Experienced eBay sellers know that when planning a sale, timing is almost everything. You need to know when to sell your item on eBay. Fur coats don’t sell well in July, and as a collectible seller you don’t want to be caught with 200 Nintendo games during a run on Xbox. But vintage games may still sell at any time. Star Wars action figures are traditionally good sellers — unless a new Star Trek movie is coming out.
Timing is everything. Sell what you know and know when to sell. Buy low and sell high. Fast quarters are better than slow dollars.
Timing your auctions and fixed-price listings is hardly an exact science. Rather, timing is a little bit of common sense, a dash of marketing, and a fair amount of diligent information-gathering, including
Research among your friends. What are they interested in? Would they buy the items you’re selling?
Use eBay Search as a research tool. Search eBay’s listings to see whether anyone’s making money on the type of item you want to sell. If people are crazed for some fad item and you have a bunch, yesterday was the best time to sell (but immediately will do in a pinch).
Recognize that some items — such as good antiques, rugs, baseball cards, and sports cars — are timeless. But timing still counts. So do your research and follow these rules, even when you think you’re selling a sure winner:
Don’t put your rare, antique paper-cutter up for auction if someone else is selling one at the same time. Competition will cut into your profits.
If the eBay market is already flooded with dozens of an item and no one is making money on them, you can afford to wait before you plan your sale of the same item.
