Question
Greetings Everyone!
Apparently I am looking in all the wrong places... I can't seem to find info on Fixed Price listings versus BIN. Hoping someone here can shed some light...
I make and sell 1st Christmas ornaments for Baby, Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Aunt, Godmother, etc. and I have them listed as regular 7-day auctions (with auto relisting when auction ends) and in my Ebay Store. For whatever reason, folks are going over to the store this year, so... What differences (the pluses and minuses) are there between listing the ornaments as Fixed Price vs BIN, and which method do you suggest in my circumstance? Seems to me a few years ago, someone mentioned that Fixed didn't show up when searching?
Thanks for your time in answering... Happy Holidays...
Answer
Am I mistaken or did you post this on the eBay boards "Sell Central"?
Answer
I've never been a fan of BIN, as both a buyer and a seller.
As a seller I often do fixed price auctions, particularly for items where I have multiple quantities. For example, the listing fee is the same for a fixed price auction with a quantity of 2 at a price of $4.95 than it is for an auction with a quantity of 1 at a price of $4.95.
As a buyer, many a time I've hesitated over paying the BIN price because psychologically I feel as if I'm overpaying, that it would be smarter to bid at the lower price. If I do bid at the lower price, then the BIN disappears but I risk being outbid, and have to wait until the auction runs its course. On the other hand, a fixed price listing ends when there is a bid. Thus sales are faster with a fixed price listing - faster inventory turnover.
I have often seen BIN sellers show a BIN price that is 2 or 3 or more times the amount of the minimum bid. That's a real turn-off for me and I press the back button immediately.
If you have a store and have more of the same item, you could create an auction style listing and in the description state - "Want this item now? Please visit my eBay Store where the same item is for sale at a fixed price."
Answer
I generally put a BIN on almost all of my auctions. In the categories in which I sell, a good number of folks limit their search to BIN listings and I want all the eyeballs I can get!
Answer
Thanks everyone for your responses...
ROUNDABOUT - can't be me, as I have no idea what or where "sell central" is...
IRENE - I do have a blurb in my description "IN A HURRY? Visit my eBay Store", blah, blah, blah... but either they aren't reading it, or maybe I have too much info prior to the blurb that they're tired of reading, or... For whatever reason they aren't going over - they bid and wait for the auction to end, and pay more than if they went to the Store - very little Store traffic.
IRON CHICK - So it's easier for buyers (and more profitable for sellers) to find listings with BIN than at Fixed Pricing?
Answer
Both auctions with BINs and FPL show up when a buyer searches for BIN only since both can be purchased immediately.
Both auctions with BINs and FPL show up in searches. Store items, which are by their nature BIN/FPL listings, don't show up in searches unless the search returns fewer than (I don't remember what the current number is) listings from auctions and (non store) fixed price listings.
That may be what you are thinking about.
If you have a store, there are three options when you list:
1) regular auction (and you can add a BIN price to this) (1-7 days, 10 if you pay more)
2) fixed price listing (3-7 days, 10 if you pay more)
3) store listing (30 day increments or GTC)
If you don't have a store, you only have the first two options.
Answer
As a buyer I much prefer bin/fixed price over regular auction and will pay a little more. I want to click, pay, forget it until it arrives.
The stuff in our store is all fixed price. We usually run around 20 auction items. All have bin with one exception. Every once in a while I"ll spring for something like bold on one item and then I want the danged thing to run the whole 7 days so I don't put a bin on it.
Maryanne