posted on October 7, 2000 12:53:19 PM new
I recently set up a Yahoo Auction account and put 2 identical $9 items up for sale at $.01/Each with no reserve just as a trial. After several days I still did not have any page views much less any bids so I pulled them. I sell about 40 items just like these each week on eBay and get $8 - $12 for each of them. What am I doing wrong. Do I need to pay to have my item featured? I really like the look and feel of Yahoo, but without customers I am at a loss to sell there. What do you regular Yahooers do? Do you just put a reserver on the items and leave them out there? Thanks for any suggestions.
posted on October 7, 2000 11:20:00 PM new
Go back and read all the Yahoo threads here on AW for the past three months. You'll see many different suggestions for selling on Yahoo, since it's very different from selling on ebay.
Yahoo just changed the listing order from time-ending to feedback/sell-through-rate, meaning that new sellers with no feedback and no previous selling record will have their auctions at the very end of each category for the entire duration.
This new listing order is very unpopular, and we're all hoping Yahoo will change it back the way it was.
posted on October 8, 2000 09:18:57 AM new
Yeah for the moment the new people to yahoo really need to bid features to get veiws.
I have been on yahoo for a year I have a 26 for feed back I can pullin more veiws with features the selling part well thats the tricky part Right now.
I am trying to sell some of my stuff on ebay this to a point is working but its a bit slow there too right now.
For the time being I am working on my auction display and list presentation testing new titleing and wording of the listings to see what effect this has for me.
hopefully when things balnace out on yahoo ill have a killer persentation and sales pitch worked out.
posted on October 8, 2000 04:05:49 PM new
Well, as a newcomer- you are seeing Yahoo with the new changes and NOT good ones. I think the preferential f/back listings being on top is a violation of good business practise. Just because someone HAS sold a lot- it is NO reason to keep new sellers in the "cellar"
As far as I can see - unless we cough up some money like Pierre's 1.00 we'll have a tough time making it on a freebie here.
Not too long when it will be know as "Screwhoo" not Yahoo. Sorry, but I'm ticked at what they've done. Wishing you good luck if you feature and pay~
posted on October 8, 2000 05:28:24 PM new
I have listed 5 more items. This time I tried to sweeten the deal with free shipping and start them at my true minimum with no reserve. We'll see what happens. Thanks.
posted on October 8, 2000 06:31:41 PM new
coyote0 - good move.
Yahoo's don't cotton too well to the "try to hit my reserve" game and sellers do best to understand that bidding frenzy's almost never occur. List you item for what you want for it, you will usually walk away with one bid anyway.
From there it is a short hop to making your opening bid price also your buy price (aka 1st bid wins) because when you use this format you add the extra incentive to the shopper of instant gratification as well as a situation where they may very well snooze and lose as opposed to having 7 or 10 days of an auction to talk themselves out of it.
The time to make the sale is NOW. Ask any salesman, they'll tell ya. Don't let the the buyer off the lot.
posted on October 8, 2000 06:45:53 PM new
I've played on Ebay, Amazon, and Yahoo and notice that what these genuises call improvements generally do the exact opposite?
posted on October 8, 2000 09:56:46 PM new
Speaking as a sometimes buyer, the reason I haven't purchased on Yahoo is because I can seldom find what I am looking for and when I find it the opening bid prices are way to high. As a buyer, I personally hate first bid wins auctions and auctions with high opening bids.
I'm not sure if the reason I can't find what I am looking for is because of the search feature or because of the lack of sellers listing certain items.
I don't buy much but when I do I bid on Ebay.
As a seller I'm not sure I like the thought of low percentage sellers being moved to the bottom of the listings. Their sales percentage is low so you move them to where they will not get any bids at all. It doesn't seem fair.
posted on October 8, 2000 11:08:46 PM new
outoftheblue,
A new seller to Yahoo can overcome "back of the category" placement for his listings by making his SELL-THROUGH RATE very high. Right now Yahoo is ranking listings by a formula based on feedback AND percentage of listings that close with winners. You can't do anything about your lack of feedback, but you CAN about your "sell-through rate".
