90-day
Clearance
(Dollar) Auctions

A Clearance Auction is just like a standard auction
ad only it has a fixed starting bid ($1.00) with a 90-day maximum
duration (instead of the 30-day maximum duration for standard
auctions)*.
Reducing inventory levels to convert unwanted
items into cash is often difficult for slow selling items. This ad
format is designed to help sellers close out their unwanted items while
giving them a chance of selling for a higher price.
Sellers set a Purchase Now price at (or below)
their normal price. For 90 days bargain hunters (and others
browsing by category or criteria) can immediately purchase the item if
they want it right away or they don't want to take the chance on someone
else buying it first.
If no one uses the Purchase now option, more and more bargain hunters
see your item as they browse the Clearance Ads over the 90 day period.
As with any auction, they can wait for the last second to bid (and risk
someone buying it outright) or they can bid at any time to eliminate the
Purchase Now option and try and take advantage of the low starting bid
(the Purchase Now option is removed once a bid is placed).
If more than one buyer is interested then the price can be bid up.
The number of bids is included on the category and search results lists,
and buyers are attracted to items that show activity.
If several buyers become interested in your item, a bidding
war can bring the price up to (or even above) the original Purchase Now
price.
If only one person bids and the item sells for the
$1.00 starting bid, you made a new customer and you got rid of the
inventory. If no one bids, you know it probably needs to go into
your donation pile.
*A common strategy for some sellers is to use a
low starting bid to generate interest.
|