1 min article

Selling through auctions

When you list an item for sale in an eBay auction, you choose a starting price, and interested buyers place bids. When the auction ends, you sell to the highest bidder.

You can choose whether your auction should run for 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days. A 1-day auction is designed for items that need to be sold quickly because they’re time sensitive, such as event tickets. Unsold auctions may be automatically relisted

Set a starting price in the Choose a format and price section of the quick listing form. If you use the advanced listing tool, you can set a starting price in the Pricing section.

Pricing tips:

  • A low starting price can help attract bidders
  • You can add a Buy It Now price to an auction listing, and it will be shown until the first bid is placed. The Buy It Now price has to be at least 30% higher than the auction starting price
  • If you’re selling a vehicle, you can add a reserve price to make sure you get the price you want for your item

Fees for auction-style listings

  • You may be charged an insertion fee to list your item. You will receive one insertion fee credit for each auction-style listing if that listed item sells. (Exclusions apply)
  • If you’re a non-business seller, automatic relists are free
  • You’ll be charged a final value fee after the sale
  • There are also fees for optional advanced listing upgrades and services

For more details, see our articles on selling fees or store selling fees

Listing in auction-style format works well if you want to let buyers decide what your item is worth.

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