Best times to buy and sell on Gunbroker?

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For me using Gunbroker, I tend to place a bid on an item that is my maximum I will pay. From that point on, I only check my email to see if I am the high bidder. As to the vacation thing, I haven't paid that much attention to when I've been the highest bidder. Sorry if this didn't help.
 
I have watched prices drop steadily over the last couple weeks,
Now that store-shelves are getting re-stocked, people are a little more anxious to move inventory they are sitting on.

The one seller that was starting 4895 powder with a minimum bid of $39/pound is now starting it at $29/pound
 
This is always a slow time of year for sellers, add that to the post panic lull, and there are some good prices to be had on new guns right now. If you are shopping for something rare and/or collectible, prices tend to stay stable regardless of the time of year.
 
I create saved searches on certain items and watch for the sellers to get tired of relisting for the too-high price, When they finally realize they're not going to succeed at that number, I might bid.
 
I have noticed some sell off of ARs is beginning but the problem is that some people paid way too much. One guy is trying to sell a low end DPMS locally for $800. When I told him NIB was less than $600 he said that he paid $1k and couldn't take that loss. Another had a Bushmaster Carbon 15 for $800. NIB at Academy right now they are $749 so with tax I can buy a new one for about the same money.
I think we will start seeing a LOT of ARs soon at reasonable prices which may help drop NIB prices a bit more.
Now if I could find an AK for $400....
 
i dont sell anything on gunbroker but i used to sell a lot of stuff on ebay.dead of winter was always best time to run auctions.

lots of guys have more time to sit around looking for stuff to buy on auction sites when it too nasty to be out hunting, fishing, etc.

i also timed my auctions to end on sunday afternoon or evening.lots of guys in the house then getting ready for work the next day or just relaxeing lookin at stuff on the computer.if you time your auction to end during the workday, lots of guys will be out working and wont have a chance to put in last minute bids if they like your item.its just somehting to think about.

many times ive got home from work and checked a auction to see i lost it by 50 cents.that wouldnt of happened if it ended on the weekend.
 
Sale prices are usually lower throughout the week...at least IMO. Sunday night, people are at home winding down from the weekend, getting ready for the work week. They have time to hawk the auctions and buy.

Throughout the week, people may be busier in the evenings and don't have as much time to shop.

I recently bought a 1911 on Gunbroker...auction ended on a Tuesday. I got it for 100 cheaper than it went for the following Sunday night. Not bad
 
If I were selling on GB, I would have my auction end about 10 P.M. eastern
Look on the gun forums when the most people are online.
More people online = more potential last minute bidders.
 
I am a seller on Gunbroker.
There are definitely times when it's busier and slower.
When it's busier, prices are higher (more bidders). Of course, when it's slower, prices are down and you can get better deals.

Seasonal peaks and valleys:

Mid-Sept thru Oct - very busy as people get ready for hunting season.
Nov until Thanksgiving - slower time due to upcoming holiday
Thanksgiving until week before Christmas - very busy, holiday gifts to self and others.
End of Dec until mid-Feb - very slow due to credit card shock from Xmas buying.
Mid-Feb until near Easter - Busy due to income tax refunds
Easter to Memorial Day - Slow period, tax season, etc.
Memorial day to July 4th - Busy due to preparing for summer shooting/camping, vacations, etc.
July and August - Dog days with people on vacation and heat keeping people indoors.

If you want the best prices then buy during the slow periods. If it's an actual auction instead of a fixed price auction chances are you may be the only bidder. Right now is prime time to purchase a firearm on Gunbroker since we are in a heat wave and it's post 4th of July. Sales have been very soft for the last few weeks. Prices rise when the air gets crisp and thoughts of hunting season start to occur.
 
Just so you know, the best time to end an auction is Sunday night between 6-10pm eastern. The best time to buy is Tuesday or Wednesday morning before 10am.
 
The best time to sell is when there is likely a demand for what you are selling and that you have reasonable expectations of the final sales price. I don't like people who have very reserve or minimum and seem to be only posting something for sale to see how much someone will offer but otherwise is not really ready to sell.

It would be like putting a "special" Colt Diamondback on GunBroker and putting the reserve price at $5000. It might sell for that, but it turns a lot of potential buyers off in the process.

The best time to buy is when you see a item that interests you, you have the money on hand, and are ready to bid in accordance with your preception of value.
 
The best time to sell is when there is likely a demand for what you are selling and that you have reasonable expectations of the final sales price. I don't like people who have very reserve or minimum and seem to be only posting something for sale to see how much someone will offer but otherwise is not really ready to sell.
Click to expand...

I agree. I usually set the filters for no reserve auctions.

I set my auctions to end on a Sunday night. I start them out at $1.00 with no reserve.
 
Maybe somebody can answer this question since the topic has been broached...

...Why a reserve price? Okay, I get you don't want to let it go below a certain minimum amount, but bidding and continually being turned down due to a secret price gets old really, really fast for me. Or maybe I'm just a minority in that regard. Why not just post the item at the minimum start bid so we don't have to play 'let's guess how much you want me to pay?' I've taken to letting other people play that guessing game and not bidding just to see how high the failure point is so when it relists, I have a better ballpark figure. I've also come to associate resreve prices with people looking to gouge products as of late.

:cuss:
 
Why a reserve price?
Click to expand...

I also dislike, but here is the theory.

If you post with a reserve price and a $.01 minimum bid, you will get some bids and the market will see that some people want it for at least a certain amount. This may motivate them to place a bid high enough to meet the reserve.

If you post an item with the minimum bid you would accept, you might not get any bids, even though someone might beat your minimum if they saw other bids almost as high as the minimum.
 
It is best to have the closing time when the majority of people who work will be away from work for the day. They can focus on the auction and make their decisions rather than just placing a high bid blindly early. Theoretically it should make no difference, but it does.
 
As a seller, I have found that the phone apps has changed how the auctions end. "In the old days" you were right. If an auction ended during a work day and you were the highest bid, chances are the other bidders came home to find out they lost by .$50. Now, when they are outbid, they get an email on their phones and they place a higher bid from wherever they are. This has driven up the prices on many items. I've sold items at 2x to 3x what I thought they'd get because of these phone apps and I mean before the recent panic buying. These phone apps have changed the way auction values are determined.
 
ive never really paid attention, im a buyer on GB and just bid if I can get it or buy it now if I feel the price is fair....
 
Larryh, Interesting observation and that is a very good point. However, I frown upon employees bidding on auctions during work hours regardless of whether it is on a more traditional computer or a smartphone. This feeling applies to texting as well (unless it is work related), but everything done in moderation tends to be okay.
 
Most of the "auction" sites are nothing more than a virtual storefront. I remember using Ebay many years ago when most of the items were actually individuals getting rid of things at whatever they could get. Kind of like an internet yard sale. They had no reserve because they just wanted to bring in a few bucks.
I don't use Gunbroker a lot but still use Ebay frequently as well as Amazon and the VAST majority of sellers are companies, with or without actual brick and mortar stores, that are merely opening a virtual store to market their merchandise. They know what they have in their product and set the reserve to make sure they don't lose money if the auction gets little interest. By setting the starting point low they can see how many people are interested just by the number of people that look at the item.
 
I have been lucky to pick up a few items I wanted that did not sell and just made an offer and it was accepted. Last three revolvers I get come that way...
 
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