Put one or two 10-day auctions on Yahoo that you think are sure-fire winners, sure to get buyers (even if it's something for $1 or $2). You might pay a little to "feature" them so they'll be at the beginning of the category list. (If you know what they're worth, make them "first bid wins" auctions so they'll close quickly.) Offer PayDirect to your buyers, put your email address (or a link to it) in your auctions so buyers without CCs can contact you, and conclude the transactions as quickly as possible. Leave your buyer(s) feedback as soon as they pay, and tell them you'd appreciate return feedback if they're happy with the purchase.
Your sell-through rate is now 100%, since you sold 1 for 1 listing or 2 for 2 listings. Even without feedback, a 100% SELL-THROUGH RATE will put your next listings near the top of the list.
I've seen sellers with only 5 feedback have listings near the beginning of a category (after the "featured" section) because they've sold everything they've listed on the first go-round. Be sure your auctions are the maximum length, 10 days, to increase the odds they'll sell, because if they sell on resubmission the sell-through rate drops from 100% to 50%.
And don't worry too much about page views. They're usually much lower on Yahoo than ebay, but it's often the first or second viewer who buys, especially "first bid wins".
As for your dislike of "first bid wins" and high opening prices (as a buyer), it's because you're looking for a seller who's either stupid, bought the item for next-to-nothing, or who's willing to gamble that the bidders will drive the price up from a low opening bid. Most of us (even the stupid ones) learned early on that the gamble isn't worth it, and it's easier to offer an item with a reasonable opening price and wait for the buyer who wants to pay it.
posted on October 9, 2000 05:22:54 PM new
Granee - I guess you answered my question, and it's not the answer I expected.
I was going to ask about whether it's best to list for the maximum time, or a short period. This is because I listed something like 10 books and put them all up for "first bid wins", maximum time, no frills or features. I went back and added my email address.
I had one sale, then nothing until today, when I sold 2. I'm pretty sure these auctions are ending very soon, so I surmised that they have now moved up in the lists and are being seen. That's why I wondered if I should list for 5 days instead.
Now I'm not sure.
Question: if someone contacts me via email and I sell to him, how does Yahoo know I sold the item vs just taking it off?
posted on October 9, 2000 05:42:12 PM new
>>>Question: if someone contacts me via email and I sell to him, how does Yahoo know I sold the item vs just taking it off? >>>
Hi Keziak - if you take the item down and sell because the buyer does not have a credit card and can't bid, you will not get credit for the sale from Yahoo, but you will get the sale which is more important.
If it is just someone writing because they are new or something, and you are selling 1st bid wins, I have them bid it, explaining that it will close automatically and I will be able to leave them feedback.
posted on October 9, 2000 07:07:11 PM new
VeryModern -
Yes, to make the sale, that is the crucial thing. But I was confused because granee seemed to indicate that even this kind of "off-Yahoo" sale would contribute to a better "sell-through" rate?
posted on October 9, 2000 07:24:57 PM new
Just a comment on the sell through rate..
To me it does not seem terrifically crucial (not counting that it is the reason the listings are jumbled).
I shop via search, never ever by category and the search is narrow enough that it will produce no more results than I am willing to wade through beginning to end. I hate to think that a seller new to Yahoo thinks that their listing is going to buried on page 80 and that they don't have a chance, because this not the case.
I sell many many things on Yahoo where I am the only seller selling the only one, or in other cases the seller offering a quick sale at a fair price. My point is that when someone does a *search* my listing is going to pop right up and provided my price is reasonable, (I almost always run 1st bid wins) I am very likely to have a sale right then, and so it makes no difference if the auction was buried 30 pages back in the category or not. This does not mean that I will not stay cognizant of my sell through and try to improve my position, but I am surely not going to lose sleep about it.
posted on October 9, 2000 09:14:08 PM new
VERYMODERN
In this instance I agree with you. I have never even looked to see where my auctions appear in a search - things keep selling and selling, and I don't worry about how many views my auctions get or where they show up in the listings, just as long as they are selling and they sell on Yahoo!
