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Selling through auctions

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

You can list your auctions 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 - opens in new window or tab. 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
  • To help make sure your item sells, you can select the Easy pricing option in the quick listing form. We'll automatically lower your price each time your item is auto-relisted, and notify any interested buyers

Fees for auction-style listings

We won't generally charge a fee to list an item, unless you choose an optional listing upgrade. If you're eligible for free selling, you also won't pay transaction fees when your item sells.

For full details of eBay fees, see:

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

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