posted on October 26, 2000 08:29:52 AM new
HI all - so far I haven't figured this Yahoo system out. Few of my items sell. Some of them are just duds, but I put others on Ebay and BAM, I get bids, and ultimately good prices. I have one now that is sitting with 7 bids and the price has gone over what I gave as my "first bid wins" price on Yahoo.
I'd like to make it work on Yahoo because I think ebay needs competition and the few customers I've sold to have been nice. Plus, the no-fees angle, of course!
My question: I've been doing "first bid wins" but the approach gives me cold feet so I list for more than I normally list as my starting bid on ebay. I suspect the prices are too high. Is the first-bid wins option magic for you, or simply having a "take it" price?
posted on October 26, 2000 12:03:13 PM new
Hi Keziak
Yahoo is SO different from ebay, that it sort of requires a different mind-set. Have you read the thread "Newbie tips for Yahoo blips"? There's a ton of helpful information in that thread. Just scroll down this page until you come to it, and enjoy the help of the folks who have "been there". I went to Yahoo in September (late August) and I do better and better as I "learn" the system over there.
I didn't look to see what kinds of things you are selling there, but the message boards here have threads that talk about how different items "go" at different auction sites. Personally I have tons of low cost items that I can put out until I have a presence on Yahoo and low prices DO sell on Yahoo, especially postcards.
Do a little research by looking for the types of things you sell......find the sellers who are being successful and learn from their strategy. Yes, that takes precious time, but it will pay off in the end. Remember, if an item doesn't sell, you can re-list it forever and ever. I TRY to have 2 pages of auctions ( 50 items per page) running at all times. That means I have to come up with new items, AND keep re-listing the auctions that closed with no winners.
I tried using the "buy-price" and first bid wins, but it didn't "fit" my need for controlling and organization.
My suggestion is to choose certain items you've had a long time, and be willing to take less for them.......nothing really valuable, just some collectible things that you didn't pay a lot for yourself. Start with those...spend .10 cents to feature on the last day, and see what happens.
Hang in there. I'm sure you have enough "stuff" to list on both ebay and Yahoo at the same time.
Good luck.
mejco
posted on October 26, 2000 02:49:48 PM new
Hi again
Since I posted my reply, I've been to Yahoo and you are right, books don't seem to sell very well there. I looked through page after page of all different types of books and there are very few bids.
Seems a couple of days ago, I was reading on this board that Amazon was pretty good for books,: maybe you should try that venue. But it looks to me like you've been very successful at ebay, why would you change?
posted on October 26, 2000 03:16:21 PM new
oh...... books!
This is one thing I have never been able to sell on Yahoo. Very tough by my limited experience. Maybe someone else can tell you something more optimistic. I hope so.
posted on October 26, 2000 04:12:23 PM new
VeryModern - actually..that helps! thanks. I have read your posts and I trust and believe you when you say you can get Yahoo to work for you. I haven't given up..need to think more about the idea of listing a larger inventory and being patient. After all, I'll have stuff on half for months and suddenly it will sell. Part of the trick is having something there when the customer goes looking.
mejco: thank you for your insights. Yes, ebay is pretty good for me, but I was hoping to diversify. I did Amazon for a while and if you want to see a sea of no-bids...!!! But I've sold SOME books everywhere. It's more a matter of figuring out which venues are worth the time.
posted on October 26, 2000 05:30:39 PM new
keziak - you may just have to stake out your territory. When we first came to Yahoo we had a small baby and so I was selling in a smallish sort of way. I did notice that when I started listing more auctions (more than 100) we became a presence in the categories we sell in and this reeeeeally jump started things. I have said before that 100 listings will get you 10 sales a week pretty steady. 200 will get you 25 + and 300 will get you 50. Yahoo is still small enough that you can be "known" and if you are listing tasty things, people will mark you.
Do you know that a buyer can select a seller (I cannot think of the term right now) and when I list something, people who have me marked get an email with A PIC of what I listed in the mail. Yes! This is what Yahoo does for sellers. This means that a person can shop MY auctions without ever bothering to browse the site. And a pic, can you imagine? No dry list that you just delete.
These are part of the nuances of Yahoo. It is a great site, and I mean GREAT, but you play the fiddle just so.
posted on October 26, 2000 06:32:21 PM new
You're right VM, you have to have a quantity of things up to sell, but I found that to be true on eBay also.
There seems to be a psychological factor that kicks in when lookers see other people bidding. I think they feel that these people are on to something good and they better get it while they can. I noticed the same mentality when I had a retail shop. If a few people were buying, everyone started buying. If you couldn't get those first few to break the ice you were dead in the water.
