3 Unusual Formats For Auctions on eBay

eBay users are accustomed to only two "standard"sellerhas access to the names.
formats forsales on eBay: either the 'regular' auctionWhy would anyone create a private auction? It's
which involvesbidding and waiting; and the Buy Itusually forone of three reasons:
Now, which is an instantpurchase.* The item is quite expensive and buyers might
But there are three other formats that are less wellbeuncomfortable having others know they can afford
known.suchmerchandise. Their concern about their financial
1. Live Auctionsstatus ismost likely misplaced because it is quite
Before eBay, the traditional auction included livepossible todistance yourself from eBay contact
bodies inchairs and an auctioneer up front (talking soinformation, but much ofselling is about perception.
fast he wasfrequently unintelligible). Any buyer can* The buyers might be embarrassed by the nature
still participatein these live auctions via eBay. Liveof themerchandise.
auctions are a hybrid* Some sellers habitually use private auctions to
- a buyer is 'sort of' present in a live setting yet ismake itharder for their competition to snoop on
athome using an Internet connection.them.
The products for sale are usually expensive and3. Restricted Access Auctions
unusual.This is usually for sales of "adult" items. The main
There are such items as expensive and unique coins,purposeis to prevent children from seeing this kind of
Asianart, native American artifacts, incredible jewelry,merchandise,and is similar to having covers on racy
costlyfurniture, memorabilia from major sports starsmagazines at storecheckouts.
and evenhistory. Today, for instance, there areTo bid on these items, the buyer must:
documents signed by* Be 18 years old
John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, James Madison* Must have supplied credit card information to
and UlysseseBay.Thetheory is that no one under 18 can get a
Grant (he confides that he was strenuously opposedcredit card andtherefore cannot get into these
to thesections.
"wicked" war with Mexico).* Agree that he is voluntarily accessing restricted
If you choose to participate in a live auction, beaccessauctions
certainthat you register first because you can't justIn addition, restricted auctions are excluded from the
drop in on awhim.Featured pages. So if you are a seller using this
You can find all the details here:format,your listing will be harder to find.
2. Private AuctionsEven though they are less well known, these three
Private auctions are similar to the typical auctionformatsfor auctions on eBay still account for tens of
thatwe're all familiar with except for one detail -millions ofdollars in sales each year. If they suit your
theidentities of the bidders are kept secret. Only thebusinessmodel, you might consider them.