Sell multiple items

Jabber, I think you may have something there.

Only problem I see is Bidder #2 may not answer your offer, since they are not obligated to buy. How long do you wait for him/her to reply. I suspect many that use eBay don't even know what a second chance offer is, and may think you are trying to pull a fast one.

I've never actually tried this myself, so don't really know. I hope you get more input. If you try it, let us know how it works.

I have never really understod the Dutch Auction logistics, but I understand them to work as you just pointed out.
I cant think of one reason to do a dutch auction!
The only time I think it would a huge benefit would be if you had lots of the same item. Then you would save on listing fee's I guess and 1 bidder may buy a stack of them.

I never use them personally, I list my multiple items one at a time.

Lexie

Puppy,

To-date, I have done only one second-chance offer. Interestingly enough, exactly what you suggested happened! I got a note from the bidder with some questions -- he never had received a 2nd chance offer before and was afraid it was some sort of scam. I assured him it was legit & me that sent it & that I had ANOTHER of what he just missed out winning & would he like it at his max bid? The answer was "yes", we completed the deal, and exchanged positive feedbacks!

In terms of how long do you hold open the offer, as I remember, ebay automatically sets that for you. What happened was the unsuccessful bidder receives an e-mail which says that he is receiving a second chance offer because "either the winning bidder was unable to complete the deal or the seller has more than one of the items". (That's not an exact quote, but those 2 possibilities are specifically mentioned.) I can't remember whether it is part of the e-mail or if there is a clickable link, but a complete listing of the auction is given to the 2nd chance bidder!? The only differences from the original auction listing are: 1) It is a "Buy It Now" ONLY "auction" with the BIN price set to the max bid that the bidder placed, 2) The BIN auction ENDS 24 hrs from the time that you send the 2nd chance offer, and presumably 3) The special 2nd chance BIN auction is ONLY made available to those unsuccessful bidders to whom you send the 2nd chance offers.

It really seems like a slick ebay feature that I think I'll be utilizing more often.

Jabbergah                                                    

Lexie,

You hit on the only advantage I can think of for dutch auctions -- the ability for 1 bidder to buy a number of the items from ONE auction, instead of having to bid in multiple auctions to get the desired number of items.

The glaring disadvantage I perceive is that a dutch auction seems to MINIMIZE the amount a seller can realize for the multiple items. I think dutch auctions are more buyer-friendly than seller-friendly.

Jabbergah                                                    

[This message was edited by Jabbergah on January 06, 2004 at 08:20 PM.]

Jabber

Thanks for the info ! !

I think I may give that a try. I've got 10 of an item to sell. Will be holding off for another few months, but if you have good luck, I may just give it a go.

I had a horrible experience with a dutch auction several years ago. The lowest bidder didn't get the quantity he wanted. He wasn't obligated to buy them, but I was obligated to offer them to him. He would not answer e-mails, so I was stuck in limbo. After 3 days, he finally answered with 'No, not worth the shipping'. By that time others down the line had moved on and were no longer interested. The thing that ticked me off was that at the time he placed his bid, he knew he wouldn't win the quantity he bid for. I haven't even considered a dutch auction since.

Puppy,

The more I hear and think about it, the less attractive dutch auctions appear. I think I'm becoming totally sold on the "single listing plus 2nd chance offers" strategy. That approach seems to give the seller more control.

And lets face it, if one of your bidders WANTS more than one of your items, they can always e-mail you and ASK if you are willing to selling more at their bid. I've done it! Sellers were always quite willing to accomodate!

Jabbergah                                                    

I got a 2nd chance offer this past weekend (which inspired me to come up with this forum topic!). Below is the e-mail I received from the seller. I've removed the specifics of the item, so you guys don't know what silly trinkets I'm buying!
-----------------------------------

Dear <bidder name>,

You expressed interest in an item titled <auction trinket name here> by bidding, however the auction has ended with another member as the high bidder. In compliance with eBay policy, the seller, <seller name here> is making this Second Chance Offer to you at your bid price of $<bidder’s max bid>.

