posted on July 13, 2000 08:30:39 PM new
Just curious if any Yahoo sellers have considered listing on Gold's. I know they aren't free but it seems that they have the free relist if it doesn't sell feature that ebay used to have. Their site is clean and easy to understand and customer support seems to be there also. Would be curious to know if anyone lists on Yahoo and Golds at the same time and what the comparison is. I'm considering listing on Golds and would love to hear any comments.
James
[ edited by jonahhex on Jul 13, 2000 08:34 PM ]
posted on July 14, 2000 05:14:05 AM new
Why?. Gold has been around for over a year & they can only gather 9000 auctions. That site is going no where. Glad AW realized that & kicked them to the basement. That whole board was being used by 3-4 users entirely.
If there was an alternate site to Yahoo that I would try, it would be Bidbay. It already has 60K auctions & they have only been in business for 4-5 months.
Hey if you want to cheer for Gold, good luck & I wish Gold all the best.
posted on July 14, 2000 08:21:41 AM new
Though Gold's has great support, you get questions answered in about an hour, they have no bidders. All of their incentives are for sellers. Get free listing credits if you invite a friend, etc. Check out the auctions and maybe 1% even have a single bid. I got into an email dialog with them a few months ago, offering suggestions on how to increase the number of bidders. The feeling I got from the replies was that they are happy with the way things are. I guess as long as someone will pay listing fees, it doesnt both them that no one is bidding. What happenes when all the sellers realize that no one is bidding and stop paying the listing fees? I guess Gold's thinks that another is born every minute.
posted on July 14, 2000 09:07:10 AM new
I have a credit with Golds for about $125.00 from opening an acount when they first started. So it would not cost me to list. I think the listing that are on there are people that are using the credits up. I doubt if anyone is paying. Golds had their chance last year when eBay had the big outage and they were not ready.
posted on July 14, 2000 09:29:37 AM new
I tried Golds last year when Ebay had their problems. I had no luck at Golds. Now I'm on Yahoo and Amazon. Melanie
"If man were to be crossed with a cat, it would greatly improve the man, but deteriorate the cat." Mark Twain
posted on July 14, 2000 10:01:15 AM new
How can I support a site that is happy with 10k auctions a month. No promotion, nothing, zip & nada. There are plenty of auction sites & one must stand out to get noticed. And Gold hasn't done anything to tell the world they are out there. There is only so much 'word by mouth' can do. I don't want to recommend a site that has 10k auctions to people, its bloody embarassing.
Also you mean people actually have to pay to list in Gold. I thought it was free. For all the negativity about eBay, that company has ambitions & has the driving force to make it a successful company. They are attracting big companies which is great. Now from a sellers perspective, its direct competition but really if you can't compete, you can't stay. The person that offers the best price, value & service & from a buyers standpoint it doesn't matter if he is buying from Joe Block or Blockbuster. You got to have the desire to succeed to be successful.
posted on July 14, 2000 10:54:34 AM new
Gold's?? No way. Just looked over the AW newsletter and found that interesting metric chart for online sales for May, 2000. Very good results for Yahoo--looks like it is starting to give eBay a run for its clicks. Besides, am hearing a lot of radio adv. for Yahoo recently. Golds? Never heard it mentioned outside these boards of AW.
posted on July 14, 2000 01:13:49 PM new
I gave Gold's a try, I'll admit. I too have a credit there (although a small one.)
I believe that there are people who could sell successfully there, but it would take a lot of persistance from a seller who had a following in the first place. Or alternately, for a seller who sells in a category that already has a certain customer base at Gold's. (For example, I've heard on these boards that cross stitch/ needlework items have a customer base there because a seller who became disillusioned with Ebay moved the bulk of her cross stitch supply business to Gold's.)
I don't think Gold's is personally an option for me, however. When I couldn't sell an item on Gold's for $19.99 that I've repeatedly sold on Yahoo for $25.00 (and I've only been selling on Yahoo since the beginning of June)
I gave it about 10 seconds worth of thought & decided Yahoo was the better option. NO CONTEST!!
posted on July 14, 2000 07:29:26 PM new
I tried Gold's during the big outage last year, then again, and the last time a few weeks back. Lovely site - No bidders, and I don't have time to waste posting for my health!
