3 Alternative Auction Formats on eBay

There are two standard auction formats thatauctions on eBay. You participate in real time through
everyone is familiar with on eBay. Regular auctionseBay. Items for these auctions are usually rare and
which involves bids and waiting for the end of theexpensive, such as art, jewellery, coins, furniture,
auction. Or Buy It Now auctions which have an instantmemorabilia, etc. You made also see rare signed
purchase.documents from historical figures, movie stars or
There are three other alternative auction formatssports heroes.
available on eBay that you should know about.To participate in these live auctions you will need to
1. Private Auctionsregister ahead of time at ebayliveauctions. It would be
Private auctions are similar to a regular auctionsa good idea to search for a good guide to explain how
except that the bidders identities are hidden and onlyto use these types of auctions.
the seller knows the bidders usernames. Sellers have3. Adult Auctions
a choice when creating their auctions to offer thisThese are restricted auctions for the adult items.
option to their buyers.Access is limited to buyers who must meet certain
Private auctions are created mainly for these reasons:conditions to view and buy from these auctions.
- Buyers may be uncomfortable buying the item andTo bid or buy adult items a buyer:
having others know what they are buying, eg. a adult- Must be 18 years old
related item, etc.- Must supply valid credit card information
- Buyers do not want their competition to snoop on- Must agree that he/she is voluntarily accessing
them during the bidding process.restricted access auctions.
- Buyers may be embarrassed to purchase high pricedAs a seller of Adult Auctions you must know that your
items and be concerned that their financial status islisting will be harder to find.
open information.If you are looking for alternative auction formats to sell
2. Live Auctionsyour hard to place items on eBay, one of these three
Traditional auctions use a live auctioneer in front of theformats may suit your needs. You may even want to
audience of buyers and similar to this are the liveconsider combining any of these formats as well.