posted on July 13, 2000 08:44:36 PM new
Hi everyone.
I am mainly a bidder on eBay but bid on Yahoo as well. I think Yahoo is a FANTASTIC venue for selling items as it is free, and I have sold dozens and dozens of items in the past few months. However, I have noticed that nearly ALL of my bidders NEVER leave feedback once the transaction is completed! As a buyer and seller who ALWAYS leaves feedback asap, I would have thought that there was a small minority of users on Yahoo who don't leave feedback - but this is getting beyond a joke. I am trying not to make this matter seriously, and I realise this has probably been discussed thousands of times on this board, but I feel that on Ebay users take feedback far more seriously than on Yahoo (thus a larger feedback profile). I have politely reminded buyers to leave feedback via email, usually to no avail...but wht I find fascinating is that on eBay feedback is valued so much more than on Yahoo. WHY?
Thank you, now I have finished my ranting I feel a lot better
posted on July 13, 2000 09:24:14 PM new
I agree with heygrape. If I'm interested in bidding on an item listed on Yahoo and see the seller has under 20 feedback I usually consider that they have had at least twice that many successfull transactions in which no feedback was left. As long as their feedback is not full of negatives, I bid. What's disappointing to me is when I buy something on Yahoo and the seller fails to leave me a comment. I guess I should be satisfied if my package is shipped promptly and safely.
James
posted on July 14, 2000 05:11:04 AM new
Users in Yahoo tend to be rather new. Most bidders who join eBay from Yahoo tend to bid, pay & leave Yahoo. I've had many new bidders who bid on a specific item & never return. I too am dismay that not many people leave feedbacks but what can you do. They pay me & that's that.
I don't ask for feedback, if they do decide to leave me a feedback then great. If not,...ohh well. Keep that attitude. Always be positive or try to be
That helps a lot. Also helps me when I see all the eBay regulars run to Yahoo. I just know they are going to ruin Yahoo like they ruin eBay with their pathetic complains. Improve this...improve that. But hey be positive.
posted on July 14, 2000 08:31:08 AM new
I had that problem as well. Lately it has gotten much better. I have been running a contest where about 1 in 3 entries is a prize winner. I give entries for:
- emailing me immediately upon bidding
- joining paypal with my link
- joining payme with my link
- completing the transaction
- posting feedback afterward
This means that just about every customer wins something.
When I send the item, I email the customer as well as include on the receipt:
"please email when this arrives and don't forget to post feedback. Once feedback has been posted, this transaction is complete and your entries will be entered in our contest."
After feedback is posted, I send the prize. I try to make it something that complements the item bought. For example, with a digital camera or scanner - a photo editing package. There are plenty of good ones available on the Internet but by burning a cd of these and sending it to the customer, I save them the effort. With a cd drive or carton of CDRs I send a CD lens cleaner. My cost on these is small and it has increased my sales and my feedback. So far I have also given away three color printers.
This idea only works on higher ticket items. It's hard to give prizes when someone buys $3 items.
posted on July 14, 2000 11:00:50 AM new
yisgood--bribing for feedback? YUKKK! Of all things about on line auctions--feedback is the most over rated part of selling. Truly, a fast email from my buyer that everything is OK is all I ask. Hey--bad selling practices that equal negative feedback will catch up with the unscrupulous sellers. JMHO
posted on July 14, 2000 01:33:01 PM new
In the beginning I was worried about trying to sell with no positive FB in my Yahoo profile. I even bought items from other sellers to try to pump up my FB rating. I now have a stellar reputation with FIVE whole positive FB comments in my profile. (compared to my 100+ pos comments on Ebay). I don't think Yahoo'ers give much thought to FB at all, because I've successfully closed many auctions with no big fat FB profile, & no one seemed worried that I was going to stiff them. And most of them didn't leave any FB either.
As a Yahoo buyer I've disregarded a lot of neg FB in other sellers' profiles because the FB was obviously left by blithering idiots. You can just tell sometimes when a neg is undeserved. So I really don't think FB is that big a deal on Yahoo, although I'm saying this in relationship to the generally low-priced items I generally buy & sell via online auctions.
And I'm with you, too Grapey- just pay me for my item, & if you leave me pos. FB too, well that's just icing on the cake.
But even on Ebay, maybe 1 in 4 or 5 didn't leave FB. I can't get too bothered about it really. I like to let sleeping dogs lie. Maybe someone didn't leave a me pos. because they thought the item that they paid for book rate shipping on took TOO LONG to arrive when it showed up 2 weeks later. (even if I sent it the same day I received their payment & they live in Florida & I live in California.) You know what I mean? If I went & demanded FB from that person I might not get the desired response, and I think it's better not to go there in the first place, because you just never know.
posted on July 15, 2000 02:51:04 PM new
I'm new to Yahoo too and I hope my feedback rating of 2 will pick up shortly. I see two problems: newbies and people who just don't care. They don''t understand the value of feedback in buyer/seller confidence.
There are two things that will help garner feedback if the people care:
Sell good stuff to good bidders. I am real picky about what I offer. Knowledgeable bidders expect better items.
