jwpc
|
posted on July 10, 2000 06:53:16 AM
Am doing some test marketing this summer and put like auctions on Yahoo and eBay - well my Yahoo auctions have sold, and closed, while those on eBay are still sitting waiting for bids. Oh I am sure they will sell today, but why wait 5 days to close an auction, and then pay eBay! Not me, this is ridiculous, I do so much better for FREE on Yahoo, and recently even on higher end items!
YEA YAHOO! THIS EBAY POWER SELLER LOVES YOU!
|
yisgood
|
posted on July 10, 2000 07:21:29 AM
Just wait until you start getting the professional deadbeats with negative 50 who "win" your auctions just so they can give you bad feedback. These are folks who like to hurt other people and are too stupid to write a virus so they do it this way and Yahoo lets them.
|
toolhound
|
posted on July 10, 2000 08:44:56 AM
I started out putting items on Yahoo that did not sell on eBay. Now i am just putting my new items on Yahoo. Sales are getting better everyday. So far for me less problems collecting payments than i was having on eBay. And FREE I love that part.
|
radh
|
posted on July 10, 2000 09:03:59 AM
I wonder if Yahoo is nowadays checking the credit card numbers more extensively than in the past; or, maybe that FBI probe into online auction shilling has put a damper on all auction interference activities. (?)
|
mballai
|
posted on July 10, 2000 11:10:49 AM
I am getting good FAST results on Yahoo as well. I am sure there are deadbeats here too, but that's life.
|
jwpc
|
posted on July 11, 2000 07:04:17 AM
yisgood - I have been using Yahoo for 6 months now, and once I really learned Yahoo, and started using Auction Tamer to keep records, and send follow up (reminder) letters, I have had little to no trouble with dead beats, we have done about 500 sales on Yahoo since we started listing 6 months ago, and I am thrilled with it.
I ALSO added PayPal, and that also helped a great deal....the bidder can pay while they are still in the "buying mood," and that too eliminated more dead beats. We just don't have hardly any dead beats on Yahoo.
I still use eBay but very little. I do use it to test new items or new ad lay outs, but I do those tests on a number of different places.
I LOVE YAHOO!
Paul Truth
|
yisgood
|
posted on July 11, 2000 07:20:41 AM
This is a debate that was hashed on Seller Zone for a long time. It seems that you get more deadbeats on big ticket items like digital cameras than for smaller stuff. I had about 1 in 3 deadbeats before I figured out how to handle it.
But the real problem is that Yahoo does no verification. There are bidders with negatives in the hundreds still active. There are bidders using non-existent email ids. There are bidders with 80 IDs. Credit card verification is a joke. All Yahoo does is check that the CC number is legit. They dont check that it matches the name and address given when the account was opened. Go to the Seller Zone (a yahoo club) and you will hear real horror stories, including sellers who have to keep changing their IDs because one nasty bidder is following them around and trashing their auctions.
As for support, Yahoo has none (unless you like canned messages). Dont bother pointing out a bug or suggesting an improvement, they wont listen. However, they will "fix" things no one asked for and make them worse. I really dont understand their whole rationale. There is only one reason to list on Yahoo - it's free.
|
jwpc
|
posted on July 13, 2000 07:43:43 AM
Yisgood - There are 2 reasons to post on Yahoo...it is FREE.....and I sell hundred of items on Yahoo, and not just low end items....a good bookkeeping system like Auction Tamer, combined with PayPal, cuts deadbeats down to about 0.
Speaking of support - there is little to none on eBay either unless you are a Power Seller...non-power sellers on eBay would be amazed at how fast Power Sellers get replies from eBay, and not canned ones! Fair, probably not, but the support is there for the few.
I LOVE YAHOO!
Paul Truth
|
millicent_roberts
|
posted on July 13, 2000 02:01:38 PM
I need help with two auctions I had posted on yahoo. I had a minimum bid but also had a 'Buy Price'. Yahoo wrote and said there was a winning bidder at minimum bid. I can't sell my item for that and I emailed the bidder and explained this.
What am I missing here about buy prices?
I await negs any minute.
|
VeryModern
|
posted on July 13, 2000 02:10:51 PM
I seems that you may have neglected to place a reserve.
