posted on December 29, 2000 10:41:55 AM new
HI all -
I've tried to read as many of these threads as I can, and I think I've learned some things about how Yahoo generally functions as an auction site. But - unless I missed it - has anyone offered theories why Yahoo is different from ebay?
For example, why do most "auctions" win with one bid? Are all those closed auctions 1st bid wins, or do others also close with just one bid?
IN order to list using 1st bid wins, I have to increase my minimum over what I put on ebay, and then I'm left wondering if no bids means I went too high. I never end up buying on Yahoo because the prices are too high.
I want to do more on Yahoo in 2001, but I find that I still don't really understand the site. It's not intuitive to me. In contrast, I don't always like ebay fees, but I feel like I "get it" over there.
posted on December 29, 2000 12:08:14 PM new
I have not listed in ebay in over two years because I was unable to get photo's in without a webhost, have been back and forth from yahoo to Amazon, Amazon's members are wonderful, Amazon in general stinks, We returned to yahoo and are very pleased with it.
The high lights- up to 3 photo's allowed with up to 1.5mb total space. I dont need to have my photo's "web hosted"(I just dont like that term sounds like I need a chapperon), I just store my photos in my documents or brief case and pull them up.
Free listing up to 1000 items a month and I think the more you sell the more they allow.
No one in yahoo gets your email address unless they have won an item or sold an item to you, if they have a question, they have to ask it on the auction page for all to see and you have the option of answering or not. If they ask a ridiculous question, dont answer, it wont show on the page, if you answer it will show.
Yahoo has the Blacklist feature, where if you get a buyer who is a problem you can have them blacklisted from bidding in your auctions again.
Back out bidders- you can cancel their bids. Yahoo allows us to do this if winners dont respond to your emails after 5 days. If there were other bidders yahoo automatically offers the item to them without making it an obligation since many of us who get outbid go to another item to try and win. I think you can also cancel a bidder while the auction is active too.
You can leave excellent feedback, then if the buyer gives you unreasonable feedback you can respond in your feedback account and you can also go back and change your excellent rating to bad! a very dangerous but Wonderful feature.
Yahoo is easier for me to use, less down time, less politics. Amazon was duplicating auctions, relisting items that sold, duplicating the one click payments (credit card payment) A total headache. changing policies, adding fee's etc. etc.
Ebay is still a good site, we still buy occassionally, it is just too confusing for me now since I am not there daily.
Yahoo is great!! No auction site is perfect, we all have to work together to make things work. I love the search by photo feature when shopping in yahoo. I even use this feature to help identify some of the foreign coins and stamps we buy, I just hit the photo search. A Wonderful tool for Dyslexics like myself.
posted on December 29, 2000 12:29:58 PM new
Yahoo Is different and for some the reason maybe good news to them for others it maybe badnews.
Frist this is yahoo is free to list there is no huge bill if you list hundereds of item week after week this makes sellers more laid back ifthere items dont sell they just relist them again and move on.
most average yahoo auction end with one or some times two bids yahoo is also different in the way starting prices are higher more up to what the seller hope the auction will end with partly why one bid wins works so well there.
One bid wins works for many buyer with a busy life style they want to make there bid or buy and wont have time to fallow this auction 5 to 10 days they can bid once pay and not worry its over.
so the bigest difference in yahoo over ebay is its more laid back less stressfull compare this to the wrestleing and stressing of sellers and buyer we see on these message boards.
yahoo is mostly for the seller who has some items to get rid of and they just relax and relist till it sells they are not makeing a liveing most never intended too. http://www.Dman-N-Company.com
posted on December 29, 2000 02:04:00 PM new
yahoo is mostly for the seller who has some items to get rid of and they just relax and relist till it sells they are not makeing a liveing most never intended too.
That isn't exactly true, I do this full time, Ebay is fine for buying, the sellers are great, I dont care too much for selling there, yes you get the bids, you also get the "know it alls" who will try anything after they have won to get a better deal.
Yahoo offers recourse for sellers. And implemented strict no-shilling rules.
I can spend $20 on a pound of Stamps, which usually adds a couple hundred dollars to the value of my collection then sell the rest to triple the money back, so I can buy more and save the rest. If this is not making a living, I dont know what is. Fortunately my husband works outside the home and is a good provider, he needs me at home, I am able to take a little money and turn it into an asset thru auctions, if I had to buy a car or god forbid husband was injured on the job I can sell our collection I have amassed. It is my little piece of security and a way to provide for my family in an emergency.
For anyone to start a business without backing and expect it to carry them is not a good business decision, The word "Auction" means the same thing as "Gambling" I would do better at a craps table if I thought I was going to win all the time and live off it. Only well established auctioneers can do this, I wouldn't suggest anyone to leave where they are successfully living off there auctions, someday I will too, it doesn't happen overnight.
If being able to relax and watch your items sell is so bad I dont know what to tell you. Some people can't exist without turmoil in their lives. I have better things to do.
