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Name of Site: eBay Australia
URL: http://pages.ebay.com.au/
Plug-Ins: Optional
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Heavy, Good Quality
Internal Links: 50+
Review: One of the global giants of the on-line Auction world, eBay has
grown so large it can afford to set up country-specific versions of its
highly successful formula. Critical mass is the key to successful auction
sites, and eBay is well above the required hit rate, so the categories
are well populated and the bidding is fast and furious. They have added
so many features to their site you could just about live here, and it
looks like some people actually do. The layout of the site is simple with
all the main categories, featured items, help, site map and all other
important links available directly and clearly from the opening page.
With so much experience at running a site like this, they have really
managed to fine-tune its operation and usability. There is also plenty
of info about using the site, legalities, transaction logistics, security
etc, to make sure you know exactly what you are getting into, when you
buy or sell through this popular site.- SS
Rating: *****
Name of Site: goFish
URL: http://www.gofish.com.au/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Heavy, Good Quality
Internal Links: 30
Review: Part of the News Interactive Internet Suite, goFish have achieved
a high-quality, attractive and easy to use site, though it is not as heavily
populated as some other big sites. The main page features individual photos
of items, linking to detailed listings, as well as the main categories
and general seller/buyer information. Icons are used well, with a little
fire indicating the hot bid items, and in general the photos of the items
listed are plentiful and of high quality. There is quite a high ratio
of commercial enterprises using the site to make promotional offers, which
could explain why there are less individuals making goFish their preferred
place to hang out. The system that is set up is very straight forward
with all relevant info delivered straight from each item's detailed listing
page. One small problem is that there hasn't been enough space allocated
to the single line text listings, so it is hard to pick out exactly what
you might be looking for. - SS
Rating: ****
Name of Site: Yahoo Auctions
URL: http://au.auctions.yahoo.com/au/
Plug-Ins: NO
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Medium, Good Quality
Internal Links: 20+
Review: At the time of writing, Yahoo has made its auction site completely
free to buyers and sellers. It is just another of the many community-based
services, like chat and email, that they offer to enhance their already
successful search engine. It is simple to use, with categories leading
to short listings, thumbnails of products, then the product page itself.
Since it is free, Yahoo has taken a back seat with regard to responsibility,
and they do warn of the possibility of dodgy deals going down. There are
quite a few dealers listing products, along with many individuals taking
advantage of the free aspect, and no doubt using it as a community-building
tool. Yahoo encourages people interested in similar subjects, memorabilia,
music etc, to get together and share their interests. - SS
Rating: ****
Name of Site: e-Bazaar
URL: http://www.e-bazaar.com.au/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Uncertain
Graphics: None
Internal Links: 15
Review: At the time of review, unfortunately every link on this site came
up "not found". My only guess is that they were in the middle
of maintenance or upgrading (hopefully). The categories and links displayed
on the front page looked promising, with a wide range of goods - from
antiques to travel, musical instruments to memorabilia - all purportedly
on offer. It's a shame that the site is not functioning, because it was
good to find another Aussie contender in the ring, but if they can't make
it happen, we'll be seeing more overseas sites moving onto our turf. Perhaps
the best idea is to bookmark it, as I did, and hope to return to a going
concern some time soon. - SS
Rating: *
Name of Site: SirPlus Desktop Traders
URL: http://www.sirplus.com.au/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Low, Medium Quality
Internal Links: 40
Review: Set up as an Auction site specializing in Industrial, Manufacturing
and Businesses for sale, the site looks promising for those wishing to
offload surplus goods or buy, sell and trade in this arena. It looks like
the overall parameters of the site have been established up front, before
the listings have begun filtering in, as there are loads of categories
and subcategories, but many of them are yet to be populated with items.
