Name of Site: eBay Australia
URL: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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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