posted on March 8, 2001 08:10:19 AM new
I just posted my first auction yesterday since the listing fees started. After reading the threads regarding improved sales for some people, the idea stuck in the back of my mind.
Well, eBay has been having problems lately. Mainly intermittant problems trying to list there for the past several days. I listed several yesterday and only had 1 more to go when, BAM, problems again.
With no new hits on BidVille for a long time and no sales since last month, I said, "What the heck, it's only 20 cents." (Nope, I didn't go for the credits, stupid me.) I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's received as many hits since yesterday as some of my eBay items. I can assure you that never happened before.
It won't necessarily sell, I realize that, but I figure it's a cheap experiment.
posted on March 8, 2001 09:25:38 AM new
I have been running between 300 to 400 auctions a week since nov on Yahoo. The amount of hits is beyound belief, twice to three times that on Ebay Makes me wonder. The amount of sales was great, ok, bad, ok , great now bad. Overall I see running nothing in the summer. I see a compete and total shut down of yahoo auctions under the present fee structure durring the summer slow down. Items for sale will fall way below 100,000 unless something is changed. It is their move and they have little time left to save thier auction venue from being bascily useless as a sales tool. Yahoo stores have also seen a drastic fall off in sales. The only thing I see doing well anymore is the free games traffic.
posted on March 8, 2001 11:44:49 AM new
Since YaWho Auction's count has been so DRASTICALLY reduced, my listings have generally had high numbers of hits---much, much higher numbers than they used to get when the Auction was 2+ million---but it hasn't helped my sales any. What good are hits if the people looking aren't BIDDING???
It seems the few buyers left have nothing ELSE to look at, so they look at ALL of the few remaining listings "just for kicks", with absolutely no intention of BUYING anything. To me, that's not an improvement over what I USED to have---only a handful of pageviews, but one buyer among them.
posted on March 8, 2001 11:54:03 AM new
I have close to $400 in listing credits and I have listed exactly zero auctions since Jan 10 when Yahoo started charging fees.
I do not consider Yahoo's current rates a win/win situation for Yahoo and sellers. I won't support Yahoo in any form until they show a sincere willingness to listen to their sellers (x-sellers in most cases).
At their current rates, Yahoo may as well be another half.com or some other site that eBay has bought.
I'm at the point now where I would only move a small portion of my items from Bidville to Yahoo even if they do reduce the fees. Yahoo is quickly running out of options.
Hard to believe eBay sellers didn't take notice how quickly Yahoo sellers dumped Yahoo. I thought they might get a clue that eBay needs sellers, more than the sellers need eBay. Ebay sellers never cease to amaze me.
posted on March 8, 2001 02:06:58 PM newHard to believe eBay sellers didn't take notice how quickly Yahoo sellers dumped Yahoo. I thought they might get a clue that eBay needs sellers, more than the sellers need eBay. Ebay sellers never cease to amaze me.
I'm not sure what is meant by this. I myself certainly did notice the mass exodus and was a part of it. I simply meant that since others have posted of an improvement in their sales, I would list something since eBay went down (for listing anyway) and there is absolutely next to no action in my selling category over at BidVille.
And as far as sellers needing eBay, I certainly do and I'm not ashamed to admit it. If I had to depend on BidVille exclusively right now, it wouldn't be worth bothering with. And I hate to say that, since I really like the site, but it's true.
Somehow what started out as a somewhat neutral post about Yahoo turned into a slam on eBay sellers (of which I am quite a successful one, but I like to try other sites, too) and that really amazes me.
posted on March 8, 2001 03:28:24 PM new
No slam on eBay sellers intended. But its hard to miss the contrast between the majority of eBay sellers and X-Yahoo sellers. I've seen sporadic calls for boycotts when eBay adds or increases fees, but nothing close to the mass exodus we've just seen from Yahoo. This kind of exodus from eBay would bring eBay to its knees. Needless to say, a 90+% loss of listings on eBay would have eBay scrambling to get their sellers back instead of raising fees.
posted on March 8, 2001 04:08:35 PM new
BJGrolle: With no new hits on BidVille for a long time and no sales since last month, I said, "What the heck, it's only 20 cents." (Nope, I didn't go for the credits, stupid me.) I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's received as many hits since yesterday as some of my eBay items. I can assure you that never happened before.
Hi BJGrolle,
I was wondering, How could you get credits from Yahoo. I guess I missed out too.
Dantheman984
posted on March 8, 2001 04:28:29 PM new
If you guys are new to Yahoo that's why you missed the credits. Awhile back, when they were making all those changes like scrambling up the listing order in an effort to get sellers to pay to feature their auctions (but before the actual listing fees) Yahoo offered their seller $1 credit for each feedback on either Amazon or Ebay. It was only for a limited time though, I think it's way too late to get credits now.
posted on March 8, 2001 05:45:26 PM new
OK, I get it now. Thanks for the clarification.
