ebay advice

ebay auctions for high-end clothes, shoes, etc., may get 100 hits with only 10 viewers of the right size and only one or two likely or willing to bid. it's not like selling video games. your winning bids will be determined by only a few people, so your ending prices will vary unpredictably with a very low opening bid. a few weeks ago i bought an oxxford sportcoat in an off color for 99 cents. the wording of your post suggests you do not have a lot of risk tolerance. you shudder at the thought of someone walking away with your shoes for forty dollars. so don't take chances with low opening bids. you should set the auction to start at the lowest price you are willing to accept. the more specific the fit and style of the item, the more likely that you would only get one or two bids anyway. two bidders starting at .99 might end at fifty dollars, but one of those bidders might pay 350, if that's the opening bid, in a last-minute only-bid-in-the-auction snipe. bidders tend to adjust what they are willing to pay to the possibility of getting a great deal. a larger opening bid might make your NIB look more new, too. some items sell better at higher price points than they do at lower ones. the 99 cent opening bid might give your bidders the wrong idea on these luxury items. and, the more you tempt them with the prospect of winning your shoes for $40, the more they will want to do that. (it could be the case, however, that you overvalue your precious items. most of us do. it's hard to say the value of something until you test the market.) if no one bids at your lowest price, re-list at a lower price or re-list at the same price with the best offer feature.

Why don't you give us a better idea of what you're selling

Theres an option called a "Reserve" where you set the lowest price that you are will to sell but buyers cannot see it until they reach this price. If at the end of the auction but this reserve price has not been met then you don't have to sell it. Theres a fee for setting a reserve price though. Use this method or just set the starting price higher. Thats my 2 cents.

+1 on dewey's advice, -1 on Karo's.. Reserve auctions on ebay are unpopular.

To be honest, I rarely pay attention to reserve auctions when I'm buying, so I personally never go that route. I had a very high end item that I was looking to sell recently, a pair of new John Lobbs. I was advised to sell them with an opening bid of .99 and that I would have no trouble getting full value for them. Luckily they sold to a forum member before I listed them, but it has made me keep an eye on that kind of listing, very high end items with very low starting bids. The results are mixed. I've rarely seen new Lobbs listed at .99 that didn't sell in excess of $500. On the other hand I've seen Sutors start at that price and not get $200. I almost always start an auction at a price that I will feel result in a sale, while getting me what I think is a fair price. The savings in listing fees is minimal and I tend to think of them as insurance that you'll get what you think your item is worth, or at least retain ownership if others don't agree with your idea of the items value. Its really an inexpensive way to avoid sellers remorse.

It will not help you build a reputation as a seller, but this matters if you want to become an established ebay seller ...
IMHO you should have an idea of what the market price is for the items you are selling and what your price expectations are, set the opening bid or the reserve accordingly.
I prefer an higher opening bid than a lower open + reserve because it makes clear from the start which the expected outcome is.
Hope this helps

They have the option there for a reason. I agree its unpopular and I personally don't use it, but on the other hand it is also a way to give you an idea of how much your item is worth.