Introduction
Yahoo! Auctions makes selling easy whether you're bringing your business online or just selling for fun. Take advantage of our great features and powerful tools, such as image hosting, bulk loading of multiple items, and much more!
1.Submit Your Auction
Review our Guidelines. Before submitting your item, please read through our
help section to find out what you are not allowed to sell.
Find the right starting price. It's important to set a reasonable starting price - set it too high and you may discourage bidders. Here's help in finding the right price:
Closed Auction Search - Look up the closing auction prices on similar items by using our
Advanced Search. Or simply go to the correct category and click on "Show closed auctions."
Authentication Services from PSA, Beckett and Sportscard Guaranty (SGC) - For a small fee you can get official authentication from one of our partner services. We'll display their authentication icon on both your item page and the listings page for all bidders to see.
Submit many items at once. Use our bulk loader to upload many auctions at once. Follow our step-by-step instructions to put all your items into a single file for uploading. Find out more about the
Bulk Loader. Or you can use the
Yahoo! Sellers Manager to create and manage your auctions efficiently.
Develop a template. To speed up the auction submission process, you may want to develop a standard format for all your auctions. You can use
Yahoo! Notepad to create and store all your templates.
Pay attention to title, description, and page layout. Make your auction attractive and informative. Use HTML tags in your description to lay out the page exactly the way you want it. Include up to 10 photos for each item free of charge. You can upload 3 photos directly on Yahoo! Auctions, then upload the balance of the images to a web site of your choice, and simply point to that URL.
2.Market Your Auction
Create your own auction booth. Customize the design of your auction page with your own graphics, text, colors, and more. With our easy-to-use tools, you create your own auction site or integrate an auction page into your own web site. Find out more about the
Auction Booth.
Publicize your auction URL. Every seller has a unique auction URL that lets you view all your auction items on one page. Promote this unique URL to introduce bidders to all of your auctions. Here's what it looks like: http://auctions.yahoo.com/user/your_yahoo_id_here (For example: If your Yahoo ID is joe@yahoo.com then your URL is http://auctions.yahoo.com/user/joe)
Promote your Yahoo! auction URL across the Net - link to it from your other auction item pages, on your personal or business web site, or on appropriate message boards, forums, and groups.
Email your past customers with your auction URL or include it in your email signature.
Encourage your customers to set up a "seller alert" for your Yahoo ID on the
Auction Alerts page. Once they sign up for this notification service they'll automatically receive an email whenever you submit an auction.
Promote your auctions offline with flyers, newspaper ads, and newsletter mailings.
3.During Your Auction
Answer questions promptly.Good customer service and quick response times keep customers happy and encourage them to continue bidding on your current and future auctions. However, if someone asks an inappropriate question, don't answer it. This way it will not show up for others to see.
Customize your event notification.Click on "Options" > "Set Event Notification" to be notified by email or Yahoo! Messsenger whenever a bidder posts a question and when the auction closes. Set up
Yahoo! Messenger to let bidders know when you're online and we'll display the Messenger icon on your item page so bidders can ask you questions easily.
Manage your auctions. You can easily view all your auctions at any time by clicking on "My Auctions" > "Selling." Track and manage your auctions from this page. You can view the number of times your item page has been visited, or click on "Manage" to add to the description, cancel bids, close the auction early, or cancel the auction. When you cancel a bid, you also have the option of blacklisting the user, so that this person will not be able to bid on any of your auctions. You can edit your blacklist at any time by clicking on "Options."
4.After Your Auction Closes
Track your closed auctions. To track and manage your closed auctions, click on "My Auctions" > "Closed/Sold." You can keep track of the status of your item by entering in notes under "Transaction Log" on your closed item page. The notes will be time-stamped so you can easily record when you received the payment, sent the item, etc. When you rate the buyer, it will automatically appear in the transaction log. The transaction log is only visible for the seller and winning bidder.
Contact the winning bidder. You will receive an email automatically when your auction closes with information on the winning bidder. The winning bidder also receives an email automatically which you can customize under "Options" > "Customize Winning Emails." This is a great way to give your auction communications a personal touch. A quick response at the end of the auction is also important. Let the winning bidder know right away how to send payment. The sooner you contact your buyer, the sooner you will get paid. This also inspires confidence and may help you earn a good rating.
Follow through with great customer service. There are many ways to build your reputation as a trustworthy seller. When your customer has a great experience, they'll be much more likely to return and buy from you again.
Include a personalized Thank You note with your logo when you ship the item.
Stay in touch with your winning bidder - let them know about your future auctions.
Be sure to rate your winning bidder and remind them to rate you. Potential bidders notice high ratings and will be more inclined to bid on your future auctions.
