posted on October 3, 1999 01:25:07 PM
Not sure if this has come up, but I see more and more merchants flooding Yahoo with stuff, specifying a minimum bid on a new item that is basically the retail price you'd find in the store. If it sells, fine, if not, it'll be automatically resubmitted. Of course it's because there are no fees, and Yahoo probably tolerates it for now because it helps them claim they have a lot for sale and are gaining on eBay. Buyers aren't helped very much, though, and I can imagine that they'll get turned off of doing repeat browses and searches to areas where most of the listings are recycled. So the ones that really take it on the chin are sellers who truly do want to sell one-of-a-kind items, auction-style, that fit those categories. I'm sure that abuses like this will be cited when Yahoo starts charging fees.
posted on October 13, 1999 10:05:05 AM
I’m afraid you’re right. It’s a problem at many auction sites, especially the ones that do not charge listing fees. In the long run, if auction sites like Yahoo! are continued to be flooded with retail items with retail-like minimum bids, more and more users will be turned off by auctions. Part of the excitement is the auction process itself. If you have too many retail items opening at high minimum bids, the excitement is eliminated and the auction site becomes more of an on-line retail store than an auction.
posted on October 13, 1999 05:32:06 PM
I wonder if the best way to deal with tihs "retail stuff" is to flood Yahoo with traditional collectables, interesting antiques, and other "not retail" type items.
Perhaps a dedicated group of sellers (it would take thousands and thousands of us) could drive these merchants from yahoo!
This is a topic of discussion over on the ebay board as well. Lots of interesting suggestions, after all, but for the fee and the size...ebay is not all that different from Yahoo.
Still, there seams to be no really easy answers...
I have chose to put my most interesting items here on yahoo. I am being rewarded with some pretty good bids... Bidding is spotty, but generally looking up.
posted on October 22, 1999 05:31:13 PM
I'm curious about that. I sell old postcards, and the ebay fees really bite. A free system sounds nice, but I went to the postcard category on yahoo and saw over 2800 items and only 170 bids. Free is nice, but not if it's a waste of my time...
posted on October 27, 1999 10:18:30 AM
I see that all the time. A huge amount of books are going on sale at 20-50% over cover price. No way they will sell if its in Ebay. I see that at all the other smaller online web sites. I figured these people know they are not going to get many bids & since its free might as well jack up the price.
I always list my stuff in Yahoo dirt cheap so that buyers will see there are still good buys in Yahoo. I don't think there is that much Yahoo can do. There is no law that states you have to price your item right. But I agree if its Ebay, no way anyone will be that foolish enough to throw away their listing fees.
posted on October 27, 1999 11:52:22 AM
maybe somepeople are happy to get
books for 20 to 50% off cover price. I don't sell books, but the big stores are not the only game in town. Some people live in
rural areas that don't have big stores or just don't like to shop.
Just because some of you THINK yahoo or ebay is JUST for people to people and not for business to people as well, well that's YOUR
problem.
I am a small business owner. I am also a person. You might consider me a merchant flooding
Yahoo with stuff but I know several
individuals that run more auctions
every week than I do.
If there were no bidders looking for the type of items that merchants list, merchant's would stop listing.
posted on October 27, 1999 12:51:34 PM
Kimbo there are plenty of business to people auctioneers & video tapes are a good example. They are all well off retail.
In truth, you will find people who will pay premium, hey it takes all kinds of people. Some people will pay $20 for an item they can get for $4 at Uncle Joe Bob's Garage.
The issue here is that 1. These people would have never posted this postings in Ebay. No one will ever buy that item for that price in Ebay because there is more competition. Anyway, since Yahoo is free post all you want.
My real problem is merchants postings products at every category no matter how inappropriate it is. Someone was selling cigerettes at 20 categories ranging from books to videos. You might think its cute but as a buyer when I am in the video category, I want to buy videos (giving this as an example).
I am not going into an argument here, all I do is report it to Yahoo & get the auction cancelled & hopefully the seller suspended. I don't even think that helps since all he will do is make a new id & we go through the entire scenario all over again.
posted on October 27, 1999 02:29:59 PM
If merchants and/or individuals are
posting in the wrong categories or
posting the same item over and over
without using the dutch auction format, then fine, report them.
They are breaking rules.
But, I'm tired of hearing these threads that merchants are flooding
the auctions with new merchandise
available in retail stores: because number 1. so what
2. people as well as merchants are
guilty of this (IF this is wrong)
3. things don't have to be old,antique, rare, etc. to be searched for and bid on
One of the highest feedback sellers I know on Ebay sells mailing supplies (bubble envelopes, tape, etc.) Sure so does
Staples and I have one of them right down the road, BUT he's cheaper and more convenient for me.
I totally get the point, that because Yahoo is free, you get more listings on inexpensive items or items that are not as HOT or RARE, etc. SO naturally people and
merchants will take advantage of this, again SO WHAT. I know some people that have trouble finding some of the cheaper items they are looking for on ebay for exactly this reason.
My advice, use the search and narrow down what you are looking for, it (the search) has been improved on Yahoo.
posted on October 28, 1999 05:05:02 AM
I think one thing that makes this a problem is the "view images only" routine at Yahoo. It becomes very frustrating as a buyer, or a seller, to wait however long it takes for the page to load, only to find that it is yet another page, like the last page, of items so similar they might as well be the same thing. I wouldn't have a problem if these items were in the right category, and there was only one. But, I don't want to see (and I'm makeing this up, not talking about anyone in particular) 2 pages of clear glass wads with the only difference being whether the engraved picture is a kitten of a full grown cat. Come on, if you want to show a collection of stuff like this, get a web site.
Chris
You maybe talking about someone like me. I sell inexpensive well under $5 celebrity collectibles. On ebay it would cost to much. I get one sale out of 10-12 auctions. My bidders are very happy with my items. But I do list on a daily business. It's not a hobby but my business.
I think someone like myself should have the same right to post auctions onJerry