Keywords are the key to anything you want to sell, no matter where you decide to do so, I search by keywords to buy, so I sell by keywords. I am happy with Yahoo because I am not putting out the hundreds of dollars in fees like we did in Amazon auctions.
posted on December 29, 2000 02:30:06 PM new
roll...I couldn't have said it better myself!
Due to Yahoo I've never made more money and I actually get to keep it. Even if they started charging a small fee, I'd gladly pay them for the peace and quiet that resides there.
I don't sell my junk there. I put only the best, because that's what my customers deserve.
posted on December 29, 2000 02:41:17 PM new
I'm selling off a massive collection of trading cards, both sports and non-sport. I'm gearing toward the set-builder, and that means I'm listing each card individually. Many of the cards I list are priced at 10 cents, all the way up to 15-20 dollars. By not charging a fee, Yahoo allows me to offer the cards from a particular set individually, which helps a set-builder buy that elusive card.
Can you imagine paying 25 cents at eBay to list a 10-cent card? I DON'T think so...
posted on December 29, 2000 08:31:37 PM new
For example, why do most "auctions" win with one bid? Are all those closed auctions 1st bid wins, or do others also close with just one bid?
I think that most Yahoo sellers aren't expecting a bidding war to break out over their item, so they list at what they want to sell for. If one person comes along & bids, they're happy. And I DO think a lot of sellers are using one-bid-wins auctions regularly.
N order to list using 1st bid wins, I have to increase my minimum over what I put on ebay, and then I'm left wondering if no bids means I went too high.
You can always lower your price later, but you can never raise it later once you've sold for too little.
I never end up buying on Yahoo because the prices are too high.
Of course I don't know what you're looking for, but it seems to me that you may not be looking often enough or thoroughly enough to find the bargains. Items that REMAIN on Yahoo a long time are usually overpriced, but there are really fantastic deals to be had- and they disappear FAST. I would recommend setting some Yahoo "alerts" for what you like to buy. If you find a seller you like, set an alert so you get emails whenever they list new items. I can tell you that I have bought many wonderful things on Yahoo (re-sold lots of them at a profit) and many other things for my own personal collections, and I am a complete cheapskate.
I find that I still don't really understand the site.
I can TOTALLY understand that statement, it is exactly how I felt when I was a Yahoo newbie. All I can tell you is that I've found it very worthwhile to learn, and it really wasn't too difficult when I just sat down & went for it. Reading this board was really helpful too needless to say.
but I feel like I "get it" over there.
It took me about a month to feel like I really "got it" on Yahoo. But all I can say is you don't have to dump ebay completely in order to benefit from Yahoo. Just list a little on Yahoo at a time. You'll learn quickly, it's a pretty easy site to navigate.
You'll really appreciate having a presence on Yahoo next time Ebay starts crashing, or puts up an obnoxious banner ad in your category. It takes a LOT of the pressure off.
posted on December 30, 2000 08:29:26 AM new
HI CAgrrl - today I told one of the only 2 auctions I have on Yahoo right now, and as usual I'm very pleased. Hope to do much more in 2001.
I guess my problem is that I keep thinking of Yahoo as an auction site, but with all the 1st bid wins action, it doesn't seem to be an auction at all. Maybe I do miss the bargains if they are snapped up right away. Mostly I've looked for lego sets for my son. I've bid on hundreds of sets on ebay and often have even ended up paying pretty much what they ask on Yahoo, but psychologically, I prefer having the chance of getting a real deal, vs offering retail price immediately.
posted on December 30, 2000 09:47:37 AM new
The best thing about Yahoo! Auctions: if you receive a retaliatory feedback which attacks you PERSONALLY, Yahoo! will remove it. A deadbeat bidder tried to leave several negative feedbacks toward me personally, and after notifying Yahoo! they completely removed it. eBay won't touch feedback unless you have a court order.
posted on January 3, 2001 09:49:29 AM new
I use Yahoo only from time to time. The problem is the retail like atmosphere. I've seen lower prices on some of this stuff at WalMart. And the older merchandise for the "collector" is few and far between. Sort of takes all of the fun out of auctioning. Im not downing Yahoo. I enjoy lookiing around but seldom find what Im looking for. There are tons of online stores that sell digital cameras and other consumer deals at the same low prices without waiting days for the auction to end, then corresponding with the seller, worrying about payment and shipping options, etc... At least on ebay you have the chance at a better deal. Place your maximum bid and never worry about going over or paying too much.
All that aside, I like Yahoo and would love to it better utilized.
**A NOTE TO THE SELLERS**
If there is a minimum bid you would like to get then POST IT. I quit using Yahoo because I got so sick of seeing what looked like a good deal only to find out it had a RESERVE price. Im not going to waste my time bidding on something when I dont know what the seller expects to bring. There are too many products out there to bid on. Yahoo literally wears out the RESERVE price feature and I've noted these are the least likely to recieve bids. I never use a reserve price and have ALWAYS got what I needed out of an auction. Lets face it, we are bidding against other bidders not against the seller...duh..
Please do not take this post as a negative post.. Just an observation and personal opinion. I will continue using Yahoo just like everyone else.. But I will use Ebay predominantly.. Fees or no Fees.