What is listed looks all very bona-fide and the peripheral links to information
on how to use the site are covered well. You can customize the links within
the site to your own requirements. Some of the internal links got a bit
confusing, but this is an ambitious project, covering everything from
petrochemicals to woodworking, mining and electronics. The idea is that
members of all these industries can save time and money by doing all their
shopping around through the one site. All they need now is to promote
the site to get massive amounts of items listed. - SS
Rating: ***
(REVIEWER'S CHOICE)
Name of Site: SOLD.com.au
URL: http://www.sold.com.au/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Heavy, Good Quality
Internal Links: 30+
Review: The Fairfax network has really put in the effort to make this
site a guaranteed winner. From the domain name right through to the technical
infrastructure, navigation and features, the site has become a heavily
patronized and continually active marketplace. They are now expanding
into services auctions and co-shopping (many buyers driving the price
down by buying in bulk) and maintain a close link with all buyers and
sellers by providing numerous feedback features, tracking bids and items,
rating participants and even making the whole process much safer by providing
escrow services (a middle man to make sure the deal goes through) and
transaction insurance. If you can't find what you want in the huge range
of Auction items, they have links to good old-fashioned shopping, not
to mention hooking into the entire Fairfax portal - cars, real estate,
jobs, and of course the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age to boot! I nearly
didn't finish these reviews because I got stuck here in a bidding war.
- SS
Rating: *****
Name of Site: Stuff
URL: http://www.stuff.com.au/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Medium, Good Quality
Internal Links: 40+
Review: Stuff claim to be Australia's first on-line auction site, and
it looks like their early arrival has allowed them plenty of time to evolve
into quite a formidable site, forging alliances with the likes of OzEmail,
Start Corp. and iPrimus, and consolidating their Auction services, whilst
diversifying into classifieds and a shopping site portal. The Auction
categories are well sorted, with major ones separated from the more specialised
zones, like Australian stamps, Yowie collectibles and stick-pins. With
their business revolving pretty much exclusively around auctions and shopping,
they have been able to focus on improving aspects of the site, and refining
the categories and services offered. They have simplified the site by
putting all help on one huge page, leaving the rest of the site free for
getting down to the business of finding, haggling and buying or selling
that special item. - SS
Rating: *****
Name of Site: Sothebys
URL: http://www.sothebys.com/
Plug-Ins: NO
Navigability: Medium
Graphics: Heavy, High Quality
Internal Links: 30
Review: Thanks to the technological prowess of Amazon, the auctioneering
prowess of Sothebys comes alive on-line. What was once, to most people,
some unattainable fantasy you only see in movies, is now right here on
your PC. All the art, antiques and collectibles your billion-dollar bank
account can buy up are here for the browsing and bidding. A neat applet
allows zooming in to some pieces for closer inspection. There is a very
large listing of lots up for grabs and there are even a few things us
paupers might even have a chance at securing for our coffee table or bathroom
wall. You can't get much more respectable than Sothebys, so if you consider
yourself an aficionado of the finer things, this is an essential bookmark.
For the rest of us, we can stick to baseball cards, matchbooks and empty
beer cans. - SS
Rating: ****
Name of Site: Popula
URL: http://www.popula.com/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Medium, Good Quality
Internal Links: 20
Review: Straight from California comes an example of specialized Auctioneering.
Rather than lump every imaginable product into one mammoth site, Popula
are going for a niche market for the cool, sophisticated, arty, counterculture,
art deco, yuppie, designer pop-art set. The kind of people whose houses
are always filled with conversation pieces, relics of 20th Century glitz
and glamour, or cheesy 1950s memorabilia. Conveniently, because there
is so much of this stuff around, the site does have quite a wide range
on offer, whilst still maintaining its cool image. The prices seem reasonable
overall, and the photos are fairly large. To compliment the Auction, there
is a discussion board and an e-zine, covering all things retro, vintage
and fashionably out of fashion. - SS
Rating: ****
Name of Site: Butterfly Wine and Gift Auctions
URL: http://www.butterfly.com.au/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Medium, Good Quality
Internal Links: 20
Review: An Aussie specialist Auction site, dealing in Wines and Gifts.
At the time of review, the Gift section was undergoing some renovations,
but the wine section is a good indication of what is going on here. Essentially,
there are 40 different wines, rotated regularly and offered up for auction
in numerous categories, direct from the wine makers. They have plenty
of features in place to allow monitoring of bids, alerts to new wines,
and detailed descriptions, although a few more images would be helpful
and make the site more attractive. All in all a good niche marketing effort
and it looks like the site is doing a reasonable amount of business, providing
well-priced wines to those that appreciate a good drop and a good bargain.
With the gift section complete, it shouldn't be too hard to market this
site and make a success of it. - SS
Rating: ****
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