Auctions.com is another looser, never could move anything there.
When Amazon opened I did fantastic for about 6 months, then the bottom fell out - and I haven't done anything there since. I test it out from time to time to see if it might have risen from the dead but nothing.
I do fair on Lycos. Wonderful on Yahoo, and fine on eBay when I post there. I post mostly on Yahoo now - and some on eBay.
I would like to find one more active site to keep things running fast, but haven't found another constantly acceptable site as yet.
I don't think I have tried Bidbay....will check it out....think at one time or another I have tried most sites!
posted on July 14, 2000 09:26:31 PM new
Thanks for everyone's comments. I mainly sell on ebay but have listed some items on Yahoo with minimal success. I really wanted a comparison betwwen Golds and Yahoo. I feel neither competes with ebay as far as word of mouth or promotion although Yahoo seems to be improving quite a bit. I find comic123's comments on the lack of promotion at Golds to confirm my suspicions. The site is great but few people even know it exists. I am curious as to how they pay the bills at Golds with all the listing credits people are using and so few people listing. For myself I will probably stick to listing at ebay and Yahoo but I do intend to keep checking the wares at Golds because if it's an item I would like to own, the lack of bidders makes it a buyers market. Thanks all!
James
First, you have to get past an eBay attitude - learn how to use Yahoo, and it will do right by you.
You can't look through Yahoo to see how many things are selling because so many folks use "1st BID WINS," and as soon as the item sells it disappears, the sale isn't evident.
It took me three or test attempts at Yahoo before I got the hang of it, but since then, we have done fantastically there!
As an eBay Power Seller, I can tell you, if you forget the eBay attitude, relax, post, don't worry about bids, just relax, post, relist, etc., things sell, and it is all FREE!
Of course at the rate things move now on eBay with the "Watch" problem, it isn't hard to get over the action of eBay, since the early bidding there isn't like it use to be.
Gold's forget it. I am currently testing BidBay - like the lay out, posted about 10 of our best sellers to see what they would do there.
posted on July 15, 2000 09:27:56 AM new
Look at all the traffic yahoo, ebay, and amazon receives. All 3 have their flaws, but together they generate the most traffic, the most bids, and the highest successes in on line auctions. I think they will be the big 3 for a long time.
Why would anyone use golds? There is no traffic there. They have been around for over a year, and still no advertising at all. Golds had its chance last year and they blew it . Now the site is supported by a dozen users that for some reason cant seem to understand golds is a wash out.
Listing on golds is nothing more than a big waste of time. No use in supporting a site that does nothing to bring in bidders and spends nothing on advertising. No radio, no magazines, no newspaper, no T.V zero.
Quoting jonahhex "I am curious as to how they pay the bills at golds with all the listing credits people are using and so few people listing. " Thats a good question I think many have asked. How can golds pay its bills with no traffic and no bids? It must be with deep pockets that have a lot of money to throw away.
I dont see any reason why a yahoo seller would ever consider golds. I will stick with the big 3 for the best results.
JMHO
[ edited by browse4stuff on Jul 15, 2000 09:29 AM ]
[ edited by browse4stuff on Jul 15, 2000 09:30 AM ]
posted on July 15, 2000 10:18:03 AM new
Gold's is a wonderfully user friendly site. Sooooo easy to navigate. And a Support Staff that puts egreed to shame. All that sweet lil site needs is some advertising. And it really needs that bad. No traffic to speak of. It's so sad too. It's a delightful site and did I mention the Support STAFF Is Outstanding!
[ edited by heygrape on Jul 15, 2000 10:20 AM ]
posted on July 15, 2000 10:42:48 AM new
jwpc:
Thanks for your advice on the "ebay attitude" and I do know what you mean. I can list things on Yahoo and with the free relist feature not have to worry about paying the extra fees I would have to at ebay. You can relax a little more on items you don't need to sell quickly. I've decided to concentrate my selling on ebay and Yahoo and not list on Golds for now. If they do start to advertise I think they could go somewhere but for now...
