Artfact announced the launch of Artfact Live, online marketplace connecting the world's leading auction houses with active collectors and dealers of art, antiques, and fine collectibles. LiveAuctioneers has also announced plans to launch an independent online-bidding platform.

The news follows in the wake of eBay's announcement Tuesday that it would close its Live Auctions platform on December 31, 2008 (http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y08/m04/i16/s03).

Artfact was founded in 1989 as an auction catalogue processor and auction results database for Sotheby's, Christies, and other fine auctioneers (http://www.artfact.com). Over 1,000 fine auctioneers actively list their catalogues with Artfact.com and its U.K. sister site Invaluable.com, resulting in more than 100,000 fine and decorative art objects and collectibles for sale at upcoming auctions daily. The Artfact.com and Invaluable.com websites receive more than 20,000 visits daily, and sent more than 35 million email alerts in 2007 matching bidders' collecting preferences with lots available for sale by its auction house partners.

Artfact's RFC Systems software manages the entire business of prestigious auction houses in seven countries and four languages. Its systems include live online bidding with audio and video in conjunction with eBay and, starting in 2008, directly from Artfact.com and Invaluable.com.

Meanwhile, Manhattan-based LiveAuctioneers LLC, founded in November 2002, also announced plans to launch an independent online-bidding platform. The company, which also enabled auction houses to integrate with eBay Live Auctions, assured customers there would be no disruption to Internet bidding capability or other services it provides to its 700 auction house clients during the transition.

http://www.liveauctioneers.com