posted on February 29, 2000 01:10:15 PM new
Hi all:
This Wednesday, March 1, 2000, the Auctions.com Network will be unveiling newly restructured categories. With much input from you, our members, we have added many new categories, eliminated numerous redundant categories, and consolidated listing areas.
Overall, our possible categories are being trimmed from roughly 6,400 to right at 1800.
Our goal is two-fold.
First we wanted, wherever possible, to make minor changes to the currently most active categories. We anticipate that the overall impact of the final changes will be minimal for our most active members in the most active selling areas.
Second, we wanted to streamline category selection to make searching more logical and inviting for both listers and buyers.
Here is a summary of the major changes we have made to the category tree:
1. "Other Collectibles" and "Other Memorabilia" have been combined into one top-level category called "Collectibles and Memorabilia". This change will create an all-inclusive category for current and desirable collectibles and memorabilia.
2. The Real Estate category has been eliminated. Listings for real estate related items can be located under Grab Bag.
3. To prevent multiple layers of information, we sought to eliminate all fourth-level categories. Additionally, many third-level categories have been combined.
While for our users these should prove to be welcome category adjustments, this is quite a major undertaking for our technicians. In order to make the appropriate changes to our new category tree, the auctions.com site will be removed from service for approximately 4 hours beginning at 8:00 am EST on Wednesday, March 1, 2000. When the site returns, all functionality will return as well, however, there will be a slight delay with new listings appearing on the site while our new content filters through the site.
Those auctions scheduled to close between 7:30 am and 4:00 pm EST on Wednesday, March 1st, will be extended by 24 hours.
Current listings will be automatically ported to the appropriate category during this process. Old category codes will no longer work after the change on Wednesday. When listing items after this time, please note the new category code changes on our Listing Form.
If you will be re-listing items via Auction Management and do not make the change to the category code on this listing, auctions.com will place your listing in what we believe is the best new category. (Again, our most active categories typically did not change.) Any item that auctions.com is unable to accurately categorize will be placed in the "Other" section of that category.
If you wish to change the category of any of your current listings after the update, please contact our Customer Service department for more details by emailing us at [email protected]
If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know!
posted on March 1, 2000 02:53:49 PM new
hmmmmm......
Well I guess the upgrade didn't go so well since as of 5:30pm EST I am still looking at the old catagories......
---
Auctions.com ID: [email protected] http://www.magikworlds.com
posted on March 2, 2000 02:26:48 PM new
The Major Announcement that Auctions.com forgot to tell you was they are also going to be charging FEES!!!! Remember long time ago, AuctionUniverse (AKA Auctions.Com) blasted us with Banner Advertisments and notices on their site stating "we not charging fees, not now, not ever" and going on to say "We only make money when You make money"
Well, Auction.Com, I guess you weren't making because the customers weren't.
I've been listing on various auction sites for almost 2 years, and Auctions.Com has been my slowest. I can run the same ad on Yahoo (another truly free site) and sell 20 of my items each and every time. On Auction.com, I've now run the same ad, both times featured, and didn't sell a single item... On Amazon.com, the very same ad pulls me over 100 sales per 10 day auction.
Anyway, I back to the subject in hand. Why first promise you will only make money when we (the sellers) do and now put fees on all listings.......
posted on March 2, 2000 02:45:46 PM new
Well, the new listings are working now, although the switching over of items to the proper catagories didn't go quite so well as one might think....Nothing in the new Non-Sport Cards Pokemon category but lots of them under Other Cards.....Oh well it is still an improvement.
ValleyOne, where do you see that AC is charging basic listing fees again? I haven't seen that announcement.....
Valleyone is right about the fees although they are minimal - a dime a listing.
The change in policy is based on two things.
First, the free-forever thing was the brainchild of some former decision-makers at "auctionuniverse.com" We've had a few changes in how decisions are made since then and the honcho's at "auctions.com" didn't feel tied to the policy of their forebares.
Second, we had a series of complaints both from users and more traditional merchants that the free listings resulted in questionable items being listed.
It should be obvious that we're experimenting with new approaches. Certainly you can fault us for making an effort to try, try again.
posted on March 3, 2000 10:49:18 AM new
Define "questionable item" please.
If you calling software which claims to make you millions, or guns, or x-rated videos, and other items like that, the people listing these type items are still going to pay the fees to list them. Why you ask, the answer is Because they SELL! And sell very well. I've been selling a mixture of these items on various auction sites (that allow it) and profit a lot of money. I would pay $100-$200 per listing basied on what I profit on Amazon.
The bottom line is, I can't give items away on Auctions.Com and I simply won't list there anymore.
Susan.
PS: The old phrase of AuctionUniverse AKA Aucitons.Com of "We don't make money until you do" really makes me laugh now that you're going to charge fees....
posted on March 3, 2000 01:35:52 PM new
OK, a dime I can handle. Free is much better of course. But I pay a dime at Amazon so it's no big deal. Will we still get the 3 free relists?
And if fees will eliminate some of the dreck in the listings i am all for it. Although one of my bigger peeves than simple garbage listings is stuff listed in the wrong places. Not only the "information" CD's being listed in every possible category but also regular merchandise that the seller spreads 10-15 dutch listings all over the place for the same item. Sometimes it is even in the same category which drowns out the rest of the listings.
My next wish list items for you guys is to make it easier for people to use Bidsafe. On Amazon, I have had 4 sales so far in the 4 weeks i have been selling there (yeah i am one of those high-volume listers HA!) 3 of which have been paid with Amazon Payments. 2 sales on AU/AC out of 25+ used Bidsafe in the entire time i have been listing stuff there. Plus Amazon will direct deposit payments.
Don't get me wrong, I love you guys, i really do. I have been taking a break while i experiment with the other place because i had "1 month, no sales" burnout. I have noticed that some of the merchants have been letting things slide as well. I am gearing up though now. I have access to some cool new stuff that I want to try out and see how it sells.
I think you hit it on the nail head regarding the dime listings. Of course we can only hope the multiple category listings will end although we do have the right to go in and nail the offenders.
As is obvious from this change, we're doing rethinking and retooling this winter and spring.
For instance, we moved all our server farm from one backbone provider to another. The result of the move? Right now, over at Gomez.com, they've got a "performance indicator" that shows the amount of time it takes to get a site. We went from being one of the average to slow sites to being the undisputed fastest site they measure ... Indeed it says we're almost 50 percent faster than the average. (Response in .36 sec at AC vs. .67 sec overall).
Anyway, like the categories -- we do have more work to do on those -- we've got our work cut out for us. Change ... well right now change is good ... whether it is 4000 fewer listing categories or a dime minimum to list.
Pat
PS: The 3X auto listing and 30 day max time continue.
