There are a few online auction websites available in Singapore. But those with traffic, there are not many. Since I'm a partner of www.99auction.com, I'll not recommend my site and instead, I'll provide you some questions for you to ask yourself. You can judge and decide.
1. Are you willing to pay fee ?
After Yahoo Auction Singapore closed their online auction service on 22 Sept. 2008, a totally free of charge online auction site was gone.
Due to Singapore has so small market, there are no much companies which are interested to spend effort to capture these so small market.
For the existing big name, they will not provide you Free online auction service also. Try to see carefully for they call it Free now. You will know that they only allow you to post very basic auction listing for free.
But if you want to enhance your listing with features, sorry, you've to pay features fee. Even if you'd like to have your listing's picture appeared on their search, sorry, you've to pay gallery fee. If you want to set up a webstore, sorry, you've to pay store fee. The fees are not cheap also. Do check out by yourself.
Different from 99auction.com, we're free to use all our features fuctions.
2. Will the site treat you fairly even after you've paid ?
My true experience on one of the famous online auction site was that I was suspended by them with the reason of " seller non-performing " for 1 year. My rating scores was around 700 with a positive feedback percentage over 98%. So suddently on 23 March 2007, suspended. They provided the reasons that was 14 users had given me negative feedbacks. It was 14 negative out of 700 positive feedbacks. But sorry, they only viewed thing narrowly, only care about the less than 2% negative feedbacks.
I checked and found most of the negative feedbacks were late shipment (actually, not so late for 14 days from Singapore to USA) or some impatient buyers, simply gave negative for fail to read emails and assumed that I had never sent email to contact them. I was shock and I didn't think it was fair.
So I sent emails to follow up. But sorry, no one there care about what I said. So a/c was suspended.
I tried to set up new a/c but sorry, they could trace your IP address, then suspended again.
I felt very insulting as I was the seller with highest rating scores on Yahoo Auction SG. There should be something wrong, either on me or that website. But for my past experience on Yahoo and talking about just 2% of negative feedbacks, I was so sure the faults was not on me.
Recently, if you visit such website, you'll know more unfair treatment on seller. A seller is not allowed to give neutral or negative feedback to a buyer. Even the buyer is wrong but sorry, you're not allowed to give neutral or negative feedback. Instead, the buyer on the wrong side can give you negative feedback which result in seller non-performance and eventually have your a/c suspended.
If you a seller who pay fee to them and you have to accept such unfair treatment to you. Will you continue?
Different from 99auction.com, we try to be fair for all users, not matter you're buyers or sellers.
3. Confusing on local or Overseas auction listings and lead to unnecessary disputes ?
If you ever list any auction listings there, you'll know that they combine local (Singapore) listings with Overseas listings (i.e. USA).
It creates a lot of inconvenience and misunderstanding to users.
Some user may accidentially bid on an Overseas auction and forced to pay high shipping charge (sometimes, shipping charge are of higher than the goods itself). If you're not going to complete the deal, then sorry, due to non payment, you'll receive a non payment strike. More non payment strikes will result in your user's a/c suspension.
Or if you list something, planning to reach Overseas market, you'll be happy to see someone bid on it. Unfortunately, the bidder is from Singapore and never read your auction description before he bid. They insist not to pay to Overseas shipping charge because they're in Singapore. Then, as a seller, you'll be stuck because they'll not help you. If you continue to insist payment from buyer, a negative feedback will be ready for you. Then, again ---> user's a/c suspension.
If you want to please the buyer not to give you negative feedback, then you'll lose because your payment received will not cover your listing fee (you've to pay listing fee to list an auction listing on Overseas auction site), final fee (10+ %). So sellers are also on the losing end. (I mean if you list with them).
Different from 99auction.com, we'll not combine our local and overseas listings.
4. Do they know what you need ?
They're too big already. They won't care what you say. Try to send them email and everytime, you'll receive a standard but not solid answer reply.
And they only provide online auction platform, they are not in real transaction at all.
Different from 99auction.com, myself and my partner are still in the online auction trading. So we know more buyers' and sellers' need than anyone else.
So have you decided ?
www.99auction.com or others ?
(to be continued when have time)
All copyright of this tutorial belong to Mr. Kent Kwok (one of the founder of 99auction.com). Please do not use, quote, copy, hyperlink, screen capture or similar without the prior consent from the copyright owner. Thank you.
