posted on April 23, 2002 02:46:52 PM new
So, another new showcase - I guess this is to cheer us up, with no free listing day this month.
"Show Mom she's more than a mother" (?) But always thought that showing Mom she's a mother is what Mother's Day is all about! Just plain stupid, as usual. And of course the showcase is filled mostly with the usual assortment of computers, sports cards, coins, and some total junk - exactly what Mom wants for Mother's Day, right? (well, maybe the laptops : ) )
And it's always the same handful of sellers, because most people balk at giving away more in the listing fees than the start bid, yet Yahoo always acts like this is some kind of great deal and special treat! It's actually worse than nothing at all - out of the last two pages we ran of auctions, 0 bids, and not even any interest except for someone who asked us if we could do better than our start bid, since we hadn't sold it.
Why can't Yahoo have a monthly listing package for a flat rate - they could have several versions, depending on how much you'd like to list, or feature? Or a larger FVF, and no listing charge (we promise we won't list the same stuff forever!).
The auctions are just too much money for this level of hits and sales, everyone says "a nickle, a nickle" but with at best a 10% sell through (and that's doing pretty good for Yahoo) it's really isn't only the nickel - and the only pieces you can list for a nickel is low-end stuff anyway. We have a handful of auctions up, but when those are over, I think that's it, at least for a while.
posted on April 23, 2002 03:37:05 PM new
It would be nice if they did offer "plans".
I know that most folks here don't like BV and it doesn't really have any real traffic.
But perhaps someday that will change. I will be using it like a store for now.
That site does have some very good ideas/features, though, and Yahoo could learn from them.
You can be a free user. No fee for listing but you have to pay for any "xtras". Gallery is an extra.
You can be a Premium seller at different levels.
For X number of $$ per month (starts at $5.00 and goes up) you get unlimited picture hosting. Free gallery and a certain amount of credits to use for the xtras such as bolding and featuring. They even have a neat "banner" thingie which gives you a second line for text under your title.
They have a feature that lets you "pre-record" a message that will automatically insert into all your auction. You can use it to add a message about maybe being away or just about anything you want. I used mine to insert all my repetitive text such as payment, shipping, return policy and I added a link to bring up my auctions in gallery preveiw so I have my own personal gallery.
If Yahoo would do something like this, I'd never leave.
Yahoo could do something like that and still add a FVF and I could afford to stay. I unfortunately can't list for the $.05 they brag about. My cost me $.50-$.75 and in my category you simply must feature or your auctions are never seen. They never reach the top. Even if toggled on ending times there are so many "giants" listing 1,000's of items that your just lost among the pages and pages of their auctions.
I do a lot of repeat business on Yahoo and that is really the only way I have managed to be able to stay as long as I have. Gotta love those loyal buyers. I'm trying to figure out a way to get them to visit me at my new home without spamming them.
posted on April 23, 2002 04:41:01 PM new
We tried Bidville, and had such hopes for them, but we're lucky to get a hit, much less a sale.
We love our Yahoo customers, and they're forever asking us to run the relists they missed before they closed, or to list more, but it's so expensive, we try to re-direct them to our website instead. Though that's much harder for the Japanese -
I don't think Yahoo cares about the auctions anymore, they'll just be a tinier and tinier part of Yahoo Shopping, to save face while they phase them out completely - and then there will be only ebay and a few niche auction/community sites, like gothic auctions or whatever. We love the smaller sites, they're just a lot more fun, it's kind of hard for sellers/buyers who don't have a narrow target, though.
Features are great, but I don't know where they ever came up with this idea where you have to start at nothing! And then, of course, they want everyone to be a full time (auctions only) business - a business which is happy to sell at a loss?
posted on April 23, 2002 05:02:21 PM new
I am beginning to think the same thing. When they integrated the shopping/auctions/classifieds and then added the warehouse I began to think auctions were probably going to be phased out.
You have shops for new stuff and warehouse for used books, cds, videos and electronics.
I don't know if there are enough real collectibles/antiques to keep auctions going.
They need to do a bunch of work on the warehouse, but who knows what next year will bring?
They may have decided they really can't compete with eBay in the auction venue, but there really is nowhere that compares to Yahoo Shopping. It is unique and eBay will never be able to catch up with Yahoo in that area. I think the way they have the auctions/stores on eBay is so micky mouse (no offense to Micky). I hate it.
I think Yahoo will probably continue to focus their efforts there.
