posted on April 12, 2001 06:57:15 AM new
I was hit with a TOS violation at Yahoo a couple days ago. I had 4 hi-value auctions going as compared to the 300+ I previously had listed at Yahoo before the listing fees started.
I gues Yahoo didn't like the $12,750 custom gold inlaid and engraved rifle that I had listed there. Or the fact that I had a disclaimer on some of the auctions, such as "This item is subject to prior sale and all bids were subject to my final acceptance" as some of the items were listed on other auction sights and I couldn't sell things twice.
I had the rifle listed there for over a year under the antique firearms section and no one ever complained. I also encouraged potential buyers to write me for possible indivial sales of 14 painting that were listed as a group as 1 auction. Don't really know what caused the TOS violation?
When I wrote Yahoo, they would give no info as to why my account was shut down, only referring me to the TOS. I never bad mouthed Yahoo because of the fees, I figured it was there choice just as it was my choice not to list there. So, I don't think it was from revenge on there part.
Anyway, my account is gone. I had a rating of 124, which might not seem like much to those with feedback in the multi, multi hundreds, but my feedback covererd many, many high dollar items up tp $7000. And getting references for mail order sales of $7000 is not easy.
I am not a business, I have been liquidating an estate for the last couple of years and all the recent auction changes have realy put a holt to my liquidating sales.
My question is: my feedback can still be seen under advanced search feature even though my account was deleted. Do you think this will continue into the future, so I can refer potential buyers to view my old feedback there or will Yahoo get around to deleting that to? Especially if I mention this referral in any new auctions?
posted on April 12, 2001 07:32:33 AM new
dant54
When you list an item for auction, it is a CONTRACT to sell. You do not have the discretion of previously selling it. THat is right in the auction TOS, that you will only post items that you have available to sell.
What do you mean, "all bids subject to my final acceptance" ?
A bid is a bid. You obligate yourself to accept a winning bid when you list an auction. If you want control, you use a minimum bid, or a reserve.
Also, listing the same item on several auctions at the same time when you only have one to sell is unethical, and also violates the TOS.
I hope you take this post as informative and constructive criticism. Because were I to post what a really think of a seller who would do that would definitely violate the CG's here
posted on April 12, 2001 03:28:57 PM new
Sorry, I left out a few other items on how I used to run my auctions. Because Yahoo had such poor bidding action and because my auctions were of a very odd and expensive nature, I listed them more like classifieds than auctions.
Over much time and experimentation, I found out that if I received one bid on this type of item, I was lucky, so I listed them with a buy price that matched an opening bid so the auction closed immediately with the first bid. I was happy to get the minimum and the buyer was happy to get a good deal.
I know these are not run like a real auction, but that is how I sold many items in the multi-thousand dollar range and I was very happy with that system. Why not go to Yahoo classifieds? Cause they do not work, I've never sold anything or even got an inquiry there.
In any case, people put in all sorts of precoditions with their auctions. I had not read the TOS recently, since I have been running these auctions this way for the last year or so, I thought they were all right.
The only difference with the 4 auctions I put in that violated the TOS and the 300+ I had prior to Feb 9 was that I paid $1.50 each to put these auctions in.
With 30% of the buyers at Yahoo being deadbeats, I've grown so accustomed to people renigging, that I list in my payment contact sheet that if they have made a mistake, just let me know and I'll re-list. (Now I would have to be a little more tougher once Yahoo instituted fees.) I don't have the luxury of developing resentments with all these deadbeat transactions.
As I said earlier, I'm selling expensive stuff and the transactions are complex. If you don't have experience with these type of transactions, it is a world of difference from the $1 minimum bid auctions you see at Yahoo for nickel and dime stuff.
Are you there to play games, massage your ego or sell the item? I was there to sell and I was fairly successful, selling over 200 lots in 1 1/2 years out of 550 lots listed. I don't have the time to fool with every little thing in this estate and this is the method that works best for me.
Regarding unethical, I was trying to be as clear and as ethical as possible. I always give my buyers a 3 day inspection refund option to protect them. Do you? (International sales excluded.) Maybe I was too clear for Yahoo.
Thanks for your lecturing, but I would like to hear from others with TOS problems that have the information I requested ragarding the future accessibility of feedback once they hit you with the dreaded TOS. If you have violated the TOS, check "advanced" search and see if your old feedback is still accessible.
posted on April 12, 2001 05:01:07 PM new
You are intelligent and had figured out how to make a poorly run system work. But you did violate TOS.
The question I have is why wouldn't a rational company give you a warning before pulling your plug?
In the future don't SAY that you also listed it somewhere else. Just do it. And in the rare event they both sell at the same time, just explain it to one of the buyers. When 30 % of your bidders are deadbeats, it's hardly unreasonable for you to back out once in a great while.
It's also against TOS to list a group of similar items in one auction and let the winner take their pick. I used to do that with no problems when listings were free but now I don't while I still have free credits. The interesting part about this type ad is that with a sale made, I just subtract one item from the list and relist it so it isn't causing YaWho any missing fees.
I guess I was lucky last November when I got all 2000 of my listings only canceled by a YaWho clerk because I had 20 auctions Neighborhood Watched. What happenend was 20 of my auctions got submitted twice by mistake. They were not in different categories, it was just a mistake with bulkloading so many items. At least I didn't get suspended. But without any notice, somebody at YaWho deleted all my auctions and it took me about 20 hours to update my lists of items and get them all reloaded and running again. When I asked them if I was being punished, I got no reply.
YaWho isn't a company you would ever build up any loyalty to, and yesterday's announcement that they are eliminating hundreds of jobs is most curious. I mean YaWho is synomous with the name "customer no-service" so where did they find hundreds of people to fire?
