Yahoo are consolidating as a content provider; everything will be served by third parties, including, eventually, auctions. This deal has been evident since last year. (See my previous post on this subject and check the link date).

Yahoo provide epay ads, epay provide Yahoo auctions, the revenue works out on a 50/50. Win/Win.

Always made sense to me.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m05/i04/s00

Really sad but maybe they will now spider more often since they don't have to do auctions. Though I did buy there I forgot about them alot. Best kept secret. Never did understand why you had to look so hard for the auction link. Same with Google Base products thing. Why not more visible. Who doesn't know where ebay is in this world?

Join us at www.blujay.com!! We would love to have you join our community. NO FEES!! Growing every day. Very friendly and helpful site.

Quote: › Never did understand why you had to look so hard for the auction link.

Happened straight after the deal with epay was announced last year.

alan wrote (View Post): › Quote: › Never did understand why you had to look so hard for the auction link. Happened straight after the deal with epay was announced last year.

Hey Alan - not true....Always been hidden unless you were signed in AND a member of Y Auctions! Just FYI - !!

Agreed tho - best kept secret and very well hidden....

RCFComputing wrote (View Post): › Maybe the auction model is dying.

I believe that may be the case. With Ebay auctions struggling as well, the model may be dying or at least not as popular as it once was. Ebay had a taste of the evolving e-commerce trend with the stores in search last year. Too bad management screwed up and didn't adjust to the evolving model and instead drove business away.

SW

I may sound crazy here. But what happened to competition? In America it seems like one wants to take over everything. I thought we had rules in government to stop this. Is Ebay the ruler? Sorry Im peeved. I hear the same thing happening in satellite radio. One mother company that will control everything. Is that going to by Ebay?

Well, at least if Microsoft takes Yahoo they'll have enough money to advertise!

Well....now that we've had some time to digest - the real question (and answer) is why is it 'now' that Y says no more.

I do NOT agree with the thought that the auctions were a 'negotiating' element between Yahoo and eBaY. That agreement was purely for marketing purposes and exposure. Until that agreement came to 'be', ebaY items did not show up in Yahoo Shopping search. Also, the PP functionality was 'optional' and 'manual' for MERCHANT accounts (completely separate from the auctions).

Having said that, there definitely 'could' have been an agreement behind the scenes about closing down the Y Auctions. But - quite frankly - Y had 2 choice....

1. Invest in Auction Platform and needed resources....

OR

2. Tank it....

These 2 choices, IMO, were 'there' long before eBaY and Yahoo started chatting about exposure. Also, the PP function is now fully integrated for Yahoo Merchant accounts - a click and a code....easy and fast to do for Merchants, not manual and complicated as before.

eBaY never wanted Yahoo Auctions. Yahoo never wanted eBaY auctions. We've all discussed it - the auction 'platform' is maturing in the market, and the 'gotta have it now' mentality is back.

Both technologies are extremely antiquated and archaic in design and functionality. eBaY keeps throwing resources ($$ and folks) at their systems in an attempt to keep it 'running seamless'. But - we all know better than that.

So - for Yahoo, from a financial perspective, the auction platform was a 'burden'. It didn't make money (other than banners flying high there), it was a resource hog and the issues were mounting. The easiest and most logical decision for stockholders was to 'tank' it.

Now....the real question - will they:

A. Expand their merchant business line to better accommodate small sellers? Might they market 'entry-level' stores/merchant accounts?

B. Reconsider and redesign or redeploy a 'pay' model in the next 2-5 years?

C. Focus on catching up with Google for paid ads revenue?

Interesting at best to speculate!!!

I agree.

I just got the news that Yahoo is closing its auction sites in US Canada and others....?
Does anyone know about this?

Ewaey Ceo.

No Alex,
First I've heard of it. You might ask around.

yes.. the auction model is dead...... and any site who wants a chance to succeed MUST not seem like an auction site. Must have a name that does not give that impression.

feebaby bought shopping.com for alot of big bucks....shopping sites will work but never again auction sites. simple and easy and safe is what buyers online wants.

BUT sellers working here and not on their govt will only get a temporary help with 3 systems working in competition yahoo.. msn and google... all 3 of these working will give sellers a decent profit on their work.... BUT as soon as the competition is THERE for sellers to benefit... there will be a conference call of those 3.... their stockholders will see how they can get more if they did not compete so there will be a deal and then sellers back to slave labor for the stockholders of those 3 companies......

all sellers forums SHOULD have a section on how sellers need to work on their govt !!!... for now the govt is bought out by the upper 1% who own nearly all the stock and are THE stockholders..

Oh Erin!! I just remembered some guy called Dark Knight posted all over FAS and Moo and several other boards during the early part of 05. His predictions were that over half of the alternatives or 3rd tiers were going to close within 6 mo because Y! auctions were going to be the hottest thing around especially since Y! had advertising!! LOL!!! And in 2 years, They couldn't go the distance themselves.

I was quite surprised to learn of earlier today of the coming "retirement". A lot of ex-eBayers will be looking for yet another site. A few sites may be winners as a result. Hopefully the sellers will all be winners!

I do agree that the auction model may be running its course. It was fun in the early days, but now that people are regularly shopping online they seem to want to buy now and not wait seven to ten days to find out if they actually own something.

Anyway, we're still here!