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  • eBay Giving Works Charity Ribbon Planning Timeline for Auction Events and Virtual Tag Sales

  • How long does it take?

  • We find that the most successful auction events and virtual tag sales are planned three to six months ahead. To help your planning, we’ve broken dow the process step-by-step:
  • At least three months before:

    Make your plan (answer every question on this page). Sell at least one test item on eBay to see how it works.
  • Two months before:

    Begin soliciting items to sell.
  • One month before:

    Photograph and write descriptions of your items.
  • You can also start creating your listings up to three weeks in advance using eBay's scheduled listing External Link feature (we strongly recommend this).
  • Two weeks before:

    Begin advanced promotion of your auction event on your website, by press release, email announcements, etc.
  • First day of event:

    Announce your auction event through every channel you have (just be sure that your listings are live on eBay first).
  • During the event:

    Keep your supporters engaged with regular updates.
  • As your listings close:

    Send out invoices as your items end – don’t wait until everything is finished. Ship your items as soon as you’ve been paid.
  • Two weeks after:

    Close out your books and publicize your final results. Prepare a final event summary for next year, and don’t forget to share your story External Link.
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