posted on June 29, 2001 11:39:49 AM new
Hello! I just feel compelled to let people know that during the short time my company has been using Yahoo for our auctions, the service, support and fast turn around time regarding customer service is bar none THE BEST I have ever seen as compared to any other auction site. Thumbs up to Yahoo customer service and a special thanks to a gentleman with the initials T.T.
posted on June 29, 2001 01:44:07 PM new
If you check the Yahoo!Auctions booth of kingofcarsoncity you'll notice a little "award ribbon" after each listing.
That award ribbon denotes a "Premium Seller" which according to Yahoo!Auctions auctionsite
means that kingofcarsoncity and the other Premium Sellers receive "Superior Customer Support: Premium Sellers also receive expedited access to customer support and personal guidance from the Yahoo! Auctions Manager in their top category."
So the little guy is paying a couple of dimes to list items, just like kingofcarsoncity and the other sellers, but Yahoo!Auctions is using the little guy's money to subsidize the customer support rendered to kingofcarsoncity and a select few sellers like him.
And that's why kingofcarsoncity is tickled pink with Yahoo!Auctions while the little guys get squat.
posted on June 29, 2001 07:29:10 PM newdimview-You hit it on the head!
I am also curious how a seller who has been selling on Yahoo only a short time (by their own statement) has already become a Premium Seller????? If you read Yahoo's definition of what it takes, you would think a seller had to have some sort of a track record and some sort of FB rating!
I am not saying that this seller is not a fine seller and on their merit could earn that title, but in a couple of weeks????
What about all the sellers who have been selling for years with established FB and quality customer service????? Why don't we see more of them as PS?????
I have asked Yahoo about this more than once and only get a canned response with a link to their definition of a Premium Seller!!!!!
That is why I am not selling or buying on Yahoo right now! Not until they level the playing field!!!!
posted on June 30, 2001 06:14:43 AM newkingofcarsoncity
Good for you! However, that is NOT how Yahoo treats us lowly sellers who are not power sellers! Enjoy it! I have seen people come on here and brag about Yahoo and then a few weeks later come on and say they have been booted with no explanation. Yahoo is dead, in my opinion!
posted on June 30, 2001 06:21:18 PM new
YaWho disgusts me.
Here is their definition of a "Premium Seller":
How do Yahoo! sellers become Premium Sellers?
We award membership in the Premium Sellers program to sellers who are consistently top performers within their category or categories. We use a formula that takes into account the objective and subjective criteria listed below and ranks sellers within their best category. Ratings are one factor in our evaluation. The specific factors we use to judge all aspects of performance include the seller's ability to maintain:
* one of the top rates of items sold (i.e. sell-through) * high gross merchandise sales within his/her category * consistent quantities of inventory from month to month * overall high quality of items and listings * positive bidder ratings * a fresh and functional Yahoo! Auction Booth
Sellers in each category will be evaluated on a monthly basis and new Premium Seller candidates will be notified directly with a special invitation.
Can anyone explain to me how somone who has been selling on Yahoo Auction for all of two weeks and who has a grand total of two (2) feedback ratings can be given "Premium Seller" status????????????? What a JOKE!!!!!! Yahoo doesn't even PRETEND to follow their own rules and guidelines.
These people are given prominent links on category and sub-category and sub-sub-category home pages (a few are even given prominent links on the Yahoo Auction Home Page). That's FEATURING to an extent that the "ordinary" seller couldn't even buy if he wanted to....giving ALL their listings the exposure needed to make them successful.....while the REST of us who spent most of the last 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 years busting our bu**s to make Yahoo Auction successful, who have hundreds of positive feedbacks from thousands of satisfied Yahoo Auction customers, are given NOTHING---no acknowledgement, no thanks, no prominence, no seller "featuring" (or even ENDORSEMENT, for that matter), no customer service, just NOTHING.
We don't even get all the increased buyer traffic we were promised with the advent of fees.
kingofcarsoncity even has a clickable LINK TO HIS OWN WEBSITE in his listings---a rule infraction for which COUNTLESS other sellers have had their YaWho accounts closed......so I guess it's OK to do it if YaWho somehow decides you're "valuable" to them as a "Premium Seller", but it's NOT OK if you're just one of us lowly ordinary sellers with an exemplary Yahoo Auction sales track record.
BAH-HUMBUG, YaWho, you can go where the sun don't shine and the rain don't fall, and there's nary an air conditioner to be found!!!
posted on June 30, 2001 08:52:03 PM new
Yahoo's auction operation is so bogus it is just a complete joke now. What kind of B.S. is this where they have secret formulas to determine who is a premium seller and who isn't - and secret Terms of Service that if you dare violate them (even if it is not stated what they are) you are off the service. Reminds me of the scene in Animal House where the dean put the fraternity on DOUBLE SECRET PROBATION. Yahoo auction managers must have done their post-grad work at Faber College! Despite Ebay's flaws, they clearly define what you have to do to become a Power Seller. Yahoo needs to take a look at them and get a clue if they want to grow up and be a real auction site some day.
