posted on September 30, 2000 06:09:35 AM new
I can't believe the difference it has made on Yahoo, since they started requiring a credit card for buyers. Out of my last 50 buyers, I have only had 1 deadbeat, which is WAY DOWN, and the buyers are paying fast, and mostly with credit cards. This is great.
Initially I thought it would hurt our business, but it hasn't caused us any problems, and if anything we are selling more, faster, and completing sales faster because most folks are using credit cards.
Congratulations, Yahoo, you made the right decision this time, and I am pleasantly surprised!!!!!!!!
posted on September 30, 2000 07:36:00 AM new
You found 50 bidders all in one place on yahoo in the last month ??? WOW
I would say you were one of the lucky few I have only had 1 bid in the last 34 days and views are off 75% in many of he categorys I list in.
I can honestly say ebay sales made my month this time . I had an ebay account for nearly a year and never really used it but when I seen yahoo was asking buyers for credit cards I knew things were gonna drop off at least in the short term and listed daily on ebay Results I had one to three sales per day on ebay.
cost to sell on ebay for the month includeing FVFs $17.35.
1 sales daily average listings for the month 85.
cost to sell on yahoo features and so on $15.00 results 1 deadbeat at the start of the month 1 sale at the end of the month average of 1 to 4 veiws per auction averageed 325 listings for the month.
bad month for yahoo but best month I have had since last winter & spring.
posted on September 30, 2000 08:17:44 AM new
D-Man
I don't know about viewings, I don't pay any attention to them - I'll I'm interested in is sales - I don't feature on Yahoo, so my cost is 0
I also use eBay - and yes I make out well on eBay but the cost is outstanding too!
But, you realize September is one of the lowest months in standard retail sales, so perhaps yours will pick up in October.
I was pleased that we didn't run out of auctions, although in my panic I took over my assistant's yahoo ID, to make sure we had enough space for auctions, but really didn't need it. I was careful in posting the first part of September, but that wasn't necessary either.
All in all I am quite pleased, as our sales have been good, and with most people paying via PayPal, PayDirect, or calling us with their charges, auctions are turning over much faster. With the dramatic drop in deadbeats, all in all I am a happy camper.
posted on September 30, 2000 09:31:30 AM new
I'm having a horrible September also. My worst month on Yahoo in the year since I joined. I don't know if it is the cc requirement or the jumble listings. I hope this improves! Melanie
"If man were to be crossed with a cat, it would greatly improve the man, but deteriorate the cat." Mark Twain
posted on September 30, 2000 10:34:02 AM new
heygrape is deader than a doornail. Only a couple sales, but heygrapey is selling like gangbusters! Go figure! They must like the Y? LOL!!
posted on September 30, 2000 02:33:00 PM newdman3,
Something is wrong with your math. You cannot POSSIBLY even LIST 85 auctions on ebay for $17.35, since the MINIMUM listing fee is 25 cents (x 85=$21.25), and final value fees are 5% of the sale price (assuming nothing sold for more than $25.00, in which case the portion above $25 is 2.5%).
Go back and add it up again. That number of auctions with buyers on ebay would cost AT THE VERY VERY LEAST $42.00 to sell (and that's only if your average sale price is only $5.00).
I've sold right at 50 books on Yahoo since the CC requirement started on Sept. 13th with at least one deadbeat (email bounced), but several others haven't responded or sent payment yet, so I can't tell if there are more no-pays in the group. This is typical of my sales BEFORE the CC verification, since I would have 10% deadbeats one month, then none the next month---very unpredictable. I certainly can't say the CC requirement is the right thing to do, because other sellers might have different "types" of buyers than I do, who DON'T HAVE OR WANT credit cards.
I did have my first potential sale today to someone who emailed because she couldn't bid without a CC (I've been putting an email link in my auctions for those who can't bid. It's below, if you want to copy it)
<FONT SIZE=+1><B><A HREF=mailto:YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TARGET=new>BUYERS WITHOUT CREDIT CARDS, UNABLE TO BID, CLICK HERE TO EMAIL ME</FONT></A>
Like jwpc, I don't pay too much attention to number of hits, since I sometimes sell "first bid wins" to the first person who looks at the listing. I don't pay to feature, either (mostly because I'm selling books that can be obtained anywhere), but I had planned to feature my ANTIQES and VINTAGE COLLECTIBLES when I list them for Christmas sales UNTIL THE JUMBLED LISTINGS STARTED. If Yahoo doesn't fix the listing order soon, I'm going to have to (very, very reluctantly) put them on ebay.
One reason I've continued to sell this month MAY BE that my feedback is almost 500, putting my auctions close to the top on category listings pages (if that's the "reasoning" behind the listing order now). I had opened a new account on which to list antiques/collectibles (separate from the books), but it's been dead as a doornail. I went to the categories to see where they were, and found that my 0 feedback had them almost to the VERY END of the listings (page 24 of 25, 38 of 40). So much for THAT idea. I closed them and listed them with my FIRST user ID, the one with almost 500 feedback, so they'll at least be SEEN.
When (and if) Yahoo puts the listings back in ending order, I'll move them back to my new ID.
heygrape, I kind of like the Y myself!!!!!!!!!!!!
