Lynn Answers Questions About eBay Auction Durations

Hi Susan,

Thanks for the inquiry. I recommend making an auction 7 days in length. If a buyer checks auctions on Monday mornings from their office, you will always get them with a 7 day auction.

A 10 day auction can be very beneficial if your item has a small audience of potential buyers. By doing a 10 day auction you have more of a chance that someone will see them. Keep in mind that eBay is now charging an extra 40 cent fee for a 10 day auction. Forty cents may not sound like a lot, but if you are doing 100 auctions a week that works out to $40.00 extra!

A 5 day auction can be great if you want to miss a big event -- like if it were going to end during Superbowl Sunday (although you never know -- many women are probably shopping on that day!). 5 day auctions are also great if you are going out of town and want the auctions to end before you leave. In the same respect 10 day auctions can get you over a weekend when you will be unavailable also.

Keep in mind that most questions about your item will come either when you first list it or about 3-5 hours before it ends. 1 and 3 day auctions are great if you have a lot of the same item and it continually sells. You would use the 1 and 3 day auctions to keep your item out there at all times by listing the same item sequentially rather than all at once. It really depends on what you are selling and what you find your research tells you.

Overall, I recommend the 7 day auctions.

Good Luck Susan and Thanks for the Q!!!