posted on October 16, 2001 12:26:38 PM new
Yahoo's new integrated ecommerce program will be called Yahoo Warehouse (which
isn't open yet) at:
http://warehouse.yahoo.com
Here is an article about the Warehouse program:
http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article/0,,4_904041,00.html
I am interested in listing used books on Warehouse and would appreciate it if people find out anything at the chat today about costs, etc if they post them
--
Jonathan Grobe
posted on October 16, 2001 02:13:56 PM new
No listing fees only FVF. Buyer can only pay with credit card/Yahoo wallet. Buyer can rate seller, seller can't rate buyer. Yahoo collects the money and sets the shipping fee with a choice of media or priority but allows sellers of electronics to set their own due to weight differences.
Only certain items can be listed at launch. The ones in their data base (they provide the description) very much like half.com.
They will not have an everthing else category to start, but will be adding categories along the way.
posted on October 16, 2001 02:16:14 PM new
Forgot-items will be listed by condition first and then cheapest price within each condition range. There will be a link so that buyers can see your auction FB, but it will be seperate from the Warehous FB.
posted on October 16, 2001 02:20:09 PM new
Suyln, I joined the chat late. I just don't get this new "wharehouse" at Yahoo. Why are they venturing away from Yahoo Auctions? and starting something new? The warehouse sounds very much like half.com. I wonder how the seller receives the money once the items sells? I'm pretty easy going - I like auction formats and fixed price but this just seems crazy.. why not fix and work on the auctions first?
What do you think?
posted on October 16, 2001 02:40:14 PM new
Janet, I agree with you. I took the survey at Yahoo Auctions as well, and I certainly don't see how they came up with the idea of cloning half.com. Sellers that took the survey wanted to see changes at the existing auction site, not a new site with a different business model.
Let's get the auctions running right first, please!
I don't know how they are going to pay sellers, but I would guess PayDirect will at least be one option, if not the only option.
I will certainly take a look at the Warehouse - now there is a form at http://warehouse.yahoo.com/ to put in a email address so they will notify you when the Warehouse opens its doors. Not trying to be promotional; I just happened to try that address and noticed it.
Yahoo ID: grantje
posted on October 16, 2001 03:23:35 PM new
I think the Warehouse was good, but the shopping thing was better. Come Xmas time, if Yahoo Shopping users see auctions listings in their search, that would be great. By the way, they implied that they were evaluating fees.
posted on October 16, 2001 03:45:56 PM new
Yes, they did say they were looking at fees, but how long does it take????
They had time to put together a whole new platform (supposedly based on our imput in the auction survey (?) but haven't had time to come up with a better fee structure?
I have a feeling we will hear "we're working on it" for a long time before/if we see any changes. I don't know if I can hold out much longer!
posted on October 16, 2001 04:46:11 PM new
Warehouse is virtually identical to half.com with the only two differences being:
1. A cheaper rate than half.com's 15% (they haven't decided how much cheaper)
2. Global search. From each of the 4 ecommerce platforms (auctions, classified, shopping, warehouse) you either have an option of searching just that platform--or all four.
Since they copied everything else they will probably copy half.com's method of paying sellers--bank transfer (ACH) twice a month.
posted on October 16, 2001 10:41:12 PM new
They may do a direct ACH transfer to sellers accounts like Half.com does - but that's essentially how sellers get money out of PayDirect anyway. Either an ACH transfer out or, IIRC, it can be issued as a "credit" back to a MasterCard or Visa.
I think this was much more fluff than most of us expected. In my opinion, the majority of sellers (myself included) expected to hear some concrete facts, not just a press release.
I also hope they set the Warehouse FVF at 10 percent or below. I'd think that would make a big enough difference to draw sellers over from Half.
Yahoo ID: grantje
posted on October 17, 2001 01:23:07 AM new
What's to keep sellers from listing the same thing on both Half and the new Wharehouse? Unless the items is a very popular item at a very low price it should be safe to leave the same item at both sites as long as the sellers closely monitors their accounts.
Half is so mainstream now that most buyers won't bother to check a new fixed price venue. It will help having the Yahoo search engine find items from 4 of their areas though.
I hope they get rid of the listing fees at the auction soon. It's like asking for a train set for Christmas and getting a pair of pajamas instead.
posted on October 17, 2001 05:29:28 AM new
Warehouse is a GREAT move by Yahoo! It's about time! I love the Half.com and Amazon Marketplace format and the ease of selling on those venues. Next they should replicate Half's Everything Else category so you can list anything and everything under the sun. That could really kickstart sales! The Big 3 (Amazon, eBay and Yahoo) are going head to head, and Yahoo is trying to adopt parts of eBay's business model --- using the Yahoo platform to become a facilitator of eCommerce instead of a direct participant. A middleman that carries no inventory, has little overhead, and simply acts as an intermediary. A brilliant concept that's driven eBay's stock to incredible heights! Eventually Amazon may get the idea and move in that direction as well.
