In an earlier issue of AuctionBytes-Update, David Steiner voiced his despair over eBay's refusal list a set of lawn jarts, a move that prompted him to seek out an alternative venue for the product. He found one in Yahoo Auctions. Another auction site to consider is ePier.com, a site that incorporates the familiar appearance of eBay with the fiscal benefits of Yahoo.

Two-year-old ePier.com seems vastly underrated and unknown considering the benefits it provides avid online auction sellers, namely-- NO listing fees, NO end of auction percentages, and FREE image-storing. Even if you can't live without eBay, you can't overlook a site like this. Items may be listed with eBay as a first stop, later listing unsold items with ePier until the right buyer comes along. EPier essentially becomes a permanent catalog/auction site for your merchandise with a minimum of effort. James Kim, 30, of Spokane, Washington, is ePier CEO. He explains that ePier was conceived with the intention of "bringing the market a lower cost forum for people to buy and sell in an alternative venue."

But how does Kim and his six cohorts make money? With no ads thus far and sellers not pitching in to pay the costs, you might wonder how long this site can stick around. According to Kim, "We're currently not making any income, but in the future, I foresee 4 or 5 major avenues for generating revenue." The four he currently cites are:
1) Future advertising revenue;
2) Value-Added Gold Memberships for sellers that would target ambitious sellers, giving them access to services such as live professional assessments in exchange for a voluntary fee;
3) A PayPal type of payment system that ePier will own;
4) A link exchange for businesses that offers Web pages and performance-based software.

Kim pledges that the private information he receives from users will not be shared with outside sources. "Selling names to mailing lists is not a part of our plan."

Does ePier sound too good to be true? A bit, but Kim and his staff have hung in for two years, drawing upon a $250,000 family-financed fund to keep the site going. He hopes that, in time, $2 million worth of venture capital will come through to finance the constant upgrades the site requires and to allow them to market more aggressively.

Kim isn't discouraged, since his site is slowly but steadily growing. According to the stats printed on the home page, the number of registered users has gone up, and the gap between ePier and the "800 lb. gorilla" eBay has narrowed, drawing registrants from cities like Las Vegas, Houston, and Spokane and mega-states New York, Texas, Florida and California.

So far Kim's current marketing strategy targets online auction users directly through email. More working capital may bring a more sophisticated form of advertising. Other plans include a business rating system that differs from eBay's "open comments" feedback forum. Kim believes a more professional rating is essential, one that ranks sellers in a more quantifiable way: speed of delivery, how well items were packaged, communication, and friendliness.

How restrictive is ePier? According to their guidelines, the only items you can't sell through this site are the illegal kind. That lets out drugs, body parts, human beings, and the like. As for Jarts? Your best bet is to contact ePier to find out about any items you think may be questionable. They're quick to respond and friendly, too.

So, if you're curious about eBay's competition or have a mountain of things that need to find a long-term home, look up ePier.com to see if that's the right place for you. Just remember to do your part and advertise yourself. Any ad you construct, whether it's for eBay, Amazon, Gold's, or Yahoo, can contain a link to your listings. Feel free to tout it as your "catalog"; it's doubtful that Kim will mind.