I have no idea what my sell through ratio is, etc., etc. I just know things are selling, and selling, enough to keep both myself and a full time assistant (who does all the packing) busy more than full time.
Good products, well presented ads, gracious service, fast responses to e-mails, strong feedback and quick shipping keeps customers happy and coming back.
posted on October 10, 2000 02:24:50 AM new
keziak,
No, your auctions aren't "moving up the list" (they don't do that anymore), you just sold 2 today because bidding is picking back up, today's Monday (a strong bidding day on Yahoo), and it was a holiday (when some people were off work). If your auctions were higher on the list today, it's because the FIRST LISTINGS on the list sold and moved off. Don't relist as 5 day auctions---it won't do anything but shortened the length of time your auctions have to be bid on during the next go-round.
I didn't mean to imply that off-auction sales would help your "sell-through" rate, because they won't. The email address is to catch buyers who don't have CCs (or won't put their card numbers on the internet) and hopefully make the sale for you. Also, some bidders would rather write you directly than use "Question & Answer". If you sell off-auction and you have ANOTHER of the same thing, DON'T END THE AUCTION and close it without an "official" winner---just leave it running in hopes of getting another buyer. ALSO, if you have a DEADBEAT BIDDER, don't cancel his bid---you might lose "credit" for the sale. Just resubmit as if you have another one.
It's true that many bidders never look at categories, but use the "keyword search" instead. That's why it's important to use ALL OF THE TITLE SPACE ALLOWED and put *as many* relevant words in it as you can so it will come up on search. (Yahoo has wacky limitations of caps and punctuation in the title, so read previous AW threads that explain it.) If you expect multiple bidders, use "No Reserve" in the title (Yahoo bidders HATE reserves.) and start at the least you can take. When a bidder sees your auction with "Buy Price" or *especially* "First Bid Wins" in the title (abbr."1st" when you're out of room), he'll buy YOURS instead of the next listing that's the same price, because *it* has to run for another 7 or 9 days and *yours* closes immediately. (They LOVE IT when you ship the same day they bid.)
It's also true that many OTHER bidders look by category, so the new sellers are definitely at a disadvantage as long as Yahoo continues to sort by this new method (which we're hoping isn't long).
It's easy for established sellers like Paul Truth to say, "I don't worry about how many views my auctions get or where they show up in the listings..." because the fact is that his feedback rate and success in selling (i.e. high "sell-through" rate) put his listings near the top of the categories, and he has a long track record for bidders to view and trust. It's sort of "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer" situation, and it doesn't do a thing to encourage new sellers to Yahoo.
That's why I suggested you start with "winning" listings---not your best things, but whatever you're SURE TO SELL---even if you don't make much money at first....So you can get your foot in the door.
One more thing....SHIP INTERNATIONALLY. Yahoo has a STRONG foreign buyer base. Let the buyer choose the shipping rate (BidPay, EnergyFlow, and I-Escrow are good options to give them at this point in time if you don't have a merchant account). Good luck!!!!!
Hey, grapey....where do you GET those fabulous gifs?????????
posted on October 10, 2000 05:56:31 AM new
granee - thanks for your generous answers to my questions! You have cleared me up on a few things. I have done all-but-one as 1st bid wins, I ship internationally, and take PayPal for fast delivery [on the fence about the Yahoo service for the time being]. I feel more encouraged now that a few things have sold on Yahoo. It seemed strange to get no hits for a while, when things are doing great on ebay.
Now I need to follow up on the tip I saw here that if you have eBay FB, you can get some sort of credits (?) on Yahoo for features (?). I have 410 on ebay and would enjoy getting some "credit" for it...
posted on October 11, 2000 05:04:52 AM new
Go to Yahoo! AuctionS Home and look in the What's New box on the right side for "Convert Ratings to Credits". You can see the credits (after they're processed) by clicking "Manage" on one of your current listings, then "Get Featured", then "Check My Current Balance".
I've followed a couple of these "high percentage sellers" on the top of the categories that I sell in. They do sell a lot of stuff (for an average selling price of $2-$3). They must get this stuff for practically nothing to be able to give it away like that.
Yahoo was an ok place to sell for free, now it SUCKS!
