I really wish they'd rename the "auction" to something more indicative of what it really is, like "marketplace". If it were a real auction we'd set a starting bid and let demand determine the price.
I found myself in a similar situation the other day...I had 56 chunks of sparkly listed at 450 currants (I think?) and nobody bid. It turned out that quite a few other Glitches had that same idea, but the demand just wasn't there. I think I'm going to try selling half of it again later and trade the rest for cooking ingredients.
-Glitch DJTch7
Edit: I did not see JooJoo's idea at first. Wouldn't it be fun to to have a full marketplace with stalls and such? I know there's a Farmer's Market once every so-often...