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eBay reserve pricing... to disclose or not to disclose?

Mike Robbins

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Oct 26, 2011
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Hello all,

Allow me to pick your brains if I may. Seems like there are two schools of thought whether or not to disclose eBay reserve pricing.

One, the standard "In fairness to other bidders and to ensure a smooth auction process, we don't disclose our reserve pricing" follow by something like "however, do you have a number in mind you'd like to own the vehicle for?" or "our asking price is $xx,xxx, are you interesting in making a purchase offer?"

Two, the alternate no-secret-reserve "our reserve price is $xx,xxx" either in the body of the auction listing or in a reply to a prospect messaging directly through eBay panel.

In my short experience (going on three months at my new store), I have NEVER disclosed the reserve price and then actually had that customer bid anywhere close to it. They just fall right off of the map and disappear. On the other hand, when we do not disclose the reserve, we do get more engagement, but bids never seem to get remotely close to reserve.

Thanks for viewing and I look forward to your comments.
 

✨ AI Highlights

The thread discusses whether car dealers should publicly disclose reserve prices on eBay vehicle auctions or keep them hidden, with the original poster noting two contrasting approaches: non-disclosure (asking prospects for their target price instead) versus full transparency. The poster's initial experience suggests that disclosing reserve prices doesn't actually encourage bidders to meet them, implying the strategy may be counterproductive.

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