I'm Hooked!!
Written: Oct 13 '00
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| Full Review |
I started selling on Yahoo Auction (online auction site) when I became a SAHM to get some extra money. I was mostly selling items that I would have sold at a yard sale. I have found all my transactions through Yahoo Auctions(buying and selling) to be pleasurable.
What do you need to sell on Yahoo Auctions?
You need a credit card to become a seller on Yahoo Auction. This is just to verify that you are indeed a real person. Your credit card (I actually used my debit card) is never charged anything.
You need the item(s) you are selling.
And, I highly recommend a digital camera or scanner (these are not necessary to submit an auction) so you can get a picture of the item(s) you are selling in the auction. Many of the buyers (quite understandable) won't bid on an auction that does not have a picture because they cannot see what they are bidding on.
How do I sell an item on Yahoo Auctions?
Before you attempt to list an item I recommend that you read the Seller's guide which will give you detailed information about how things are done.
You follow the simple on-screen instructions to submit your item. You can add a picture and use html in the description. Be sure to give a very detailed description of your items and to list anything that may be wrong with it, no matter how small it seems to you. In the item description you also want to put what types of payment you accept (personal checks, money orders, etc.). I did not usually accept personal checks because you must wait and watch your bank for the check to clear before you could mail the item to the winner and this added a lot of time and work. I did also accept paypal and had a banner for them on my auction but will be taking that off also because as of 11/1/00, per an email I received from them, there will be a monthly charge on all accounts that maintain a balance under $100.00.
You must decide what the lowest amount you will sell your item for (called your reserve price). You can set the auction to start at your reserve price so everyone will know how much you want for the item or you can set the start price below your reserve so people have to bid up to your reserve price. The auction does say whether or not your reserve price has been met.
I, personally, have found that I get more bids starting off lower and letting people bid up to my reserve. It can go over your reserve price but the auction will not close with a high bidder (winner) if it does not reach your reserve.
If it does not reach your reserve you can make any changes you like and resubmit the auction to start all over.
What do I do if there is a winner of my auction?
If it does reach your reserve you will receive an email with the winner's email address and the winner will receive an email with your email address. You will then have to email the winner to get their mailing address so you can find out shipping. Some sellers know/guess what the shipping will be and put that in the item description but I found it easiest to have them give me their address and find out what the actual shipping is so I don't over charge them.
After I find out the shipping I email the winner with the total amount due, my mailing address and the types of payments I accept again. Then I wait for the payment to get to me. As soon as I receive payment the item gets mailed to the winner and I email them to let them know I received payment and their item is on the way. I also ask them to let me know when they receive the item. After I receive their payment I place feedback on them (which you can do by clicking 'leave feedback' in the closed auction) based on how the transaction went (how fast they responded to my emails, how fast I received their payment...). I also ask them to leave feedback on how they thought the transaction went.
How does the feedback system work?
You can get rated or rate people either good, neutral or bad based on how you thought the transaction went. You can also leave a comment with your rating saying why you rated the way you did. For every positive comment you will get a point added to your ratings, for every bad you get one point taken away from your ratings and the neutral don't change your point amount. Buyers or other sellers can go in and read all the ratings you have and all the comments left. If you have a lot of bad ratings and comments people will be hesitant to have dealings with you.
I have also purchased numerous items off of Yahoo Auction and have had all my transactions except one go very well. Even with that one that did not really go so well the seller did correct what had went wrong to make me happy. Before you bid on an item be sure to check the seller's ratings and this will give you some idea of how their transactions generally go. I personally chose Yahoo Auction over Ebay Auction because on Yahoo it is free to sell and on Ebay there is a fee that you have to pay when your items sell.
I would recommend Yahoo auctions to all, even beginners. I have been very happy with all my dealings through Yahoo Auctions.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
maggiekl
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Location: Southeastern Pa
Reviews written: 38
Trusted by: 22 members
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