EBay Rolls Out Fixed-Price Format

The New York Times ^ | July 22, 2002 | The Associated Press

[Silly]

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Internet trading leader eBay Inc. increased its shift toward fixed-price sales Monday by launching a new format that lets buyers and sellers skip traditional auctions entirely.

EBay, which began as an auction-only site, already facilitates instant sales of items, both through Half.com, a site it acquired in 2000, and through the ``Buy It Now'' option, which accounts for one-third of all items listed on eBay.

With ``Buy it Now,'' sellers can list an item at a set price, and the sale ends if someone offers to pay that price. If someone enters a bid below that price, the ``Buy It Now'' option is canceled, and the sale turns into a regular auction.

Buy It Now will remain, but now sellers have another option: selling their items at a fixed price, with no auction entering the picture under any circumstances. Either the product sells for the listed price or not at all.

The move had been requested by users who wanted a true fixed-price format, eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove said.

The refinement also figures to appeal to traditional retailers and other companies that are increasingly unloading products on eBay.

Shares of San Jose-based eBay lost $3.50, nearly 6 percent, to $56.06 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

[Tourist Guy]

>>>so that you did not have to live with the shame of having a cheap congressman<<<They have that now...it's called lobbying....

=)

[Jhoffa_]

Sounds like a short listing....

[Catspaw]

I bought my Pocketmail on EBay for under $15 when it was retailing for around $100. I almost had a breakdown waiting for that clock to tick down.

And now I'm looking to upgrade it before we go on vacation this winter. I've seen one of the sellers use the "Buy It Now" feature on EBay, and even so, it's about $50 less than retail. If there's on around in a couple months, I may be tempted to use the Buy It Now feature.

[PJ-Comix]

Dutch auctions are ALMOST like fixed price sales. Once in a while an item or two on your Dutch auction will go over the starting bid but rarely.

[Van Jenerette]

Every American is entitled to have the most congressman that the open market can buy.

I wish you lived in my District when I ran...this sound like a great Campaign Finance/Fund Raising Scheme! LOL!

best regards! Van Jenerette

[JoeSixPack1]

A reserve-price - buy-it-now, auction rarely goes over the buy-it-now price. But the buy-it-now feature remains throughout all low bids until the reserve price is met. The reserve price is usually the buy-it-now price, so low bidders can play and bid.

The AP story above made no reference to reserve-price with buy-it-now.

I'm spending way too much time on ebay! :-(

[JoeSixPack1]

Can you do a buy-it-now dutch auction? 50 widgets on a dutch auction. I bid on 49 of em at $1.10ea but you buy all of em at $1.00ea? Isn't that's what buy-it-now dutch would do? Or can I buy my quantity through buy-it-now and leave the rest?

Don't sound right. Never saw that.

But I've often seen dutch auction go way way over reserve or starting bid.

[Lib-Lickers 2]

I bought a $7000 4 wheeler ATV that was 6 weeks old with less than 50 miles on it in mint condition on EBAY for $5200,,, EYES LIKES THAT!

[doodlebug]

This is great news. I can't wait to sell my baby's name!

[Mark Turbo]

I've found terrific buys on eBay for new items like shoes that sell for $120 at Nordies I won for $12.50

I thought I did good with shoes on eBay. I got a pair of Doc Martens in January for $50 including S&H.

[ladyinred]

Oh PW, you are tempting me with that post! I get in so much trouble on EBAY! Designer shoes and clothing at those prices makes me crazy!

I usually only buy for my antique business, but once in a while I drift off course, and what you are talking about would be the current that could send me over the waterfall!

[goodieD]

Ebay already offers that type of sale on Half.com. I love Half!~ No waiting, no worrying about getting outbid at the last second. And I can get all my favorite books really really cheaply!~

[PoisedWoman]

what you are talking about would be the current that could send me over the waterfall!

LOL! Come on in, the water's fine! I'm awash in new silk nighties, robes, and pajamas. Some UNBELIEVABLE buys....$200 Nordie pricetag, paid $20.50....I don't know where people get the stuff, and I'm not asking.

[PoisedWoman]

I live out in the boonies
So then why do you want to wear $120 sneakers and Donna Karan suits? :-)

Clearly, you're a guy, monkeyshines, or you'd understand that living in boonies only means there are few places to shop. Lotsa places to wear designer clothes...doing dishes, gardening, sitting at my computer...a girl's gotta wear something! And who said anything about, God forbid, sneakers. Yuk. Sandals, lovely pearl grey sandals. Chic!

Just between thee and moi, a friend of mine is inheriting a hotel on a Mediterranean island one of these years, and my job is going to be putting flowers on dining-room tables dressed in my glam Ungaro frocks...LOL! What are you going to do when YOU retire?

[American Preservative]

FR Topic Bump list Register (Scroll down to FReepBay for more threads)

[carpio]

There was a guy selling rebuilt starters that aren't even made anymore for 50$. I snatched up 2 of them. Another guy sold a heater from a early 50s Chevy truck for 80$ in working rebuilt condition.

I love Ebay. Both to buy and to sell. My biggest sale ever was a 1952 2 ton red flat bed Chevy farm truck that I sold to a fellow in California who traveled here to New Mexico to take possession and drive it home.

[BJungNan]

I bought my car on ebay. Great deal. Great price. But word of advise...take a trip to look at the car. I looked at several that were on ebay and after checking the descriptions to the actual product, only a few were really as stated. When I finally settled in on the one I wanted, the auction was a great way to get the price I could afford and the car I wanted.

[PJ-Comix]

Most (but not all the time) the Dutch auction ENDS at whatever the starting bid is. If there is a large quantity of the item available on the Dutch auctions then the chances of it going over the starting bid is almost nil. No buy it now on Dutch auctions but for buying or selling items at close to fixed price, Dutch auctions are great. I might be doing a Dutch auction for ladies beach wear in the near future.

[PJ-Comix]

I don't know where people get the stuff, and I'm not asking.

I know where. Often companies toss the merchandise that aren't moving into a dumpster out back. Along comes an enterprising fellow sometime around 2 A.M. and does some dumpster diving. A few days later, that merchandise shows up on eBay.

[PJ-Comix]

I used to teach folks how to sell on eBay via consultation right at their computer. Most of the time, it was a fun experience. But one time I had an incredibly bizarre incident that I have been meaning to write about. And reading this thread, I think I will write about that incident this week.

p.s. Helpful hint---If you are planning to start selling on eBay, you MUST register with PayPal. 75% of all my sales are paid for via PayPal.