A buy price closes the auction instantly when the bid meets it, but does not function like a reserve.
|
comic123
|
posted on July 13, 2000 08:18:15 PM
Hey roberts, weren't you a regular at eBay & then Amazon auctions. Just curious.
|
paintpower
|
posted on July 23, 2000 06:50:44 AM
Glad you all are getting some bidders on Yahoo. I did some test marketing over there the last couple of months and got no bids on most of the stuff I have that sells well on eBay. Sold a printer over there to a deadbeat who never paid or even answered my emails. All I sold over there in 2 months was 3 postcards for $8.00! Think I'll stick with eBay! The Yahoo categories just don't work for what I am trying to sell!
|
yisgood
|
posted on July 23, 2000 07:07:01 AM
A friend and I have been experimenting for the last few weeks. He posts on Ebay and I post the same items on Yahoo. Guess what? He gets more bids, more money and fewer deadbeats. We both posted the hard-to-find battery for the Toshiba PDR-M4 and M5. I got one single bid for $45. He sold three for $60 in the same time. I sold one PDR-M5 camera for $425. He sold 8 for $485-$520. As much as I hate greedbay, I must admit it is a better place to sell. For buying however, I stick to Yahoo.
|
VeryModern
|
posted on July 23, 2000 07:15:32 AM
yisgood - I have the opposite experience, so I suppose it depends on what and how you sell. I routinely get a higher price on
Yahoo than a sellers offering same on Ebay, probably because I offer no choice in the matter.
I price my items even, or slightly higher than Ebay SOLDS and I wait. I use 1st bid wins and of course someone comes along
who is happy for the convenience of a quick purchase and the sale happens.
I should add that I sometimes price items MUCH higher than ebay solds if I feel the value is there. Lots of things being sold
way too cheap on ebay these days, I wince at it sometimes.
|
jwpc
|
posted on July 24, 2000 05:11:45 PM
Still whizzing along at Yahoo - still post on eBay but only high end items - Yahoo is paying off beautifully and regularly
|
CAgrrl
|
posted on July 29, 2000 01:58:55 PM
VeryModern- thanks for those most excellent insights. I am working on using this as my approach, & my in limited experience so far things for me are working precisely as you posted that they are for you.
It seems that the key is to NOT depend on the auction format. Even most buyers on Ebay wait till the last day to place their bids. With Yahoo, every day of the "auction" could be the last day if you use the "first bid wins" strategy.
|
VeryModern
|
posted on July 29, 2000 02:26:48 PM
CAgrrl - I am glad to hear of your good results, and I can elaborate on what we have found since.
We so often sell things within a hour or two of listing, I am convinced that we are bookmarked by buyers as opposed to being
stumbled upon. We have many many repeat buyers - I was just posting a friend about "super shrewd sniper granny", a woman
with an id GRANNY********* and a RL name that was popular in the 30's who repeatedly ONE BID WINS our auctions
within 30-40 minutes of posting - all things for one very lucky Grandson. I know her tastes and have several customers who
like same but she nabs everything, it's comical actually.
Anyhow, my point is that this inspires incredible loyalty from buyers. One deal like this, especially when they can paypal and
you can ship IMMEDIATELY and this is gold to a buyer. They have no problem paying a few extra bucks when they know
they are going to get it, get it right and get it right now.
The other thing is if you have multiples, it is incredibly inspirational to the WATCHER out there when they are hemming and
hawing and the widget sells in a blink right out from under them.
Wait a week and put up another and it gets bid and bought pronto.
Good selling - I DO YAHOOO!
|
CAgrrl
|
posted on July 29, 2000 04:49:48 PM
Yes- that is true about the "watchers"! I often put in my listing "The first person to bid X dollars wins this widget!" It's like a race when you put it that way, huh? LOL!
|
granee
|
posted on August 2, 2000 07:42:07 PM
Listed a book at 2:30 a.m. and sold before 1:00 p.m. at "First Bid Wins" price of $50.00!!! The book's available elsewhere (if you know where to look) for $35.00 and $40.00 (retail is $60.00) and I thought, well, I can always LOWER the price if it doesn't sell in a couple weeks.
