Detailed explanation of eBay auction seller rules and procedures: a complete guide from listing to ending the auction

eBay Auction Rules

Bidding rules

On eBay, sellers determine the auction’s base price and minimum markup by setting a starting price and markup. Buyers need to bid according to the markup specified by the seller, and each bid must be higher than the previous bid.

Automatic bidding

eBay’s “auto-bidding” feature allows buyers to set a maximum bid during the auction, and the system will bid on the buyer’s behalf based on the bids of other bidders until the maximum price set by the buyer is reached.

Reservation price

Sellers can set a reserve price, which means that before the auction ends, the highest bid received must be higher than or equal to the reserve price in order to successfully sell the item.

Auction time

The seller determines when the auction ends, and buyers have the opportunity to raise their bid before the auction ends. If a new bid comes in, the auction time will automatically be extended for a moment to give other buyers a chance to continue bidding.

End auction

At the end of the auction, the buyer with the highest bid gets the item and pays the required fee. If there are multiple buyers with the same bid, the seller will select the buyer on a first-come, first-served basis. When the seller sets a reserve price, if the highest bid is lower than the reserve price, the seller can choose not to sell the item.

eBay auction process

Register an account

As a seller, you need to register an account according to eBay’s requirements and provide the required personal and store information.

Products on shelves

Put products on the store shelves and set auction parameters, including starting price, reserve price, price increase, auction time, etc.

Buyer bidding

Buyers browse the product list based on their interests and participate in the auction. They can bid based on a set starting price and markup.

Auction end and transaction

After the auction time ends, the buyer with the highest bid gets the product and pays the required fees. After the transaction is completed, the seller ships the goods to the buyer.

Can eBay auction sellers end the auction early?

On the eBay platform, sellers can choose to end the auction early under certain circumstances. This flexibility allows sellers to exercise control over the auction process and take action based on specific needs. However, it is important to note that sellers should carefully consider the possible consequences and implications before making a decision.

Situation of ending the auction early

• No bids: When no buyers bid on the item, the seller can choose to end the auction early.
• Highest bidder’s willingness to buy: If a buyer bids for the item and the seller is willing to sell the item to the current buyer with the highest bid, the seller can choose to end the auction early.
• Unsatisfied buyer bidding: When a buyer bids, but the seller is unwilling to sell the product to the buyer, and the remaining auction time of the product exceeds 12 hours, the seller can end the auction early .

How to end the auction early

Sellers can find items for sale in the “For Sale” section of the My eBay page and select “End Listing” to end the auction early. Then, if the seller wishes to list the product for sale again, the listing needs to be relisted.

Situation in which the auction cannot be ended early

• There are less than 12 hours left in the auction and the seller has received bids, but the seller is unwilling to sell the item to the highest bidder.
• There are less than 12 hours left in the auction and a bid has been received, but the bid did not meet the item’s reserve price.

eBay seller listing process

Log in to eBay platform

Sellers first need to log in to the eBay platform, and then click the “sell” option.

Create product title

Enter descriptions such as color, style, fabric, etc., and then click “get started”.

Category selection

Generally, after entering keywords, the platform will put the best category first by default, so sellers only need to select the item that the system defaults to first, and click the blue button to proceed to the next step.

Add product pictures

The picture pixels need to be 800×1600, usually you need to add 1 general picture and 3 detailed pictures.

Select attributes

Ebay novice sellers need to fill in the required items in the red box.

Paste product description

Product descriptions need to include the key attributes of the product, and the descriptions need to be concise and clear.

Set price

Set the starting price and bidding time. Note that the second row is a fixed price. Sellers need to pay attention to shipping, profit and handling fees when setting the price.

Set shipping costs

Just choose a regular mail or express delivery, and you also need to set a delivery time, such as promising to deliver within 3 days.

Publish products

Click the “list your item” button at the bottom to complete the product release and the goods will be successfully shipped.

Summary

eBay auction rules and processes are the basis for ensuring fair competition and order, and also provide sellers and buyers with a platform environment for transaction protection and security. Complying with auction rules, understanding the bidding process, and optimizing auction strategies are the keys to guiding sellers to obtain more orders and satisfying buyers. By reasonably setting the starting price and reserve price, paying attention to the auction time, providing accurate product descriptions and high-quality pictures, sellers can improve the auction success rate and sales results.