Best period of time to raise Ebay selling prices? Question for Powersellers

[JRandall]

For you powersellers out there, do you have any suggestions or advice when it comes to selling over the Holiday Season(Nov-Dec?) for when prices should be raised to meet the demand of the last minute shopper?  As an example have you experienced a period where you can raise your prices 10-20% more than normal because it's the second week of December and people are rushing to shop?  I'm just trying to maximize my selling this holiday season and I've never sold enough to see the trends of the best time to raise prices to get the most out of what I own.  Thanks for any and all suggestions.

[exciter1]

I usually list at the price I want and then raise, depending on how many of an item I have.  My prices are usually based on current selling prices plus 10% - 20%.  If they sell fast or if I hear prices are rising, I'll raise them proactively.  Some stuff I'm holding until December or for the items to start trickling out of stock.

 

I sell many items in lots by theme, especially the under $50 MSRP sets.

[justapilgrim]

newer to the game, but I list some stuff at what I want it to sell for regardless of how early it is. People can bid on my more affordable auctions/buy it now stuff and combine shipping for more expensive stuff. Or they can see your high price and follow the auction to see if you lower it later

 

not a powerseller, but I'm doing ok for a noob

[ravenb99]

Pretty much same as exciter stated, just watch Amazon also and price a little under them accordingly if you're doing ebay.  Examples being SW Advents are at $69 on Amazon so ebay is running about $59.  Santa's Workshop is running $129 so about $110-115 on ebay.  R2 D2 is $279 so ebay is running about $259.  

 

If you sell it instantly you are probably to low and if you don't sell it for a few days to a week you are to low.  Just monitor it closely and adjust prices accordingly.

[justafrog]

I don't tend to raise prices, I just enjoy the increased sales at my normal prices.

 

If I were going to increase them, it would be over Black Friday weekend and through December 15 -- that's when sales go crazy for us.

[jaylay]

i would monitor latest eBay price endings for your set ... list it around that much ... maybe $5-$10 more if you want to ... but also check how many competition you have ...

[LegoBuildingMama]

I list mine a bit higher than I hope to sell them for leading into Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping. I do this well in advance to build up the number of watchers for my item. Then, the night before Thanksgiving I throw up a sale, send out promotional e-mails to my subscribers, and watch as 50% of my inventory sells out Thursday, Sunday and Monday. My sales tend to dip significantly on Black Friday since people are hitting the brick and mortar stores. If you hang on tight for that extra $10, you may find yourself stuck with the inventory. Christmas shoppers are highly impulsive so you want to attractive them first, provide competitive prices, then ship fast and follow through on the sale. I'm facing possible problems with too many sales to keep up with this Christmas (hopefully). I've started boxing everything now for a faster turn around. Don't forget there is less time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year and you need time to ship.

[KShine]

You don't increase prices based on a calendar.

[LegoBuildingMama]

Hmmmm...I do. I've been selling Legos on Ebay for 10 years. People's behavior is like clockwork. If you are looking to speed flip then you need the lowest price. I have a good idea of what different sets will go for at Christmas and I'm patient. I don't sell for the lowest price, but for a middle range price that gets the item sold and doesn't leave me with excess inventory.

[JRandall]

Thank you for the responses everyone, I appreciate it.

[rookie]

good information. Thanks

[biniou]

If sales increase, I'm ok with that and don't change my prices. But I check to see if I'm not too low compared to other sellers. However, when I sold several of the same set and I have only one left, I raise the price (about 10%).

Edited November 19, 2014 by biniou