Yahoo! Auctions
Written: Jun 08 '02 (Updated Jun 09 '02)
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Not as well known for their auctions as they are for their search engine, Yahoo! does have a place for auctions. I know they are not even close to as well known as Ebay for auctions but with their name you can expect that they will be there to help if problems do arise within an auction.
LayOut
Just like any other Yahoo! property the interface is very simple and easy to understand. They have main categories on the main page and they also allow you to search for more specific items if you know exactly what you are looking for. Because it looks so simple to use, it is very welcoming to the new user.
Searching
Well in any auction you do have to find your item first, you can do this a couple of ways. If your not sure exactly what you are looking for (maybe you have a hard time spelling the items name - that does happen). Then you can start with the categories, which are extensive:
Antiques
Automotive
Books and Comics
Clothing and Accessories
Coins, Paper Money and Stamps
Collectibles
Computers and Software
Electronics and Cameras
Home and Garden
Jewelry and Watches
Movies and TV
Music
Sports and Outdoors
Sports Cards and Memorabilia
Toys, Games and Hobbies
Video Games
Other
With all these categories you should be able to find exactly what you are searching for.
If you know exactly what your looking for, Yahoo! Auctions will allow you to search for it not only in their auctions but also through Yahoo! Shopping at the same time. This makes it very convenient to find the item that you are looking for.
Featured on the main page you will also see many featured items that are highlighted, I have seen some interesting items there so don't forget to look and see what they have here because there are some good things at times.
Buying
Now to buy or to sell you do have to have a Yahoo! ID but if you use any of their other services you do already have an ID that you can use for their auctions as well. But Yahoo also offers additional information about their sellers through the Yahoo Profiles that other auction services can't offer. Plus you can see if the seller is online and using Yahoo! Messenger so you can ask about what they are selling. This is a very attractive feature.
Selling
Yes, Yahoo makes it easy to sell an item also. Just select submit an item and then pick a category. If you are selling something make sure that you do pick the right category or people might not be able to find your item.
Keep in mind you do have to have a credit card on file with Yahoo or set on up to sell through auctions. This is because they will charge you for your fees through your credit card when your auction ends. There are different fees and it can be confusing but we'll try here:
Starting Price or Reserve Price $0.01 - $9.99 the Listing Fee is $0.05
Starting Price or Reserve Price $10.00 - $24.99 the Listing Fee is $0.15
Starting Price or Reserve Price $25.00 - $49.99 the Listing Fee is $0.35
Starting Price or Reserve Price $50.00 and up the Listing Fee is $0.75
So as you can see you have to pay the same if you put the price low and the reserve high - it won't work to get a cheaper listing although I have heard people recommend that to others. Just start it near the price you think is best instead of starting low and setting a high reserve because it won't save you any money on the listing fee.
The Listing Fee above is charged whether or not your item sells but the Final Value Fee is only charged if your item sells. This fee is basically 2% of your sale plus 1% for any amount of $25.00 and .5% of anything over $1,000.00 so this does get a little harder to calculate. These will be charged automatically to your credit card when your auction ends.
Shipping
Of the items that I have bought and charged for I have never had a problem getting the item and they have arrived just as promised. Right on time as well. The items are sent by the seller, you will make a deal on the terms of shipping during the auction and these are usually listed on the item description so there are no games with these.
Customer Service
If you do have any problems, Yahoo! does have a customer service department that will help you with any problems that you have. Unlike the customer service that Yahoo! provides for Geocities customers they are a lot better at getting back to buyers and sellers that have problems. I had a friend who got a letter back within an hour and one that it did take a day (this was a more complicated problem for them to handle). They will help you when it's possible for them to help you with your problems, but there are things that they can't control so be careful when buying in any auctions (not just Yahoo! Auctions).
Conclusion
Yahoo! makes auctions easy to use and does do a good job with customer service. As with any auctions the buyer needs to know what they are doing and research the seller to make sure that they are authentic. There are people who will mess with the auctions and try to rob people without sending the items so no matter what be careful - my suggestion is to look for pictures of the item that the seller has and ask the seller any questions that you may have. If they really have the item and want to sell it they will answer your questions.
If you do use Yahoo! Auctions you can get more help in their help center at http://help.yahoo.com/help/auctions/ which answers any questions you might have about getting started.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Location: Indiana
Reviews written: 230
Trusted by: 200 members
About Me: Well life has been insane but trying to write more again.
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