I do intend to check out Bidbay as I have read several references to them recently and they sound very interesting.
browse4stuff:
I would be interested to know how many of those dozen or so listers on Golds sell their wares mainly on ebay and are only using Golds for the listing credits they've built up.
heygrape:
Your comments reflect my own thinking when I discovered Golds. If only they would spend some money on advertising to draw sellers and bidders. It seems they are in a bad situation now as the sellers won't list because the bidders aren't there and the bidders won't come because there aren't enough sellers!
James
posted on July 15, 2000 08:00:10 PM new
Gold isn't even in the AW search engines & for good reason. There is nothing there to search. I will probably go on a listing spree in Bidbay soon. I doubt I will get many bids now but hopefully that site will grow within the next several months. Things just doesn't grow over night right. And since they are showing aggresiveness to succeed, I will give my support.
I remember a couple of months ago when everyone was saying Yahoo was the dumps for deadbeats. What has happen recently?. Why the sudden jump to Yahoo?. Also where are all the regular Yahoo AW members...where is Pegasus. Everything you said months ago came through. I recall all the debate we had last fall with all the loyal eBay followers.
posted on July 16, 2000 06:57:13 AM new
I would love to see Gold's to well but I do agree that they need to advertise if they want to survive. It is a nice little site but they need buyers!
I had thought about Bidbay, even registered there. Then I had a look at their message boards and was not impressed. Most of the messages, from Bidbay execs and memebers, did nothing but trash the other sites. It was very catty and distasteful if you ask me. If I remember right one of the big shots at Bidbay was encouraging it's members to cause problems here at AW stating they could just resub under another name if they got booted. That turned me off pretty quick. Maybe I'll head over there and check it out again though.
posted on July 16, 2000 11:23:52 AM new
IBStitchin,
If true,that is not very professional of the BidBay bunch. I discussed BidBay with several people that have seen the site and nobody was impressed.
I agree it is "catty and distateful" for one site to trash another or encourage members to start trouble elsewhere.
If you take a good look at the BidBay site from the logo and beyond, it is a very tacky looking site to begin with. The more I navigated, the less impressed I became. The site looks like it was designed on a home computer using free web graphics and kiddy animations.
They would have to make some major modifications to that site and spend a fortune in advertising to go anywhere with it. And then theres the 300 other auctions sites on line now. Just add BidBay to the long list.
The big 3 still remain our best options for variety, value, and traffic traffic traffic!
JMHO
[ edited by browse4stuff on Jul 16, 2000 11:27 AM ]
posted on July 19, 2000 02:09:59 AM new
Interesting Thread!
It does not cost to list on Gold's at this time. The site is about to make a major facelift. This is being beta tested at this time. After this is done that is when some major advertising will come. There is some small advertising at this time for the site. The PTB know what they are doing.
All businesses start like this:
First year=Starve
Second year=break even
Third year=Profit
How do I know this? I know it because I have built two successful corporations from ground up.
The bidding on Gold's has picked up. I had my best selling month there last month and I feel this will continue.
Also I welcome everybody to read this! Might give you a hint to something.
posted on July 19, 2000 06:01:49 AM new
I have listed items on Yahoo, Amazon, eBay, BidBay, 321Gone, GoInstore, and Gold's. I have sold items on Amazon, eBay, GoInstore and Gold's. I have sold MORE items on Gold's than any of the other places combined, and I continue to sell on Gold's.
Think about this for a minute: If you are a grocery store with a consistent number of items which has constant turnover in those items because of sales, or a grocery store with an increasing number of items because everyone is stocking shelves, but no one is buying, which grocery store is more successful? I say the one with constant sales. That's why I keep selling at Gold's, I have constant sales there.
And, no it isn't just the other sellers keeping me happy by buying my stuff, because every week at least half of the bidders are new people at Gold's (if you base it on their feedback numbers = 0 or 1).
I encourage everyone to list wherever they are happiest, but don't knock Gold's if you don't try it, because if you are willing to list and be patient while the bidders find you, you will get sales. And, if won't cost you anything, because listings are free right now, and relists are free as well. My sales last fall started out slow, but they have gradually increased weekly. Every week is better. If you are looking to branch out with your listings, it won't cost you anything but time to try Gold's.
