Reserves Don't Work!

The reserve auction... pretty much the best way to ensure that your item WON'T sell on eBay.

Reserve auctions on eBay are like a federal bailout: You think its going to help you out but in the long run it doesn't help at all and it was a waste of time.

Sure, there are exceptions, and reserves may have their place (e.g. cars and boats), but generally you'll do better without them.

We recently had a super-cool Marc Jacobs heart-applique handbag.

Here are the numbers:

Auction 1:

• Starting price: $19.99
• Reserve: $700.00
• Standard 7-day auction
• Final numbers: 11 bids up to $511.99, reserve not met.

Auction 2:

• Starting price: $19.99
• Reserve: None
• Standard 7-day auction
• Final numbers: 18 bids and successfully sold at $765.00

The numbers don't lie!

Want to make some money? Start your auctions low, forget about that pesky reserve, and let the auction market determine the value of your item!


(Okay, that bailout metaphor was a bit of a stretch. Haha.)

-JL