There are four different types of sales available on railauction.plus. Which one is right for you depends largely on the product, demand, and your sales strategy. In this blog post, you will find a concise guide and a clear overview of all sales types.
If you need assistance, please feel free to contact us at any time: support@railauction.plus – we will actively help you develop the optimal sales strategy for your surplus material.
Direct purchase
Direct purchase work like a sale in a traditional online shop: you set a fixed price and the available quantity, and buyers can purchase the product directly. This type of sale is particularly well suited to clearly described, easily assessable products and allows you to complete the sale quickly and easily. For example, if you have three items in stock, a buyer can purchase all three at once, or several buyers can purchase one each.
Important: To enable interested parties to make an informed decision, you should provide as many details as possible.
Duration: Direct purchases can remain active for up to 2 years, which significantly reduces your administrative workload.
Price suggestion
The suggested price is the most flexible and most commonly used sales type on railauction.plus – highly recommended, especially for beginners.
When creating your listing, you can either:
- specify a desired price that buyers can use as a guide, or
- not specify a price, in which case the product will be marked as “No price specified”
Interested parties will then send you price proposals, which you can accept or reject. Unlike with auctions, you are not obligated to actually sell your product. You can also communicate with potential buyers in advance and clarify any open questions.
Important to know:
- You have 5 business days to accept a price proposal. After that, the bidder is no longer bound to their offer.
- Sales can be completed immediately—you don't have to wait for the listing to expire.
Duration: Here, too, the longer duration of up to 2 years applies.
Open auction
An open auction is suitable for products that, based on experience, attract numerous interested parties and are expected to generate intense competition among bidders.
During the auction, all participants can see the current highest bid and the number of bidders at any time. This encourages active bidding and competitive behavior, and often leads to particularly strong deals. At the end, the highest bidder wins.
Duration: Open auctions can be set for up to 6 months.
Hidden auction
We recommend sealed-bid auctions for smaller markets or scenarios with few bidders. Since bids are not publicly visible, participants often submit strategically high bids to maximize their chances.
The key advantage:
At the end of the auction, you are free to decide which bidder wins the contract—it does not necessarily have to be the highest bidder.
Duration: Sealed-bid auctions can also run for up to 6 months.
Conclusion
Now you have a clear overview of all four sales types and their areas of application.
If you would like more detailed information—especially about the legal framework—we recommend our comprehensive sales type guide.
If you have any questions or need assistance in selecting or setting up your sales, we are always happy to help!