The seller has issued this Second Chance Offer because either the winning bidder was unable to complete the transaction or the seller has duplicate items for sale.

If you accept this offer, you will be able to exchange Feedback with the seller and will be eligible for eBay services associated with a transaction, such as fraud protection.

This offer expires <date and time listed here that is exactly 24 hours from the time this e-mail is generated>. To purchase this item, click the "Buy It Now" button located at the bottom of the following page:

http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewPersonalOffer&item=<item#>.

If you want to ask the seller a question before making the purchase, follow the link above and click the "Ask Seller A Question" link on the
item page.

To learn more about Second Chance Offer go to:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/personal_offer.html

<Jabber comment: above link very informative!>

Thank you,

eBay, Inc.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You selected to receive this email notification when you registered. If you do not want to receive these offers in the future, click here
<http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?OptinLoginShow&filter=0>. You will be asked to log in. Then, click on the check box next to Second Chance Offer Notice.

Remember: eBay will not ask you for sensitive personal information (such as your password, credit card and bank account numbers, etc.) in an email.

Copyright 1995-2002 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners.

--------------------------------
(end of e-mail)

Puppy, you are right - based on the e-mail above, there is a chance the bidder settings may not allow accepting 2nd chance offers. However, I think the DEFAULT setting is "YES" to accept 2nd chance offers, so probably MOST ebay bidders WILL. It's worth a try, anyway! I don't think it costs anything to make the offer, only a sale fee if the offer is accepted.

Jabbergah                                                    

Jabber !

I would have to think about the proper wording, but you/we could 'hint' that we have more than one item, and bidders should turn that option on.

Lets see...something like: I may have another one of these. I will either auction it off next week/month, or provide a second chance offer. Interested bidders should turn 'Second Chance Offer' email on.

      Nothing wrong with doing that is there?

(Added with edit)
Go to eBay and search in titles and discriptions for 'second chance offer'.
Seems this is not a new idea, but it is to ME !



[This message was edited by Puppy Raiser on January 07, 2004 at 07:32 AM.]

At least that would make them aware that they could be missing out on second chance offers by not having the option enabled. And second chance offers can be life savers.
I bought an item through one of these second chance offers but couldn't use the paypal link from the second chance offer auction site. It kept saying that I wasn't the winner and couldn't pay for the item. I had to contact the seller and go through paypal's website. Later somebody said it was because he hadn't set it up right when he made the second chance offer.

Hi Falcon,



Hey, I found this yesterday. Interested?

Just drive it over! I'll give you the directions to get here.

Hi Puppy & All!

I still think the Ebay 2nd Chance thingy is a good feature to take advantage of. However, I was reading ThisLink about shill bidding. If you page down to #3 under "How to detect shill bidding", apparently shills have used the 2nd chance offer in the past. This may explain why some ebayers may be hesitent to participate in 2nd chance offers. One thing the link says that I think is no longer correct -- I think the ebay protections DO apply to 2nd chance offers. I think it is mentioned in that second chance offer e-mail that I posted here earlier. I also think FB can now be exchanged on 2nd chance deals, too.

Just some more info about 2nd chances!....

Jabbergah                                                    

The other advantage of the second chance route is the items don't have to be identical. Dutch auctions are only allowed for identical items, not similar items. However, I suspect that implying you have more similar items in the original listing might reduce the bids. Bidders might hold back in case there are later auctions with lower final bids.

Roset,

That was a nuance I hadn't thought about -- similar vs. identical items.

I also think you're right on regarding hinting you have more than one item in an auction and suggesting bidders make sure they have their 2nd chance setting ON. The bidders would probably bid less and hope you send them a 2nd chance offer at their low bid. Or they'll just plan on waiting until you list again. If the bidders DON'T know there is any more than one item, they are more likely to bid their max. THEN, when you hit them with the 2nd chance offer, it's a pleasant surprise! Just when they thought they had LOST the auction, they have a chance to win anyway! -- and at their price! Other than the fact that 2nd chance offers have been used by unscrupulous shill-using sellers, it just seems like a better tactic to use vs. the dutch auction.

Jabbergah