[ edited by granee on Sep 30, 2000 02:44 PM ]
posted on September 30, 2000 03:24:31 PM new
I have done very well on Y! since going back there to sell last month. I use the "Buy It Now" feature, and mostly that is how the items sell. Some place bids and win. I list at the lowest price I can absorb for my items. My selling rate was at 75% which is fantastic. I do have a sentence with my email link for having no cc, to email me, in all my auctions. Sure, I'd like the feedback, as I am approaching a red star at eBay, but only 23 at Y!, but....a sale is a sale is a sale.
However, this last batch of auctions was listed after the cc verification went into affect and unfortunately, without all auctions ended yet, selling rate is down to 20%. The hits are there and there are even about 6 items on someone's watch list, but there are no more bids, yet. I don't really know if this is due to the cc verification or not...maybe this week is just a slow week. I have heard sellers say that the first two weeks in any month are the best...could be!
I did have an eBay customer tell me that she signed up this week with Y!, so she must not have minded the CC verification. I also feature my items...at least when it sells I get credit back from Y!....I don't get anything from EB except more fees...can't even have one free relist.
I love the "new" Yahoo, and am sooooooo happy to have an "real" alternative to EB, that I list more at Y! now than at EB. Nowwww, if they would just get some RL customer support reps, my life would be complete.
[ edited by ladyjane on Sep 30, 2000 03:27 PM ]
posted on October 1, 2000 08:05:00 AM new
My bids are down by about 40-50%, but prior to the CC Verification I was plagued with nonpayers so my REAL sales are actually only down about 20%. It does seem slower, but judging by the completed auctions, it looks worse on eBay. Way too many sellers trying to liquidate everything in 3 days. Its really destroying prices. I don't know why some of the sellers bother. I would throw stuff away before I would sell for some of the closing prices I've seen on eBay. Not out of spite, but because it just isn't worth my time to scan, list, pack, and ship for a couple bucks over cost.
posted on October 1, 2000 08:59:19 AM new
Well, I can see why reading these board is so important. Hadn't realized that previous bidders without CC's may have just gone away... In other words, no CC no bidding at all---that's a tough one. Can't remember, is it the same at ebay?
Yes, for whatever reason, sales are down. I still maintain that Yahoo deadbeat bidders are probably NARU bidders from ebay. (with an alias of course) Has anyone theorized that these bogus bidders who bid on 1st bid win sales have something up their sleeve?? Why bother to get a ID - and bid an item they KNOW at the bid-time they are not going to honor. I can see it if maybe they bid compulsively etc. BUT this seems more like a planned attack on a seller's item. It keeps our item off-market THINKING it is sold. Now, the deadbeats don't EVEN have a legitimate email add....HOW do they get by Yahoo on that one?
Guess that's why the CC verfication. Let's hope with the good apples that are left, we'll have legitimate bidding now.
QUESTION: What is every seller doing to bring bidders to Yahoo??? I put a printout in my shipping to my ebay winners to please check Yahoo for more great items AND---How about this?? (maybe will start a new thread on it) A CAMPAIGN to attract bidders on Yahoo.....since THEY don't seem to advertise the auctions at all! TV ad just mention Yahoo in general - NO mention of our drowning auctions!
YAHOO ashamed of their Kmart approach to our HIGH CLASS AUCTIONS??? LOL
posted on October 6, 2000 11:44:10 AM new
Thanks Granee for the link to put in YAHOO ads for folks without credit cards. I've added a couple of additions - a paragraph & change in font size (smaller). For your original link, look in Granee comment above...
<p></font><FONT SIZE=2><B><A HREF=mailto:YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TARGET=new>BUYERS WITHOUT CREDIT CARDS, UNABLE TO BID, CLICK HERE TO EMAIL ME</FONT></A>
Many of the items I listed on ebay were listed twice most sold on there second time around and got credit for the second listing .
I listed 85 counting item listed twice and the actual invoice I just got was just over $18 for the listing no single items high bid was over $16 and no bid lower then $6.50.
the actual item count listed was less then 85 not counting second listings.
The point though was it cost me some but I sold the items there here it is october 6th and I still have no bids at yahoo and veiws are way off even on featured items.
some of my items that have been listed off and on at yahoo since apirl I am listing on ebay and selling in less then 10 day.
I have to admit ebay is not as heavy on the bidding as it was earily this year for me but most item still tend to sell in the last hours.
I am not a ebay cheer leader by no means but yahoo is dead even in the electronics area other then bids on items with reserve where people take stabs at low price items and dont meet the reserve.
and I have sold more on ebay in the late 7 weeks then I have on yahoo in the last 5 months.
for me this is good news after a summer of little to no sales on yahoo and now the dead of this credit card verification my inventory was getting real stale.
I have a small amount of capital to work with here and I have many items I know should sell need to sell this to be able to go find new
If it's not selling on Yahoo and IS selling on ebay, then it's foolish not to put it on ebay and turn some merchandise.
Many things factor in when determining why one person is selling and someone else isn't---the things they're selling, the price, the presentation, and (MOST OF ALL) just plain dumb luck!!! LUCK is also why you sell nothing the first time you list, then sell everything on resubmission two weeks later.
If you have ebay or Amazon feedback, be sure to apply for the Yahoo Featuring Dollar Credits being offered right now--one dollar worth of Yahoo Auction featuring for every feedback point over there.
