🛒 When You Should Use Buy It Now on eBay (Instead of Auction)

✅ 1. You Know the Item’s Value

If there are clear sold comps and you know exactly what the item should sell for, there’s no reason to risk an auction.
With BIN, you control the price — and your profit margin is protected.

📦 Example from RiR:

RiR sold a pair of Brooks Glycerin shoes for $44.24 with Best Offer. They knew the value, priced accordingly, and didn’t need an auction to “see what happens.”

✅ 2. You Want Consistent Profit Margins

Auction results can vary wildly — but BIN provides stability. You can price based on:

• Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
  
  
• eBay & PayPal fees
  
  
• Shipping costs
  
  
• Desired profit margin (e.g., 30–50%)
  
  

This level of control is essential for long-term, scalable selling — a foundation of RiR’s business model.

✅ 3. You Sell Common or Competitive Items

If your item is one of many — say a used pair of Levi’s, a standard board game, or popular sneakers — it won’t perform well at auction.
Auctions thrive on demand and scarcity, not everyday items.

Instead, price yours competitively and turn on the “Best Offer” feature to attract budget-conscious buyers.

🧠 RiR Insight: Nearly every item on their “Top Sales” recaps are BIN with Best Offer. The seller set the expectation, and buyers came to meet it.

✅ 4. You’re Building a Business, Not a One-Off Flip

Buy It Now listings are:

• Easier to duplicate
  
  
• More likely to appear in search results consistently
  
  
• Better for inventory management (especially when using a system like RiR’s bin tracking)
  
  

BIN supports a repeatable, systematized reselling routine, especially if you’re photographing, listing, and tracking multiple items per day.

✅ 5. You Want to Save Time

BIN listings:

• Don’t need daily monitoring
  
  
• Don’t have set ending times
  
  
• Can stay active for 30+ days or until sold
  
  

This aligns with RiR’s productivity style — batch photos, batch listings, batch tracking — not checking if auctions end tonight.

✅ 6. You’re OK with Slower Sales for Better Profits

BIN allows you to wait for the right buyer. If you’re not desperate to flip the item immediately, holding out for full price (or close to it) pays off.

In contrast, auctions often result in “race to the bottom” pricing unless demand is high.

📊 RiR Tip: Use your spreadsheet or seller dashboard to monitor how quickly your BIN items are selling. If something hasn’t moved in 30–60 days, then consider adjusting the price or using auction to clear it.

⚠️ When NOT to Use Buy It Now

Avoid BIN if:

• You have no idea what the item is worth (and no comps)
  
  
• You need to liquidate inventory quickly
  
  
• The item is ultra-rare or trending — and might benefit from competitive bidding
  
  

🛠️ Final Takeaway (Rooted in Reselling Style)

Buy It Now is the backbone of a smart reseller’s strategy.
It gives you:

• Predictable profits
  
  
• Business-friendly organization
  
  
• Scalability
  
  
• Control
  
  

This is why almost every sale featured on Rooted in Reselling follows the BIN model with clear pricing logic and consistency.