Behind the scenes
Summer heat is driving book sales – particularly among women
by Daniel Borchers
I’ve used Galaxus’s Dutch auction to hone my self-control
22.12.2025
Translation: Katherine Martin
Although I’ve had close to zero success with it so far, I’ve fallen hard for Galaxus’s Dutch auction feature. After four months of watching, waiting and truly comprehending the wisdom of hindsight, I’m sharing my takeaways, top tips and some insider info.
About four months ago, I was tasked with announcing the launch of Galaxus’s new Dutch auction feature. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, here’s how it works in a nutshell. During an auction, the price of a product drops – and continues dropping – until somebody clicks «Buy now». The first customer to do so wins the bid. A new auction kicks off every day at 10 a.m., with 20 different products up for grabs.
As a shopaholic who’s a sucker for gamification, I obviously think the feature’s great. However, using it also means running the risk of pouring money down the drain. With this in mind, here are my Dutch auction takeaways and tips (primarily aimed at myself) that you might need to hear too.
1. Don’t miss it!
I regularly miss the auction’s 10 a.m. start. Even though, as a Galaxus employee, I feel like I spend all day with the shop on my screen in multiple tabs. If you check out the list of previously sold products in the new interface, missing out can be a real bummer. Particularly if it was a MacBook on the virtual auction block that day. Our development team has taken this – and a high number of requests from our Community – into account and added a Dutch auction push notification to the Galaxus app. If you activate it, it’ll let you know when the auction’s about to start. To do this, go to Profile – Settings – Customise push notifications – Dutch auction.
2. Discounts don’t make useless items any less useless
Galaxus doesn’t reveal which products are going up for sale until the auction starts. On some days, I join and see 20 items I don’t need. When that happens, it’s a good idea to close the tab straight away. If I don’t, that one pair of hiking boots suddenly gets so cheap that my finger starts to twitch. Even though the ones I already have are still in tip-top condition. So to avoid filling your drawers and basement with pointless junk, you’re best off removing the temptation altogether.
3. Use my insider info
Galaxus Dutch auctions typically last 48 minutes, with customers achieving a 55 per cent «discount» on average. Very few people participate in our Saturday and Sunday auctions, so your chances of landing a bargain are higher at weekends. Your coffee break at the beginning of the working week, on the other hand, might be put to better use elsewhere. The level of Dutch auction competition is at its highest on Mondays and Tuesdays.
If you want to become an auction pro, I’d recommend studying these two slides pretty closely. They reveal which 10 product categories have produced the highest and lowest discounts so far.
4. Spice up your procrastination efforts
Bored at work but social media’s blocked on your company laptop? Then forget everything you just learned in section two. With a little imagination, watching the Dutch auction is like watching a stripped-back version of «Bares für Rares» (basically the Swiss version of Antiques Roadshow) – only without the mustachioed host.
5. Know your alternatives
If you don’t always make smart decisions under pressure, you can hunt for bargains in a chilled-out, stress-free manner in our Sale section. Or alternatively, just don’t buy stuff you don’t need (see section two).
6. Don’t like something? Moan about it!
We’re keen to hear your feedback. On that note, thank you for your numerous comments pointing out how dumb it was of us to charge shipping fees for products auctioned off for less than 50 francs. We scrapped those fees just a few weeks after launching the Dutch auction. It just shows you that moaning can work miracles on Galaxus.
Oh, and one last thing. If, like me, you’re obviously stingier than the market, don’t worry. You’ll save much more than you would if you bought something. And besides, we all know the chase is better than the catch anyway.
What’s been your experience of the Dutch auction? Are you a big fan? Or do you think it’s an unnecessary feature? Let me know in the comments.
Header image: Manuel Wenk
Tobias Heller
Communications Manager
Tobias.Heller@digitecgalaxus.chBehind the scenes
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