Deliver "knock their socks off" service. With all the folks who just clear their closets via auction, real good service is a rare treat. I have people who rave about my service.
This is nothing new. I learned this long before the Internet was even in existence. Great stuff with great service has a way of getting you the attention you desire.
posted on July 15, 2000 04:30:50 PM new
Okay - I have heard this before on this board, but again this is not my experience. I find Yahoo buyers to be quite diligent about leaving feedback.
I don't think it's the site necessarily but the feedback is dependent on the buyer's level of satisfaction. If they are underwhelmed - well then no feedback is left and this is true at ebay as well.
I am not trying to mix it up here, but if you are just starting to sell on Yahoo and still in the "good stuff to Ebay - junk to Yahoo" mindset then you may have buyers who are only marginally satisfied and that could be half the explanation right there.
My experience is that many if not most of the buyers (sellers too) on yahoo are TRYING to build a great site, kind of what ebay
started out to be. Part of doing this is to leave coherent truthful comments on feedback which buyers do almost always (as opposed to something mass produced and Ebay-ish).
One of the more striking differences to me about Yahoo over Ebay is the strong buyer loyalty, it is just phenomenal. I think
more and more buyers are coming from ebay and if they find a Yahoo seller who is providing goods they want to buy at a reasonable price, they buy and buy and buy and buy and quite happily leave feedback.
Last, my experiences may be because of my propensity to sell 1 bid wins. As I have said repeatedly, the buyers love it.
Bidding is done like dinner. Today I sold a maternity dress. I wrote "I know you need this YESTERDAY, so no waiting for an auction to end - 1 bid buys. Paypal and I will ship today." Now how long do you think it took that dress to sell? The buyer thanked me profusely and the reason is because I gave her what she needed the way she needed it and there is no way in the land she will not leave me feedback.
posted on July 15, 2000 08:16:34 PM new
I include a little grapey gift in every box. It's a envelope of Grape Kool-aid. LOL!! And I put a sticker on it that says, "Free Bonus! Please visit heygrapey auctions again soon!"
posted on July 18, 2000 04:12:51 PM new
I'm new to Yahoo, but have gone from a 0-26 rating in three weeks. I think it is the group I sell to. No, they don't all leave feedback, but most do. I keep in mind that at least no feedback, is not negative. I do remind them on the invoice to leave feedback.
posted on July 18, 2000 04:34:02 PM new
I think Yahoo is actually doing as good a job feedbackwise as eBay. eBay's feedback bug has probably killed 75-100 of my feddback points to date. In the meantime Yahoo not only permits detailed feedback, but they even email your feedback. Awesome!
posted on July 29, 2000 08:42:21 PM new
Approx 20+ successful sales so far--feedback 2 What me worry--just keep listing!! Feedback smeedback--the only ones to worry about are negs and nuetrals. If you are doing your job as a seller, don't sweat this small detail--and I mean small!!
posted on July 29, 2000 08:50:11 PM new
WELL SO FAR SO GOOD, ??!!
we have been on yahoo auctions for 16 months. out of 2500 sales, 628 from the same people as returns, we have feedback of 271. with a negative 3 from children who never bought from us, just neged us for the fun, we asked yahoo to take it off, they sent us a canned message. our total feedback is around 350 or more but many were return feedbacks, we never asked for anyone to put feedback, unless they ask us. we always give a excellent feedback right away, as soon as the payment arrives. but the percent ratio i quess for every 10 buyers, 1 to 3 give feedback, sometimes higher at different times of the year, like christmas, people are more joyfull i quess...
posted on July 29, 2000 09:03:30 PM new
Totally ot but my all time favorte line--He's dead Jim. Startrek--growing up watching first runs and then wanting to watch reruns---just one of my favorite lines, as only Bones could give it in that deadpan way! Do you think the writers realized how many times McCoy had to utter these immortal lines?
Your feedback oddessey here on Yahoo gives me encouragement. I have always thought from day one --that on line feedback was over rated and your stats make me feel a lot more comfortable. My theory--bad news travels fast. Do your job and take satisfaction from that--don't look for that "feedback" pat on the head. JMHO
edited to add--my tie braker all time favorite line, "my dear--I don't give a damn"
Even after all these years--a very powerful line for me--in the context of this movie---of course--my favorite film. After 100's of films seen since then--why this movie? It was tragically magic.
[ edited by jeanyu on Jul 29, 2000 09:20 PM ]
posted on July 31, 2000 05:51:46 PM new
I have had very good luck with feedback on Yahoo. In my paid/shipping email:
-I let them know I received payment and am shipping
-tell them I have left them great feedback
-and ask that they leave me feedback so I know the item has arrived safe and sound so I can sleep better.
I also include a link to the feedback page for that auction. Easy to do with Auction Tamer and seems to be working great!
posted on August 1, 2000 06:27:42 AM new
I am new to the message center, but I have been selling on yahoo for about 1 year now, my rating is 400+ , I think I have recieved 4 or 5 -feedbacks, at the time they were from new bidders , some of them do not read the auction desc. but most everyone who I have dealt with is nice and honor there bids. The blacklisting users does not work, I have had to many deadbeat bidders who have different Id's but still use the same email address
