By Keith Regan E-Commerce Times
04/24/01 10:16 AM PT
eBay said that the expansion allows it to support the transfer and exchange
of 17 different currencies.
Run Your Entire Contact Center in the Cloud Many businesses are increasingly seeking ways to improve the quality, flexibility, and scalability of their traditional call centers. Download this free white paper and learn the top 8 reasons to consider going virtual.
Auction leader eBay said Tuesday that it will
offer more live auctions, which enable online users to submit bids on traditional
auctions around the world.
eBay said it will now offer live auctions in 12 categories and, in an apparent
bid to generate more interest and traffic, will move the live auctions link to
its main home page.
Automobiles, wine, industrial equipment and real estate will be added to the
lineup, which already features high-priced art and antique items.
"We are in a unique position at eBay to be able to provide a powerful medium
for the traditional auction industry," eBay Premier general manager Geoff Iddison said.
Global Reach
The expansion is also designed to enable more international use of live auctions.
eBay said it will now support transfer and exchange of 17 different currencies.
First rolled out last September, the live auctions use a proprietary technology
developed by eBay to enable real-time bidding from the Web at the same time that
auction goers are bidding on items in person.
eBay said that the largest single sale to date through one of its live auctions
was the purchase of a Norman Rockwell painting, "The Dugout," for US$345,000.
Online buyers also accounted for 60 percent of the sales of a recent
Marilyn Monroe auction.
Boost to Auctioneers
The live auctions have been a boost to traditional auction houses, eBay said,
with those involved in the online bidding seeing 20 percent of their items sold
to Internet bidders and 30 percent receiving at least one online bid.
"Live auctions open up the traditional auction marketplace to a wider audience,"
Iddison said.
The expansion of live auctions comes as some longtime users and observers
see a fork ahead in the road for eBay. The San Jose, California-based online auction
giant now openly embraces fixed-price e-tailing as a path to future growth and
bigger profits.
Spreading or Straying
In fact, when eBay announced record revenue
and beat analyst estimates for first-quarter earnings, eBay president and chief executive
officer Meg Whitman called fixed-price trading "an important part of eBay's
global marketplace."
Earlier this month, eBay took a stake
in ReturnBuy.com, which re-sells products returned to retailers.
eBay is also planning to offer e-commerce
storefront hosting services.
Livin' Large
Whitman credited the inclusion of more big-ticket items in eBay
auctions for the company's higher revenue and profit numbers for the
first part of this year.
Once devoted to collectibles, eBay has added automobiles, heavy equipment
and other big-ticket items to its offerings.
Global E-Commerce Conduct Code in the Works April 23, 2001
Participation in the e-business program -- which will establish benchmarks
for reliability, truthful advertising, user privacy and customer service --
would be voluntary.
Related Stories
eBay Beats Street with Record Income April 20, 2001
eBay president and CEO Meg Whitman said that fixed-price trading 'is quickly
becoming an important part of eBay's global marketplace.'
Alleged Coin Fraud Strikes eBay April 19, 2001
Several eBay customers complained about eBay's handling of the most
recent massive fraud on the auction site, saying eBay knew about the problem
and took too long to shut it down.
Two Men Plead Guilty to eBay Art Scam April 18, 2001
Internet auction giant eBay said that recently
introduced software gives the company a better shot at stopping fraud on its bidding system.
eBay Modifies Privacy Policy with Toysmart in Mind April 03, 2001
eBay's policy change specifically references the outcry and legal
wrangling over the account information of failed toy e-tailer Toysmart.com.
Will eBay Ads Squeeze Out the Little Guy? March 30, 2001
eBay is supposed to be about
community, remember? That was the idea behind
the short-lived magazine and the plan for a TV show based on the auction site.
eBay Enters Three New International Markets March 30, 2001
For the fourth quarter of 2000, eBay reported that its European
marketplaces generated over $137 million in gross merchandise sales.
More by Keith Regan
Yahoo Slaps Fresh Coat of Gloss on Microsoft Deal Defense June 30, 2008
With its shareholders meeting set to take place in less than five weeks, Yahoo has put together a 32-page presentation, emphasizing why the investors should vote to keep the current board in place. The company also reiterated why it chose to partner with Google instead of letting Microsoft buy part of it.
French Court Stings eBay With $63M Judgment Over Knockoff Sales June 30, 2008
eBay is planning to appeal a ruling by a French court that ordered it to pay $63 million to the luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey. The court also barred the online auctioneer from selling four brands of perfume on its Web sites accessible in France.
New Auto Loan Leads Marketplace Shifts Into Drive June 30, 2008
Reply.com's move into the auto finance market is a logical one the company, as automotive advertising spending is moving online in increasingly greater amounts. The company is partnering with the Detroit Trading Company to create a massive repository of auto finance leads online.
Headline Feeds
Talkback: 