Yes, if as many of us left eBay as left Yahoo (and I admit I was only with Yahoo for a couple of months) there would be some changes.
Leaving Yahoo was easy with the dismal sales I had, maybe about 1 every 10 days. On eBay I sell a few items per day when I have a lot up with BIN. I don't know if this is typical, or below average, but my sell-through rate on auctions that closed in the last 30 days was 56%. There's no way I'll leave eBay until another site can give me that kind of performance and, unfortunately, I haven't found one. And if others have much greater sales as well on eBay, that explains why some may be "all talk and no action".
When my sales are good, I pretty much don't complain.
posted on March 8, 2001 07:28:29 PM new
I have also noticed the huge turnaround in hits on the Yahoo auctions since the fee paying started. An increase of up to 300-400%, being a pessimistic sort of a bloke I put Honesty counters on the auctions also and guess what, the difference was staggering! Needless to say although the bogus hits are there the bids are not, Goodnight Yahoo it was nice while it lasted.
posted on March 9, 2001 05:06:44 AM new
Even if you are content to leave all or part of your listings on eBay, it is still in your best interest to threaten and promote boycott at every opportunity.
If you mention boycott to the average eBay seller the knee jerk response is to defend eBay because that is where they have the most success.
This kind of loyalty gives eBay the green light to focus on their own profits instead of the concerns and interests of their sellers.
Simply put, eBay is more likely to raise fees when sellers are content than when they are threatening to boycott and/or pulling part of their listings.
posted on March 9, 2001 07:36:58 AM new
It is easier to leave Yahoo than eBay. It was easier to leave eBay when Yahoo was the “old” “free” Yahoo.
You can’t compare apples & oranges - and that is what Yahoo and eBay are and always have been.
Yahoo requires more relists than eBay, gets less bids, but under the "free" policy it was gaining on eBay every day, till it became suicidal.
For a eBay seller to leave, particularly in this current market is ridiculous - there is no where to go. When the Old Yahoo existed there was a possibility of another good selling platform to go to - that is what we did a year ago, and did fantastic on Yahoo, and if they had instituted FVF instead of listing fees, we'd still be there - but with their fees, and their inane attitude - we are back at eBay and doing very well.
I don't mind paying when I am getting my money's worth - if my items bring good prices on eBay, which they have been doing, I am not too concerned about the fees.
*******
Regarding other auction sites, we get a tremendous amount of hits on some of the newer sites, but few sales, by comparison to the number of hits. Actually, after testing many of these newer sites, we would drop our ads on them, but we keep them up merely to pick up the customer who clicks over to our web site and buys.
We are using another pay auction for specialty items and are doing well there, but it has a very narrow field of specialty items. Before someone asks which auction I am talking about it is http://www.forthehunt.com/
This site specializes in knives, guns, and similar weapons. Since we do a wide variety of items from 1800 antiques to weapons, we needed a specialty site for our knives and such, and this site is good for this type item. There are no other categories but weapon/hunting oriented items.
posted on March 9, 2001 10:46:06 AM new
"For a eBay seller to leave, particularly in this current market is ridiculous.......
I don't mind paying when I am getting my money's worth - if my items bring good prices on eBay, which they have been doing, I am not too concerned about the fees."
jwpc, Thank you, You just proved my point. And I'm not trying to slam you or ebay sellers, but you just illustrated exactly what I'm talking about.
posted on March 10, 2001 02:48:41 AM new
sasoony, I know exactly where you're coming from, and I agree. That is why I am keeping listings at Yahoo and some at Pootah as well. And I am actually selling them too, so I'm happy, even though it is not a large percentage of sales overall. I don't like the idea of ebay being my only choice and I am willing to support other sites as much as it is possible for me to do so.
posted on March 10, 2001 07:43:02 AM new
CAgrrl, Well said. If sellers are at the mercy of eBay, its because sellers are making eBay a monopoly.
I realize many eBay sellers are novices, but I would think the core of regulars that you see on AW and other discussion forums should be well enough informed to have more business savy.
posted on March 10, 2001 09:33:05 AM new
Hi! Sorry to horn in on this thread, but I have a question about the credits, I do have a couple hundred dollars worth of credits (the feedback ones) sitting in my Yahoo account, does this mean I can use them for listing fees, should I decide to list? I thought the credits could only be used for featuring? Thanks!
posted on March 10, 2001 11:39:40 AM new
eddiebear2 - I believe they changed that after they implimented the charges. I have almost $1,000 and put up a few items the other day and went over to my account and the insertion and feature fees were being taken off of the credit.
