Yahoo auctions is a well-known on-line auction service in the UK. The premise is relatively simple - once you are signed up as a registered user, you can bid for any of the items listed, or list items of your own for sale. Online auctions are very popular, and the volume of traffic through the site has enabled yahoo to develop a slick operating system.
Unlike the very popular eBay site, yahoo auctions charge nothing for listings, either as a seller or as a bidder, so there are great savings to be made straight away.
Once the auction has closed, yahoo will email both the winning bidder and the seller with each other's email addresses. From here, it is up to the two parties to establish contact, and arrange payment and delivery. Yahoo emphasise that this is strictly between you and the other party - they have no control over bidders or sellers. Other auction sites, such as eBay do offer some level of protection, through insurance.
You need to be able to submit credit card details, even though there are no fees charged. This is to ensure that you are of a legal age, and also so that they can make sure that dodgy people don't keep re-registering in a different name.
The web site offers excellent guidance and support at any stage of the auction. The process is very clearly identified within the Help guide, and there are FAQ sections which will probably answer any questions you've got.
Goods are laid out in categories - these are relatively logical and easy to follow, but if you want something specifically then the search engine will be most effective. The website is relatively quick to load and easy on the eye - nowehere near as cluttered as the awful QXL.com site. Yahoo regularly run charity auctions, which are a good way of picking up unusual items and helping a good cause.
I have bought/sold over 100 items in the last few months and would offer the following suggestions when using yahoo auctions:
1 - Most bidders wait until the last minute to place bids, so don't become despondent if you appear to receive no bids. Make sure that you place your item on eBay at a convenient time for people to come on line - many eBay users only access the site evenings and weekends, in line with their free Internet access, so if you list your items within these times then you are more likely to attract interested parties. 2 - You can set auctions to run for 3, 5, 7 or 10 days. Always run auctions for 7 days - you will ensure that as many people as possible have viewed the item, as you will have been listed for a full calendar week. If they haven't seen it within 7 days, they are unlikley to see it in another three, so ten days is overkill. 3 - To attract interest try setting up a 3 day auction - clearly advertise this in the product description, so that people can see that they won't have to wait for long. 4 - If you have lots of the same item to sell, and you aren't sure how well they will sell then take time to view current listings of other similar products. This will give you a chance to see how high the current bids are reaching, and whether there is genuine interest in the products. If there are lots of items the same as yours, you may need to consider undercutting the other sellers' prices. 5 - Set the minimum bid realistically - try to go as low as you can brave - a low minimum bid will attract more interest, and doesn't necessarily mean that the bids won't go as high as you would like. 6 - The user feedback system is a useful way of getting an idea of how reliable the person you are dealing with is. It is standard etiquette for the bidder to send the cash first - if you aren't comfortable with doing this, then don't place bids! Don't rely on the feedback forum too much though - people can still stitch you up. You need to be prepared to trust people. 8 - Be sensible about what you send in the post - in the UK try and pay by cheque wherever possible, in case your payment is delayed or lost. Internationally, there are various payment options - credit cards are the most secure method, as they will refund your payment if the goods are lost or damaged. International money orders incur fees and for small items are uneconomical. Most sellers will appreciate cash payments - but use recorded postage wherever possible so that they have to sign to say they have received it. 9 - When selling items, be aware of the cost of posting the item to your winning bidder. Stick to fixed rates wherever possible, and display these in the item description if you can. When bidding for items that look like a bargain remember to add on the cost of postage - particularly with international bidders. You'll be surprised how much this will add to the cost. International postage can be expensive - and many countries won't accept recorded deliveries. To reduce costs, for items worth less than £27 simply obtain a certificate of posting - these have the same level of insurance as recorded post, and cost nothing. The Post Office will honour claims for lost international parcels, providing you have one of these certificates. If your item is worth more than £28, within the UK you can use Special Delivery, but internationally you may need to use Parcelforce = very expensive!! Check this sort of thing out BEFORE you list or bid for items internationally. 10 - Be courteous with other users. When you receive their money give them positive feedback and send an email saying thank you. This will quickly increase your own positive feedback - but don't harrass people - if they want to leave feedback they will. 11 - Be methodical. If you intend to run lots of auctions, then you need to be able to keep on top of the correspondence. I have a folder set up in my email, and would recommend that you store all emails from bidders/sellers until the goods and money have been safely exchanged. 12 - Package goods carefully. Take time to make sure your parcel is secure and that the address is clear and correct. Make sure that you get the postage right - peope will be unhappy if a parcel arrives and they have postage to pay. 13 - International auctions may increases your earnings, as international bidders may be more interested in UK products. Be flexible with payment options - if you will accept US dollars, you may get a lot more bidders. Remember that bureaus de change will not buy back coins though, so round to whole dollars etc. If you run lots of auctions, asve up the currency so you only have to pay one commission charge - spread across several auctions you can easily inlcude an extra 20p in p+p to cover this. 14 - List items honestly - if something is slightly worn or damaged then state this - you will be surprised to find that you may still get plenty of bids and people will appreciate your honesty.
More details
Content Update
Very often
Security & Privacy Statement
Good
Search Facility
Good
Bid Tracking Function
Good
Ability to Customise
Satisfactory
Customer Service Support
Satisfactory
Client Number / Order Number
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