1. Are you willing to pay fee ?
After Yahoo Auction Singapore closed their online auction service on 22 Sept. 2008, a totally free of charge online auction site was gone.
Due to Singapore has so small market, there are no much companies which are interested to spend effort to capture these so small market.
For the existing big name, they will not provide you Free online auction service also. Try to see carefully for they call it Free now. You will know that they only allow you to post very basic auction listing for free.
But if you want to enhance your listing with features, sorry, you've to pay features fee. Even if you'd like to have your listing's picture appeared on their search, sorry, you've to pay gallery fee. If you want to set up a webstore, sorry, you've to pay store fee. The fees are not cheap also. Do check out by yourself.
Different from 99auction.com, we're free to use all our features fuctions.
2. Will the site treat you fairly even after you've paid ?
My true experience on one of the famous online auction site was that I was suspended by them with the reason of " seller non-performing " for 1 year. My rating scores was around 700 with a positive feedback percentage over 98%. So suddently on 23 March 2007, suspended. They provided the reasons that was 14 users had given me negative feedbacks. It was 14 negative out of 700 positive feedbacks. But sorry, they only viewed thing narrowly, only care about the less than 2% negative feedbacks.
I checked and found most of the negative feedbacks were late shipment (actually, not so late for 14 days from Singapore to USA) or some impatient buyers, simply gave negative for fail to read emails and assumed that I had never sent email to contact them. I was shock and I didn't think it was fair.
So I sent emails to follow up. But sorry, no one there care about what I said. So a/c was suspended.
I tried to set up new a/c but sorry, they could trace your IP address, then suspended again.
I felt very insulting as I was the seller with highest rating scores on Yahoo Auction SG. There should be something wrong, either on me or that website. But for my past experience on Yahoo and talking about just 2% of negative feedbacks, I was so sure the faults was not on me.
Recently, if you visit such website, you'll know more unfair treatment on seller. A seller is not allowed to give neutral or negative feedback to a buyer. Even the buyer is wrong but sorry, you're not allowed to give neutral or negative feedback. Instead, the buyer on the wrong side can give you negative feedback which result in seller non-performance and eventually have your a/c suspended.
If you a seller who pay fee to them and you have to accept such unfair treatment to you. Will you continue?
Different from 99auction.com, we try to be fair for all users, not matter you're buyers or sellers.
3. Confusing on local or Overseas auction listings and lead to unnecessary disputes ?
If you ever list any auction listings there, you'll know that they combine local (Singapore) listings with Overseas listings (i.e. USA).
It creates a lot of inconvenience and misunderstanding to users.
Some user may accidentially bid on an Overseas auction and forced to pay high shipping charge (sometimes, shipping charge are of higher than the goods itself). If you're not going to complete the deal, then sorry, due to non payment, you'll receive a non payment strike. More non payment strikes will result in your user's a/c suspension.
Or if you list something, planning to reach Overseas market, you'll be happy to see someone bid on it. Unfortunately, the bidder is from Singapore and never read your auction description before he bid. They insist not to pay to Overseas shipping charge because they're in Singapore. Then, as a seller, you'll be stuck because they'll not help you. If you continue to insist payment from buyer, a negative feedback will be ready for you. Then, again ---> user's a/c suspension.
If you want to please the buyer not to give you negative feedback, then you'll lose because your payment received will not cover your listing fee (you've to pay listing fee to list an auction listing on Overseas auction site), final fee (10+ %). So sellers are also on the losing end. (I mean if you list with them).
Different from 99auction.com, we'll not combine our local and overseas listings.
4. Do they know what you need ?
They're too big already. They won't care what you say. Try to send them email and everytime, you'll receive a standard but not solid answer reply.
And they only provide online auction platform, they are not in real transaction at all.
Different from 99auction.com, myself and my partner are still in the online auction trading. So we know more buyers' and sellers' need than anyone else.
So have you decided ?
www.99auction.com or others ?
(to be continued when have time)
All copyright of this tutorial belong to Mr. Kent Kwok (one of the founder of 99auction.com). Please do not use, quote, copy, hyperlink, screen capture or similar without the prior consent from the copyright owner. Thank you.
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