Matt Cheney, a junior at the University of Illinois, formed the Online Auction Society in the spring of 2001 to help students gain a better understanding of online auction sites as well as how to use them efficiently. Matt recognized that college students could sell some of their extra possessions online to help them get cash to buy needed supplies.

Matt says that most students use online auctions as a way to save money when making purchases. They are able to get a lot of things, from textbooks to kitchen supplies, cheaply. "To a college student, who has inherited most of his or her things from parents or siblings, buying a used item is not a problem," Matt says. "They are only going to use it for a few years anyway."

Students also like online auction sites for their convenience. For students who need a lot of different things (books, tennis rackets, bowls, CDs), sites like eBay are one-stop-shopping. Matt says students appreciate the fact that they don't have to go to a lot of stores, and all items are shipped to a student's dorm or apartment. Delivery is important since many students do not own cars.

There are also a number of students who have online businesses that use auction sites to sell items, according to Matt. "One member of our club goes to garage sales on weekends, buys toys there for pennies, and resells the good ones for hundreds of dollars! Another member makes arts and craft bracelets that she sells online for a hefty profit. One student, a very smart one, collects textbooks that the university book store will not buy back and sells them online to students who go to schools who have not opted to use the new version of the textbook."

I interviewed Matt to find out more about students' use of online auction sites for buying and selling.

AUCTIONBYTES: How widespread is the use of auctions by students?

Matt: To the best of my knowledge, 30% of the student body has used online auctions in some capacity, 20% use them regularly as buyers, and 1-4% sell items online.

AUCTIONBYTES: How do students find out about buying and selling online?

Matt: Almost entirely by word of mouth.

AUCTIONBYTES: Do students take it very seriously and follow through?

Matt: Actually, this has never been a problem in my experience. As a seller, the people I am most worried about are the adults who think my eBay sales is like a store which they can return items to. I have never had an experience with a negative comment about a student.

AUCTIONBYTES: Do you know of any other clubs at other universities? Will you be expanding?

Matt: Nope, this is a University of Illinois thing (I am a student here, much easier).

AUCTIONBYTES: Why did you decide to start the club?

Matt: I am a junior majoring in history. I started the club because I feel a lot of students could really benefit from online auctions but are either one, scared about trying something new or, two, are unaware of the benefits. We try to teach people to be comfortable with auctions and educate them about their existence.

More information about the Online Auction Society (OAS) is available at http://www.uiuc.edu/ro/auction. The OAS is currently working on three projects: an informational guide for buyers, an informational guide for sellers, and a series of workshops, from the basics of online auctions to advanced auction strategy.