4 ms·

I think the main issue is that the concept of a reverse auction is not practical for the seller in an online environment. In a reverse auction, the seller must

I think the main issue is that the concept of a reverse auction is not practical for the seller in an online environment. In a reverse auction, the seller must work for a sale whereas in a conventional auction the site and the buyers do the work for them. Why should the seller "work" for a sale if (s)he doesn't need to? On the flip side of the coin, it is generally accepted that if a consumer wants to purchase something (s)he must shop for it. So far attempts to revamp this process have not been widely adopted. Ebay tried a reverse auction segment of the site for a while and I don't think it worked out very well. That's not to say it can't be done of course, just that eBay couldn't do it with its approach - and all of its resources.

yrashk 18y ago
hm, I haven't realized ebay had this — it might be interesting to know how exactly they did it. While I was playing with this idea, I though that these things might help reverse auction solution: * powerful market research/alert tool for sellers — i.e. sellers would need a powerful toolset to monitor demand on an RA site. * social networks _integration_ and stuff like that — RFQ information shouldn't be locked in a single site — it should be spread to wherever potential sellers might find it. * "ning.com" for auctions
- zacharye 18y ago
  It will be an interesting part of your process to learn that eBay's solution is in fact still live. wantitnow.ebay.com I had no idea it was still live. I think that the very existance of this site, and the fact that you've never even heard of it, can play a large (and positive) role in your development process. If you plan to attack this you have your work cut out for you. You also, however, have a great tool in Want it Now - theoretically "what not to do".
  - deleted 18y ago
    [deleted]
  - yrashk 18y ago
    whoa, eBay still has this feature and there are active listings! :)

yrashk 18y ago

hm, I haven't realized ebay had this — it might be interesting to know how exactly they did it. While I was playing with this idea, I though that these things might help reverse auction solution: * powerful market research/alert tool for sellers — i.e. sellers would need a powerful toolset to monitor demand on an RA site. * social networks _integration_ and stuff like that — RFQ information shouldn't be locked in a single site — it should be spread to wherever potential sellers might find it. * "ning.com" for auctions

zacharye 18y ago
It will be an interesting part of your process to learn that eBay's solution is in fact still live. wantitnow.ebay.com I had no idea it was still live. I think that the very existance of this site, and the fact that you've never even heard of it, can play a large (and positive) role in your development process. If you plan to attack this you have your work cut out for you. You also, however, have a great tool in Want it Now - theoretically "what not to do".
- deleted 18y ago
  [deleted]
- yrashk 18y ago
  whoa, eBay still has this feature and there are active listings! :)