Some of us had contacted Yahoo earlier in the year to replicate Half.com, but I had thought they had laughed off the idea. Guess not. Apparently they were listening but slow to take action.
If eBay screws up Half.com by somehow changing the platform when its integrated with the main eBay site, Yahoo Warehouse could be the much needed replacement. eBay did a terrible job with their Store platform so there's a good possibility they might weaken Half.com with the coming overhaul. Hope Yahoo advertises Warehouse well. That's what's missing with Carnaby and Grababargain.com (another Half.com look-a-like), 2 other technically dynamite venues that won't advertise.
We're going to have some FANTASTIC selling options come next year! There's eBay, there's Half.com, there's Amazon Marketplace, there's BargainandHaggle, there's Yahoo Auctions, there will be Yahoo Warehouse, and possibly add to the mix Carnaby and Grababargain if they advertise. Hope the economy starts to reignite and many of us could have our best selling year ever!
posted on October 17, 2001 08:40:55 AM new
eseller,
I see a problem with this "facilitator" model. Isn't it in essence a lot like what Pay Pal is doing? So, what happens here between Yahoo and the seller if a buyer unreasonably, or even fraudulently, disputes the quality of goods or the fact of receipt, even? At what point does Yahoo grab the money back out of the seller's account or never credit it in the first place? What rights of challenge does the seller have?
Look at how utterly unresponsive Yahoo wants to be to present communications... how can they avoid a massive procedural tangle unless they just arbitrarily rule "the buyer's always right"? If this warehouse function deals in lower-priced and very standardized items, as they seem to be starting out with, the buyer-fraud temptation should be minimal... except in electronics.
In electronics, consider that Yahoo has had a running problem with fake sellers based in various European countries listing in US auctions categories, stating that they are in a US city and accept credit cards... then after some trusting newbie does a BIN at half street value for the item offered, ignoring the seller's ZERO feedback rate... they get an email with some excuse for the seller now being in Italy, Romania, England, wherever, and needing a Western Union wire transfer in order for the buyer to get his "steal deal."
Of course, the suckers who pay sellers like this are left with an empty bag, asking what Yahoo will do for them now.
Just look through the Yahoo "Ask the Experts" feature. Buyers have been getting ripped off for months by this scam and Yahoo hasn't even posted any sort of warning about this exact fraud pattern anywhere in the critical categories. My fear is if they aren't responsive to a rather obvious abuse like this sort of fraud, they'll be further lost as they assume real responsibility for the buyer/seller interaction with this warehouse function.
posted on October 17, 2001 09:47:36 AM new
pyth00n,
Great questions. I would guess they'll do the exact same things Half.com is doing today. Half.com (i.e. eBay) currently deals in all the categories Yahoo plans to participate in. If it's going to hurt Yahoo it should have hurt Half.com a long time ago. It hasn't. I'll bet Yahoo's policies will mirror Half.com's. And I'll bet Warehouse will be limited to shipping within the U.S. and Canada (maybe not even Canada) as Half.com has done.
posted on October 17, 2001 12:04:35 PM new
"At what point does Yahoo grab the money back out of the seller's account or never credit it in the first place? What rights of challenge does the seller have?"
Good question.
I heard the chat said warehouse buyers can only pay with Paydirect or a CC through their Yahoo wallet. I don't have a PD acct and it's probably been a year since I read their TOS. Whatever chargeback rules they have in place for PD I'd think Yahoo would set up the same for the warehouse. Just a guess.
posted on October 17, 2001 02:44:57 PM new
Yahoo! has a Customer Protection Program which covers up to 1000$. They partnerred with Lloyds for this. If you pay with Yahoo! wallet and you don't get the product or it doesn't fit the discription. You can let the Customer Protection program kick in action. I'm not certain the program works for auctions too, but it does for Yahoo! shopping.
Anyway, if you're a Yahoo! fan. You might want to consider joining my Yahoo! freaks club where we discuss the latest Yahoo! news.
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/yahoofreaks
posted on October 18, 2001 11:38:46 AM new
Looks like PayPal will squeezed out of this venue too.
The Wharehouse thing maybe good in the begining as the compitetion will not be as bad as Half but soon should catch up to the number of listings offered on Half along with it's stiff competition ( 75 cents for quality books ).
posted on October 18, 2001 04:11:31 PM new
Why would Yahoo need PayPal? Yahoo has the FREE Yahoo PayDirect or Wallet service instead.
I don't really care about the traditional categories (Books, Videos, Music, Games) where you're probably right that there could be stiff competition, but I doubt it will be as stiff as Half. Amazon Marketplace has nowhere near as stiff competition as Half even after almost a year. Instead I can't wait til they incorporate an Everything Else category at Warehouse. I face little to no competition in that category at Half and all sorts of stuff is selling.