Resubmit your auction if the item doesn't sell. If your auction item doesn't sell, you have the option to resubmit. Simply click on "My Auctions" > "Closed/Sold" and then click on "Resubmit" next to the item. But before you resubmit, evaluate why the auction didn't sell the first time and use these tips to make improvements.
Lower your starting price. When the bidding starts lower, more people may be drawn to bid, and you could easily end up with a higher closing price.
Demonstrate the value of your item by using one of our authentication services. Bidders will feel more comfortable when the item's quality is validated.
Edit the title and item description - be detailed and specific.
Add photos - people like to see the item they're buying.
Make sure you've submitted your auction in the most appropriate category. Search for other similar items to see which category they're listed in.
Consider other Yahoo! commerce services. Yahoo! has many options and services for sellers and small businesses. Find out which work best for you. It may be most effective to use a combination of services depending on your items or inventory.
Yahoo! Auctions - Internet auctions have rapidly become one of the most popular methods for buying and selling unique goods online. Auctions are effective for selling one-of-a-kind items, items with variable pricing, used items, or items that need to be sold in a limited amount of time.
Yahoo! Classifieds - Classifieds let you sell goods and services to a broad audience. Classified listings on Yahoo!, like those in your local newspaper, tend to be most effective for items that are difficult or impossible to ship, used items, localized services, real estate, cars and other vehicles, or employment opportunities. And best of all, Classifieds has free listings areas.
Yahoo! Store - Store provides you with an all-inclusive, fee-based e-commerce solution. Simple, powerful tools let you design and build an online store quickly, manage your store, complete secure transactions, track sales, and much more. It's a great service for online retailers selling fixed price items, new items, or a regular inventory of the same items.
Learn more about selling online on
Yahoo! Small Business.
Safety Tips for Buyers and Sellers：
It's a good idea to take precautions when using Yahoo! Auctions to buy and sell your items. There's always some risk involved in transferring goods and payments between two parties. Here are a few safety tips to keep in mind. These tips are not designed to scare you, but to encourage you to be smart, use common sense, and have fun.
Know who you're dealing with.In Yahoo! Auctions, transactions are between buyers and sellers, so it's important to know who you're dealing with. Deals should only go forward if buyers and sellers are comfortable with each other and with the terms of the sale. Check out the buyer/seller ratings. Read through the comments to see how they have handled other transactions. Be sure to read all the comments, and check back throughout the course of the auction because comments and ratings can change. If a buyer or seller is new to Yahoo! Auctions, ask for information that can be verified, such as an address or home or work phone number.
Use the Question & Answer form.This is located on every active auction listing page. As a bidder, you can ask the seller any question you have about the item. If the description is unclear, ask the seller for more information. It is very important that you know what you are bidding on and the terms of the sale before you place your bid.
Keep records of all correspondence.Keep all email, notes, shipping documents, and payment information. Be sure to print a copy of the auction. This is your responsibility. Yahoo! does not provide user information or copies of old listings.
Use common sense.If an item seems too good to be true, it probably is. Do some research. For example, look at similar auctions listings or classifieds ads to learn the going rate for the specific items or services that interest you. Bidders should be cautious if the seller requests money to be sent to a different location than the address on the auction itself. It may be more difficult to resolve disputes with sellers that are in different states or countries than where the buyer lives. Yahoo! Auctions does not endorse or verify the information contained in any auction. Your best protection is common sense.
Evaluate your payment options.A deal should only proceed if the buyer and seller are comfortable with each other and with the terms of payment. The buyer and seller should agree on a return policy, as well, in case the buyer is not happy with the item. If an item is expensive, don't send unsecured money or merchandise.
Here are some payment and delivery options that can help protect the buyer and the seller:
Escrow services: Escrow services such as
Escrow.com protect both parties from credit card fraud, offer sellers protection from a claim of non-delivery, and give the buyer an opportunity to inspect the product and return it if it's damaged or not as described.
COD: Cash on delivery ties the payment to the delivery of the merchandise.
Person-to-person payment services: Person-to-person payments can take place online or with a check. There are built-in protections for both parties with these services. Protections may vary depending on the service. For more information on the pros and cons of different payment options, see the
FTC Guide to Online Payments.
Yahoo! Buyer Protection Program.Our protection program is for buyers who feel they have been victims of fraud. Under our protection program, fraud is said to occur when you pay for an item and don't receive it or you receive an item that is materially different than the item described on auction. Even though most auction items are covered, it's still a good idea to follow the common sense tips described above. Learn more about the
Yahoo! Buyer Protection Program.
Shipping the item.As a seller, you're not obligated to ship your item until the payment has cleared the bank. Also, when shipping your item, we recommend you obtain a tracking number or a confirmation number from your delivery service.
