posted on January 5, 2001 09:28:58 PM new
I've been around long enough to remember when
there were no banner ads at the top of my
auctions. If Yahoo isn't making enough from
that strategy, then I suggest adding a 2nd
banner ad to the bottom of the auction,
raising the rates they charge advertisers,
or both. There is no way I can justify
paying $0.20 to list each item, especially
with no re-listing if item doesn't sell.
My items, like other people who have posted,
are not "junk", but rather items in search
of the right owner. Most are items that
people will look for when they get to that
time in life where they long for things they
had (or wanted) when they were younger and
want again (older video games, comic books,
etc.) but I also sell newer video games and
DVDs.
I've changed the way I sell, going from low
starting bids with a Reserve to now using a
Buy price. I also added a CC payment
service. That service changed from free to
a fee but I stuck that out because adding it
has increased sales. Now the USPS has just
raised 2 lb. postage from $3.20 to $3.95!!!
I'm going to lose sales due to that anyway.
Recently Yahoo forced me to re-verify my CC
and FORCED me to sign up for two services I
did not want (PayDirect and Yahoo Wallet).
I simply don't use them, but I still had to
cough up my personal information to continue
listing auctions!
Then someone at Yahoo, where customer service
is a four letter word, gets the bright idea
to charge a listing fee!?! I am sooooo sick
of sending them a concern, in detail, only
to get a form letter back that has NOTHING
at all to do with what I sent them. That
along with less traffic than other sites,
high percentage of deadbeat bidders (which
has gone down since they added the CC check,
but so has the honest bidding) and now a fee
will force me to go elsewhere.
I guess I'll try Lycos, but that will take
some time to build. Usenet is also still
there, and web space is not that expensive
(you can always put your pictures and
descriptions up on a web site and post the
URL on Usenet) and sometimes free, but it
won't be the same.
I guess I'm trying to say that it was sorta
nice while it lasted... Periodic bumps in
the rode, but nothing to stop trying over,
until now. I'll be closing any auctions I
have still open on 01/09. Otherwise, I have
to use that YW account they made me open. :^)
---
"Cannot say. Saying, I would know. Do not
know, so cannot say". -- Zathras (Babylon 5)
