold for less than a particular amount. The process is the same as that for a normal eBay auction but the item is not sold to the winning bidder unless his offer has exceeded the pre-set reserve price. Many sellers who have valuable items, such as cars or antiques, will use the reserve eBay auction to ensure that they receive a reasonable price for their item. If the reserve eBay auction ends without the reserve having been met then the seller retains the item.

A ‘Buy it Now’ eBay auction is a way that buyers can purchase an item for a fixed prices rather than waiting for an auction to end. Some sellers will have an item listed in a normal eBay auction but with the option of a ‘Buy It Now’ if a person wishes to pay the full price rather than trying to get it cheaper by the auction process. Other sellers can list their item as a ‘Buy it Now’ item without having it listed in any auction.

As well as the ‘Buy It Now’ eBay auction there is also a ‘Best Buy’ feature. This allows buyers to make an offer to the seller for an item if the ‘Buy It Now’ price is too high. The seller can then decide to accept the lower offer or relist the item for another eBay auction.

A Dutch eBay auction is ideal for selling multiple items but is a little complicated so it is rarely used. The bidders place an offer and stipulate how many items they want. The lowest price of a Dutch eBay auction dictates the final cost of the items for every winning bidder.

It is possible to have a combination of eBay auction types for a single item. The most common of these is a multiple-item fixed price auction. The buyer states the quantity he has of a particular item and the price he wants for a single unit. The eBay auction siote then allows each buyer to select the number of items they want and purchase them by the ‘Buy It Now’ function.