CVDSTL

Archive for July, 2009

Nowhere else is the open market principle more apparent than in the scores of auction sites that now populate the Web. Some are real-time auctions, in which the price goes up with each competing bid (http://www.onsale.com), while others are Dutch auctions (http://klickklock.com), in which the price keeps dropping until someone buys the merchandise. Still others arc silent auctions; you put a bid in and return now and again to see if someone else has countered your offer. Rather than going to every single site to see if they’re hawking what you’re in the market for, you should check out http://www.usaweb.com, where you’ll find a search engine that keeps track of what many auction sites are selling . Enter the word printer in the BidFind search field and it will present you with those sites auctioning off printers. This site also points to over 100 auction sites on the Web, and even many auctions offline as well.
If you’re looking for the state-of-the-art computer that just came out yesterday, you may not find it on these auction sites. More often than not, the merchandise auctioned off is close-out products. Very often, there are odd lots bought up that aren’t worth putting in the manufacturer’s catalog again because there aren’t enough left. The computers may be last year’s model, without the various bells and whistles, but you may not want or need these extra features anyway. I recommend that you check brand names very carefully, along with the warranties and return policies. in many cases, sales are final.

The first auction site I knew of was wehkamp.nl in Holland. It used its Web site to “blow out” old inventory An enterprising student tracked how much each item typically sold for and charted it on his own Web pages. Much to the chagrin of Wehkamp, bidders could visit the student’s site to see the highest and lowest prices a product would sell for. It won’t be any surprise to me if such information also becomes available for the U.S. auction sites. It enables the potential buyers to make smarter bids. Perhaps by the time you read this, these sites will spring up state-side. Look around for them!
Be careful. These auction sites can be addictive to the point of distraction! People get caught up in the bidding excitement and sometimes pay more for things than they might have elsewhere. I also know people who buy things for which they have no need, just because the costs are low.