Auctions

Online Auction Sites

Online auction sites have become very popular in recent years and as a result, new sites are popping up all over the internet. Of course, we have all heard about eBay and how successful they have been but is their downfall within sight now? Users have complained of outrageous fees, horrible customer support, and too many fraudulant sellers. Not to mention the bad reviews about PayPal which is another company owned by eBay.

With all the negative experiences of eBay, people are looking for other online auction sites to replace it. A few of the most popular are:

• Yahoo Auctions
• Ubid
• Bidz.com
• Amazon Auctions

All of these sites are in competition with eBay with more being talked about in the future. One large player that is expected to join in on the action is Google. I truly think that Google has the ability to put eBay out of business or at least give eBay a wake up call on how they are doing business.

Many people are exited to start selling on online auction sites only to find out that the fees have eaten up all of their profits. Of course, this is mostly an eBay problem and not a problem with most of the other online auction sites listed above. Most of the other online auction sites either have no fees or minimal fees. For example: Yahoo Auctions is completely free.

So why is eBay still the largest online auction site? It's because they were the first in the business and have been the major player for so long. People are hesitant to go elsewhere. And actually it's a great place if you're just a buyer. It's the seller who is doomed on eBay, which is ironic because it's the sellers' that have built eBay. Most sellers will tell you that they are fed up with how little they are valued by eBay and they would welcome an alternative online auction site.

Although other online auction sites have less fees, they still don't do anywhere near the same amount of business. You can list items on these sites and 99% of them aren't going to sell, because there's just no one looking at them. It's strange but fact. That's why I believe that Google will be the only company that can challenge eBay's presense. Google has a loyal fan base along with great products that people already love. It only makes sense for them to be a major auction player.

Online auction sites are a great way to clean out your closet or buy pretty much anything at the lowest price possible but be sure you are mindful of the many fees associated with them.

Article Published: Thursday 15th March 2007