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