Yahoo Auctions
| Company type | Online auction platform |
|---|---|
| Industry | E-commerce |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founder | Yahoo! |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | Taiwan, Japan |
| Products | Online auction services |
Yahoo! Auctions is a web-based auction platform introduced by Yahoo! in 1998 as a rival to eBay.
At present, the service is available exclusively in Taiwan and Japan. Yahoo! has ceased operations of the auction site in regions including the United States, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. The US and Canadian versions were shut down on June 16, 2007, followed by Singapore’s closure on September 22, 2008. The UK and Ireland platforms ended service on June 28, 2002, with Yahoo! recommending eBay as the preferred alternative. The Hong Kong auction service was discontinued on May 31, 2020. Since April 6, 2022, access to Yahoo Auctions Japan has been restricted for users from the EEA and the United Kingdom.
The absence of listing fees on Yahoo! Auctions attracted numerous sellers, as the company generated income exclusively through advertising. Following the shutdown of Yahoo! Auctions in Singapore, many former users opted against eBay due to its higher charges and a less intuitive interface.
SOLD.com.au
In April 2001, Yahoo! purchased SOLD.com.au, a major Australian competitor to eBay that was previously managed by John Fairfax Holdings’ online division, F2. The platform was merged into the yahoo.com domain but was ultimately closed in August 2003, directing its users to eBay.
Yahoo! Wallet
Yahoo! Wallet functioned as a payment solution competing with PayPal, mainly facilitating transactions for Yahoo! services such as Yahoo! Music and Yahoo! Auctions. Sellers were required to confirm their identities through Wallet by linking a credit card. This payment system has been discontinued outside Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Within Japan, Yahoo! Kantan kessai (Yahoo!かんたん決済) provides auction payment options using select Japanese bank accounts or credit cards issued by Japanese financial institutions.