posted on April 20, 2002 08:44:49 PM new
I thought it took three different Yahoo members reporting the same auction to get a Yahoo human to even look at the reports? You see a lot of shady selling activity on Yahoo and I'm glad the users have the option that can easily make a report on any auction that seems suspect.
posted on April 21, 2002 07:33:50 AM new
Community watch was the wrong term to use. The person who mis-identified my auction was the equivalent of what is called a VERO (Verified Rights Owner) on Ebay. I don't know what Yahoo calls them. One mis-identification by a VERO (and they make them frequently) means you account is instantly gone at Yahoo. This despite the federal copyright law that says you have the right to file a counter-notice to any VERO complaint. Yahoo ignores federal law and will not allow you to file this counter-notice (Ebay will). Yahoo just puts you out of business. They operate illegally and deserve anything they get as far as I'm concerned.
Keep in mind that you had better be right when you file a counter notice because the VERO can sue you if you are not. I know all of the products I sell are legal and on Ebay when one is mis-identified by a VERO I always file a counter notice (and they always back down when confronted with it because they know I am right). Ebay allows you to confront your accuser (a basic American right) - Yahoo does not. The way Yahoo does business might fly somwehere like Russia, but not in America.
[ edited by InternetEdge on Apr 21, 2002 07:36 AM ]
[ edited by InternetEdge on Apr 21, 2002 05:26 PM ]
posted on April 28, 2002 08:15:10 AM new
But, it doesn't always work that way. Although I am not a VeRO fan, I do have a problem with the proliferation of bootleg videos being sold on all auction venues. I was a Yahoo buyer/seller with a decent record, and I was also helping them get rid of the obvious bootleggers (the guys who sell homemade copies of "The Sopranos", "Buffy", etc). Everytime I submitted a complaint, I included enough information for Yahoo to verify it - auction number, name and phone number of copyright owner etc, and each time they did, the auction would be ended and I would get a running tally "thanks" from Yahoo.
When their fee structure started, they terminated my membership. The nickel and dime fees they were collecting from the bootleggers was more important to them than their integrity ... to the point where they include free links to bootlegs on their entertainment pages.
I don't think I would want to deal with an auction venue that not only ignores illegal items, but also promotes them on their "big" pages thus luring in folks who have no interest in auctions, but do want to buy a bootleg copy of last week's "Buffy". To me, this is abetting a criminal activity.
And, to make it even worse, when they terminated my account and ended all of my listings, they charged me for the listing fees!
posted on April 28, 2002 08:31:33 AM new
Yahoo is too busy closing legitimate auctions to deal with the illegal one's. Closing illegal one's is too easy, this is a sport for them, they want more challenge.
I'm glad I got the ax right when I did before I invested more time and energy into Yahoo, because if I had 1000 auctions running rather than the 100 I had, then that would have been more disruptive to my business.
It also wakened me up to the reality that Yahoo is worse than ebay, and not an alternative. It's been a blessing in disguise I got the ax.
posted on April 28, 2002 03:16:12 PM new
RB what was their excuse for ending your account? I would have charged back the fees on my credit card too, or was it those funny money credits? Yahoo and Bidville both kicked you off??
posted on April 29, 2002 07:39:12 AM new
Hi blairwitch ...
Yahoo ... what happened there is I actually placed a bid on some Spiderman tapes that I had discussed with the seller before bidding. The seller told me that the tapes were studio releases. I won the tapes and got the EOA notice. The seller wanted me to send a money order with the Payee part left blank and the address I was supposed to send it to was "Yahoo Auction" with a PO box number. Of course I got a little suspicious and questioned the seller ... not only about his reason for not telling me his name, but about his tapes. I was able to get him to admit that the tapes were actually copies of stuff he had recorded off teevee, so I told him to take a hike. He filed a neg on me and I retaliated with a neg back about his bootlegs, and I informed Yahoo. Checking his other auctions (and the ones he still has running even today), they are *all* bootlegs and he has received many negs. But because he has sold 100's of these tapes on Yahoo, and because Yahoo wants the fees, they decided to terminate my account for reporting him. I never was able to get an actal "reason" for the termination, but that seems to be the common modus operandi for Yahoo. At the time of this termination, I had 6 or 7 items listed that they had debited by bank account for listing fees (I don't use credit cards), and they refused to credit me back for these when they terminated my listings. It amounted to less than $5.00, and due to the extreme difficulty of getting a human response from Yahoo, I figured it would be less stressful for me to just walk away from these crooks.
Bidville ... I called the operation (not anyone in particular) "sleazy" when they were using porn pop-ups to generate revenue, and the Prez and I came to a mutual agreement. I never did do much buying or selling there, although I do a lot of off-venue buying now from Bidville sellers.
Incidentally, eBay has recognized their error when they emailed me the "24 Hour Verification Warning Notice" and have finally reinstated my membership ... I have a place to spend money again
posted on April 29, 2002 08:24:51 AM new
Glad you're back at eBay Buzz. It truly is the only game in town to buy or sell most items, with the possible exception of some specialty auction sites.
eBay has always been good canceling illegal auctions when I let them know that certain sellers are using their auction(s) as signpost auctions to drive traffic to third tier auction sites.
posted on April 29, 2002 09:50:38 AM new
Blairwitch I totally agree with your comment of:
"posted on March 26, 2002 10:59:48 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In time yahoo may eliminate listing fees, but they need to keep the junk listings at a minimum. The last thing they need is thousands of nickel and dime listings like at bidville. They should charge a flat FVF of 5%. They must be making money off the FVF's during the FLD's to keep having them."
