 ***New Semi-Persistent Buy It Now Testing*** |
31 October, 2007 | 15:37
| Sohil Gilani |
Hi everyone, I'm Sohil Gilani with our Buyer Experience team. Over the years, we've routinely been asked why the Buy It Now option disappears from a listing when the first bid is placed. Our reason has been concern that it would create a confusing experience for a buyer, who could place a bid on an item, but then have someone Buy It Now (BIN) out from under them before the end of the auction.
That said, we've done some extensive research that suggests keeping the BIN option available on a listing longer will increase the chance that a buyer wins the item and that it will close at a higher price for the seller. As a result, we're looking at ways to change how BIN works that balance both buyer and seller needs.
On eBay.com, we've been testing a number of variations of the rules for how long the BIN option will stay available on a listing. For example, we may start with a rule that the BIN option will remain available on the listing until the bidding reaches 50% of the BIN amount. This rule could be modified with a different percentage over the course of our testing. Other variations could include keeping the BIN available until a certain amount of time is left in the listing, or until a certain amount of bids have been placed.
We've been testing this feature in select categories on eBay.com since late June and have been encouraged by our results so far. Starting in the next few days, we'll begin testing it in the following eBay.ca categories: Motors Parts & Accessories, Tickets, Clothing, Shoes & Accessories, and Cell Phones.
Keeping you informed
To minimize confusion, we've started a thread on the Selling on eBay discussion board that we will update whenever the BIN rules are changed. Thanks again for your support!
Sincerely,
Sohil Gilani
Buyer Experience
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