And, back to the grocery store analogy, if you go to a grocery store that everyone refuses to stock, how will you find what you are looking for? If you don't see what you would buy or sell listed at Gold's, maybe it's *your* fault it isn't there. You need to either list it there, or tell someone else to list it there.
posted on July 19, 2000 07:16:00 AM new
I have sold quite a lot on Gold's and I will continue to list there. Several of my recent sales were to eBayers who "discovered" Gold's, and in an email I received yesterday, one of these winning bidders said, "Thank you for making my first transaction at Gold's a great one...I will be back often." Yes, advertising is sorely needed and it will come...and yes, Gold's is but a year old...give it time to grow! One year is NOT that long.
I wholeheartedly agree with Coolvette and he knows of what he speaks!
Funny, I remember when the Home Shopping Network and QVC began and all the naysayers said, "Oh, nobody's going to buy anything off the television like that!" Right. Can't even begin to tell you how happy I am that I purchased cheap stock in those companies when they were just starting out.
Listing at Gold's is free right now. What is it going to cost you to give it a try? A little bit of time! And who knows, you might just have the one thing someone has been searching for...give them a chance to find it!
One last thought...why all the trashing of Gold's, especially from people who don't even use the site and/or won't even give it a chance?
I wish every seller the best of luck, no matter where they choose to list...Gold's, Yahoo, eBay, Amazon, etc. We're all in this together!
posted on July 20, 2000 12:54:12 AM new
We have tried Golds and there just isnt any interest in our products over there Yahoo is blowing them and Amazon out of the water
We carry over 300 different Licensed Plush bears and about 45 different non sports and for us Golds aint it wish it was
posted on July 20, 2000 09:14:53 AM new
dpent, you need to sell those bears for 25 cents. Have you seen what the Gold suppoters sell in Golds?. 25 cents electrical manual, yup that's right. You can not push high end items, I know because I've tried listing several auctions over the last few weeks. Gold customer service was really helpful, don't get me wrong & they've assured me that they will remain free for at least 7 months & guaranteed me no listing fees.
Big deal, I could not push anything of value there. Everyone there seems to be buying off each other to boost up rating. Mr.X has 300 ratings from Mr.Y & vice versa. What a load of crap.
I know half of those cheer leaders depend on believe it or not, eBay for 99% of their income. Gold just isn't worth it. As for site content & ease of use. How different is any auction site now from the next?. Everyone took the initial concept from eBay & tweek it a bit. There might be 1 or 2 functions that are unique to each site that you might like but that's your taste & when put side by side, they all function the same way & work the same way. Besides that, lock this thread.
posted on July 22, 2000 04:07:26 PM new
I also started putting items on Gold's during last years problems on Ebay. Ran over 100 items and not one bid. Tried golds again within the last month. Not only no bids, but only one item was even looked at. I put items in several different categories just to see if any of them worked well. I have checked out golds as a buyer, as well, but in the categories I buy, the items never seem to change, just the same merchandise being endlessly relisted. Started listing merchandise on Yahoo three weeks ago for the first time. Have already had 6 sales. Not great but better than I expected. Because of this I am using Yahoo as my second place to place auctions. Don't have time to keep listing items on Golds, although they have great customer service, they have been promising to advertise since I was there last summer.
Not Dragonfyree on Ebay, Yahoo or Golds.
posted on July 22, 2000 10:40:11 PM new
I am APPAULED!! AW does NOT include Golds in their search? WHY? This is not fair to BUYERS out there! When I am searching for something, I want to know EVERYWHERE that item might be located so I can find the best price!
I want to know WHY AW does NOT include Golds in their search!
posted on July 22, 2000 11:46:43 PM new
Heygrape, I recall reading a thread a while back that Auction sites with less than X number of listings have to pay AW to be included in their search and that Golds declined. I don't know if it's true but that's what the poster said.
Besides, am hearing a lot of radio adv. for Yahoo recently. Golds? Never heard it mentioned outside these boards of AW.