Please read before voting

Background :
After my April 2009 sale, there's been some discussion about the auction technique I used and I have agreed to make a poll to see what type of Sale the majority of Users would like to see.

Explanation of techniques and personal experiences :

1) +5 Minute Rule

A deadline is set for an auction, e.g. 2000Z.
If no bids occur between 1955Z and 2000Z, auction ends 2000Z as planned
However, if any bid is placed within 5 Minutes of the auction end, a new deadline is set to last bid +5 minutes, e.g. bid placed 1958Z leads to a new deadline of 1958Z+5Min = 2003Z.
Every additional bid from that point on will trigger this 5 Minute extension.

Pro:
- Seller manages the auction realtime
- updates a highlighted overview of highest bids to keep everyone up-to-speed even with multiple Items or lots of bids incoming
- Buyers have convinient overview table and guaranteed sufficient time to consider increasing a bid or leave it

Contra:
- bidders need to fully understand how this works, otherwise creates confusion
- lots of work for the Seller in the final Minutes, needs to be able to operate the Forum features at very high speed

2) Ebay Style

A fixed deadline is set with no extensions. If final seconds decide over last bids, Forum posting time stamp (Server clock) decides if a bid was still in time or too late.

Pro:
- extremely easy, everyone understands how this will work

Contra:
- bidders will have to somehow synchronize as exactly as possible to Server time
- bidders will post bids within the last seconds, almost no chance to react for others (slow internet connection users will definitely be screwed)
- any lag in server performance or YaBB Forum response time can screw the entire auction in the final seconds

3) Open End

Seller creates auction with no specific or a very long-running deadline.
As increasing bids come in, seller can at any time accept a bid when reaching a sufficient price.

Pro :
- fairly stressless for the seller, nothing time-critical and Items can be in the showcase for a fairly long time

Conta:
- Seller's decision to accept a bid can easily cause anger/irritation to others, if they would have wanted to increase their bids shortly but the item now sold.

4) Buy it now
Buyer sets his desired sale price for each item right from the start and launches the auction.

Pro:
- very transparent and easy, first come - first serve

Contra:
- often leads to other potential buyers anger/irritation when they discover the auction too late and would have payed significantly more to aquire the item now gone for a bargain.
- very volunerable to off-topic or price discussions when desired sales price appears too high for some or isolated users think it is a rip-off

+5 minute rule is in my opinion the only acceptable forum sales type.

All the others just lead to trouble. :)

+5 minute rule is ok, as long as there's not too many items to sell in a single auction

+5 minute rule. What's not to understand about it?

Designated end-time. If nobody bids in the 5 minutes preceding that, the auction ends at the regular time. Otherwise it's last bid +5 minutes.

Buy it now is also a way to go. First come, first serve. I don't see how that could cause problems.

+5 Min!

This is the best mode for auctions. And what is difficult to understand how this thing works?!

+5 min rule

+5m

+5min.although open end is a good alternative as well,most of the auctions over at 3dfx cz are done this way-as the price gets bumped up,the bidders gradually lose interest in the item (confirming that they are done with bidding),and in the end only one bidder remains-after that,some time (say 6-12hrs) is given so they have a chance to reconsider,and after that the auction is closed and the highest bidder gets his prize..

defently +5

With the ebay-style do to act maliciously some people.
And open end isn´t a option.

As a buyer, I'd have to go the 5+ rule I guess. As a seller, the ebay option is easier. You look at the time stamp, see who hit it last and go from there however I can see where the irritation can come in on that one.

Or the seller could choose, what kind of auction it is in the first post. So each auction would be somehow "unique".