********
Regarding Junk Auctions, as I said in another thread:
It doesn’t matter how low fees are, if items don’t sell. AND, the fact is, before fees, there may have been 10 zillion recipes, which I never knew, because I never looked, as this doesn’t effect me, BUT there were 10 zillion sales also, and THAT is the difference.
Who cares if there are endless recipes, or such, if the sales are also good? No one makes anyone go through recipes when they are looking for a lamp, or a necklace, I see no correlation between 10 zillion recipes and sales in jewelry. In my year on Yahoo, as I said, I never encountered a recipe or such. Personally, I think that is a “Straw Man,” issue.
posted on April 29, 2002 11:30:00 AM new
RB that seems weird they would cancel any account for no reason given. I had no idea that Bidville was using porn popups on their site in the past, but it doesnt surprise me any.
JWPC if yahoo were to eliminate listing fees, and I dont think they will since many sellers on the site dont want them to the junk listings would flood the site. All those listings fled to bidville, and that site has well over a million listings, but a very low sell thru of rate 1.5%. My sales on yahoo are very good and I also list items on consignment for other sellers I know on ebay. Each seller advertises our user ID in their EOA email which allows us to advertise our listings to many buyers.
posted on May 15, 2002 11:57:07 AM new
Yahoo should think about luring some of eBay's power sellers to them. Power sellers usually have a lot of repeat customers who they can bring with them. Yahoo should offer those sellers great deals to list at Yahoo.
The big problem for sellers on Yahoo is that there are a lot of sellers who have cut their prices so low you can't compete with them. That's great for buyers, but sellers have to make money to stay in business.
Unfortunately, that's the sort of situation you're going to end up with unless Yahoo gets a new infusion of sellers who start their items at reasonable prices (and by reasonable I mean what they would sell them for on eBay) and bring with them buyers who are willing to buy from them and other Yahoo sellers.
We have signs from God because some of us are too stupid to figure things out for ourselves.
posted on May 15, 2002 12:26:00 PM new
I can't imagine why a Power Seller would use Yahoo. They could have 5000 auctions running and Yahoo might suspend them without warning. It's too risky to devote that much time and effort into a place that could wipe you out in an instant.
posted on May 15, 2002 01:26:42 PM new
quickdraw -
You are exactly right about that. I am an Ebay Power Seller and I was using Yahoo extensively as well. However after devoting hundreds of hours of time to my auctions on the site, one day out of the blue they simply cancelled my account for a completely bogus reason. They did not even have the decency to contact me before eliminating my business from their site.
I would NEVER use such an outfit again and I would caution anyone considering using them on a large scale to not even think about it. What they did to me clearly demonstrates why Yahoo will never be a factor in the auction business (at least not as long as the current management is in place with such abysmal customer service). The real shame of it is that they "could have been a contender" if they had even half-way decent management.
posted on May 15, 2002 02:32:48 PM new
Which is exactly why Yahoo needs to change their management that will court Power Sellers. They also need to treat Power Sellers right when they list on Yahoo, otherwise, like you guys said, why bother?
Heck, if I thought I could make money on Yahoo I'd list there all the time with their low listing fees. I'm not about to give away my merchandise, and I'm not going to sell it for a penny and make my money up in S&H.
Yahoo needs help and until they get new management it's not going to happen.
We have signs from God because some of us are too stupid to figure things out for ourselves.
posted on May 16, 2002 03:30:08 AM new
They not only do not court sellers, they treat them like dirt. I know of no other business in America that would treat their paying clients the way they do (power sellers or otherwise). Unless they totally clean house at the top of Yahoo auctions they will continue to spin their wheels in the mud. They have got an attractive and viable product to sell, but somehow the basics of business 101 have escaped them. Rather than "the customer is always right", they live by the credo "the customer is never right".
[ edited by InternetEdge on May 16, 2002 03:31 AM ]
posted on September 19, 2002 06:06:10 PM new
I have been looking at yahoo auctions, there prices are better, but theres not many bidders, ebay is getting to where it sucks, to sell, it looks like you cant make any money, like i said not many bidders,
good for buyers
bad for sellers
posted on September 19, 2002 06:18:19 PM new
Ebay has been going down hill for sometime now. Its up to sellers to stick together and build yahoo. If they do yahoo would most likely add more features and more customer service. No way am I giving ebay money for BIN when I can list items for a nickel at yahoo. One day eBay will outprice their small customers just wait and see.
posted on September 19, 2002 07:14:00 PM new
Having Yahoo as an alternative is like having two clunkers in case one breaks down. The way I look at it, I need whatever will give me the most productivity, and Yahoo is just sputtering by at 20 MPH; ebay goes 150 MPH but spends half the time in the garage. I just want to get rid of both and start over.