Now I don't HAVE to!!!!! 
|
verymodern
|
posted on August 2, 2000 07:47:04 PM
YAY granee! Way to fire!
|
CAgrrl
|
posted on August 2, 2000 11:13:23 PM
Granee that's fantastic!
it's the best way to nab those "impulse buyers"!
|
jwpc
|
posted on August 6, 2000 09:03:58 AM
Well, my tests have continued through the summer, and Yahoo is selling 10 to 1 over eBay - and FREE!
I just received a survey from eBay (being an eBay Power Seller) and I told them, that I probably don't qualify any longer as most of my auctions are now running on Yahoo and other sites.
Our auctions on Yahoo have been so busy this summer, that I have had to let them run out as I am going to a major convention in a week and I can't have endless sales coming in while I am gone!!!!!WHAT a wonderful problem!
PLUS, 99% of the time, I don't get a new set of rules every day or two from Yahoo - not like eBay. And, although I am sure it happens from time to time, I don't see that the Yahoo system is technically unstable, as is eBay's.
NOW, if I could just fine one more site half as good as Yahoo, I'll be in "hog heaven."
I tried BidBay on some recommendations, and items I have that sell like wild fire on eBay and Yahoo, did absolutely nothing on BidBay.
Anytime I test a new auction site I post my most popular items, and it can quickly tell me if the site has any hope - I found none at BidBay - none at Gold's - none at Auctions.com (the old Auction Universe), and am still looking. Once in a blue moon I get some action on Lycos....
Paul Truth
|
VeryModern
|
posted on August 6, 2000 09:14:52 AM
Good selling Paul!
We just passed the 200 fb mark on Yahoo, I gotta smile.
|
granee
|
posted on August 6, 2000 12:11:17 PM
Paul Truth,
Just out of curiosity....did ebay REPLY to your letter in which you said that most of your auctions were on Yahoo and elsewhere??????
You know, Yahoo's site carries an ENORMOUS amount of traffic, yet Yahoo Auction rarely goes down....and when it does, it's usually just a small portion of it (like the ability to relist auctions, or list new auctions), and then just for a few minutes.
So why does ebay go down so much? Does Yahoo have better hardware, or better software, or better air conditioning, or better employees????????????
|
VeryModern
|
posted on August 6, 2000 01:02:34 PM
I RAISED the price of hot widget this morning because I was kind of po'ed no one had purchased for 2 days.
Someone just mailed to ask how much shipping (it was in the auction) and if they could pay by Paydirect funded with a checking acct.
I answered the question and hit send and when it went out the winner notice for widget in question came in and someone else had purchased it.
The guy who did not bid (and I bet there is more than one of them out there) is going to kick himself into next week, because I have another and yup. The price just went up.
|
VeryModern
|
posted on August 6, 2000 01:04:40 PM
I guess I should have mentioned - this is one bid wins of course.
|
VeryModern
|
posted on August 6, 2000 01:18:17 PM
on a roll!
just sold over $400+ in the last hour in 2 deals.
YAHOOOOOOO!
|
CAgrrl
|
posted on August 6, 2000 01:41:04 PM
(Clapping) GO VERY MODERN! YEAH!! (Yes, I was a cheerleader in high school.)
ROTFLMAO!! That's so funny that you RAISE your price. I guess it shakes the "watchers" up when you pull a move like that. They're probably "watching" in hopes that you'll lower the price if no one bids.
|
CAgrrl
|
posted on August 6, 2000 01:43:33 PM
jwpc- I was optimistic about golds too at first, but I did the same thing you do- put my hottest sellers there. I even started the auction at a lower opening bid than I typically do on Ebay. Got not even one bid. Knew Gold's was hopeless at that point. Yahoo is a different story!
|
VeryModern
|
posted on August 6, 2000 02:21:56 PM
>>They're probably "watching" in hopes that you'll lower the price if no one bids.>>
That's exactly right. They also think that they are shopping yahoo so no one else will buy and they can come pick off the auction at anytime.
I am trainin' these boys.
I raised the price 10% and now I am going another 25% on top of that for the next one. If they get me mad I will pull 'em down and wait for Christmas in which case it will be 75% higher.
|
