Bidville will begin charging a commission (Final Success Fees) on sold auctions beginning February 1, 2004, but it will remain free to list items on the online auction site. Sellers who apply for upgraded membership before the end of January will have a 6-month grace period before FSF fees apply.

Currently Bidville charges no listing or commission on auctions. There are fees for optional features, such as placing a listing in the Photo Gallery or Featured area of Bidville, and for bold and gift features.

Bidville members who are Premier or Verified Sellers as of January 31, 2004, will not pay Final Success Fees on any items sold between February 1 and July 31, 2004. These Bidville sellers will be "grandfathered" in and will receive bonus credits to be used for enhancements.

It cost $5 to become a Verified Seller and $5/month to become a Premier Seller. Benefits to upgrading membership are outlined on the site. http://www.bidville.com/verifiedsellerbenefits.html

The new Final Success Fees are 5% for items with a closing price of between $0.01-$25. The FSF is $1.25 + 2.5% of amount over $25 for items with a closing price of between $25.01-$1000. And the FSF is $25.63 + 1% of amount over $1000 for items with a closing price of over $1,000.

http://www.bidville.com/FSFstructure.html

Bidville announced last week it had raised $2.2 million and said it has started an advertising campaign that will continue throughout 2004.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y04/m01/i10/s01