[ edited by InternetEdge on Jun 30, 2001 08:54 PM ]
[ edited by InternetEdge on Jul 1, 2001 11:00 AM ]
posted on July 2, 2001 10:39:46 AM new
Granee - The premium sellers are recruited, good sellers bring more sellers, and more bidders. Some have been on yahoo for a long time, others are recruited at shows, events, other sites. Everyone knows that good sellers bring in other sellers and hopefully more bidders. So this should help everyone.
you can link from an your auctions on yahoo. You just can't link to a competitive auction site. Isn't that fair? I don't think macy's hands out maps to the nearest nordstroms? (likely a poor analogy, but you get it) - why should yahoo allow you to link to ebay? you can link to your site and to many informational pages.
If you want to be one, email them and request it. I've found this to work in most cases in life, if you want something, ask.
you can do that on the feedback page.
http://add.yahoo.com/fast/help/us/auct/cgi_feedback
and yes, I am going where the sun don't shine. but it's called Seattle. Always wet on the 4th of July. hope it's brighter whereever you are.
wb
posted on July 2, 2001 01:03:40 PM new"The premium sellers are recruited, good sellers bring more sellers, and more bidders. Some have been on yahoo for a long time, others are recruited at shows, events, other sites. Everyone knows that good sellers bring in other sellers and hopefully more bidders. So this should help everyone.
That may be true, but that is not the impression new users will get if they bother to check YAHOO's definition....It is very hard not to get the impression that any/all "Premium Sellers" are tried and true performers onYahoo. Unfortunately, that is not the case and Yahoo steadfastly informs me they do not endorse these sellers (even after I suggested they look at the current programs from a "new user's" perspective).
If you really look/study all their new "improvements"(featured sellers(quite often new), Premium Sellers (even with no FB or high neg FB AND low sell-through ratios), and so-called "Hot Item" categories (auctions with 1 bid) and compare the "reality" of these programs vs the "implied", it is hard to lend credibility to Yahoo Auctions at all!!!!!
Is Yahoo "saying" to potentially new users an auction that gets even 1 bid is so rare as to make it "hot"!?!?!?
Is Yahoo "saying" featured sellers EVEN WITH NO record are BETTER than the other sellers?!?!?!
Is Yahoo "telling" a buyer they can feel secure dealing with Premium Sellers EVEN if they have no or low FB or a high negative to positive ratios because Yahoo has carefully "tracked" them and these are the best sellers on the site?!?!?!
The implications are far reaching and bleed over to ALL sellers!!!!!
Bottom line: Whether they (or you) realize it or not, Yahoo is "implying" to every newcommer Featured Sellers and Premium Sellers are the BEST and most TRUSTWORTHY sellers. I am sure there will be users (probably new) who will end up ONLY looking at THESE SELLERS AUCTIONS!!!!!
As someone already pointed out, Yahoo Auctions has become "laughable"!!!!!
posted on July 2, 2001 02:55:15 PM new
hi sulyn,
not sure which categories you are looking at, but the ones I like (sports) look good. So I think it's a good idea, and if they have good stuff at good prices, great. Again, I think to be successful yahoo needs to attract sellers, and this seems like a good way to get them. If your a seller in a category that needs more listings, ask to be a premium seller, and take advantage of the exposure. it's a tool to market your auctions, why not use it?
happy independence day.
wb.
posted on July 2, 2001 04:56:58 PM newwedgyboy-I think I probably did not make my "rant" clear enough!
You are correct that the Premium Seller program probably could make a big difference in how a seller's business evolves on Yahoo! That's my primary grip....Yahoo implies it is "earned" yet looking at some of these Premium Sellers clearly shows it's not necessarily true!
Secondly, because Yahoo statesall seller's activity/sales are monitored and that when/if a seller reaches and maintains certain "requirements" (as determined by Yahoo) they will be notified by Yahoo and an invitation extended to become a Premium Seller. Therefore, I, nor any other seller, should have to email and beg Yahoo to please include me in this "vamped" program!
As long as Yahoo puts such programs into effect with rules/regulations (supposedly) and then ignores them, this cannot be considered beneficial to all Yahoo sellers or the auction site itself! IMHO
I am all for a merit program so long as it is fair to all users!!!!!
I am not even against a pay-for-view program where if a seller wants to annie-up a premium for the priviledge to do so, so be it.....just don't pass it off as something "earned" or give prime exposure without any disclosures that it is really nothingmore than a bought and paid for advertisment! At least then folks won't get the wrong idea about what eactly entitled that particular seller to garnish that top spot!!!
All I am asking for is a level playing field. Or at least equal opportunity. Heck I'll even settle for clear explainations about these programs so that there is absolutely no room for misunderstanding! Is that asking for too much?????
