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Auctionbytes-Update, Number 219 - July 20, 2008 - ISSN 1528-6703
This & That: Online Auction Roundup
1) Stolen-and-wanted.com Helps Recover Stolen Art
By Ina Steiner
Reminder: AuctionBytes-Update does not endorse the products and services featured in the "This & That" column, which often features new Web sites. (Anyone can set up a Web site.) Fraud has become widespread in the online auction world, and you should think twice before giving private information or User IDs and passwords to any third party.
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Two French auctioneers have created a website to help victims of art theft find and recover their goods. Armand and Gerard Torossian launched the Stolen-and-wanted.com website, which is founded upon two concepts. The first is identification of the works on the basis of their references in authoritative publications ("no dealer may put the work up for sale without listing its references"). The second is the rewards offered by the victims to increase the chances of recovering the stolen objects. The cost of posting the information online is fixed, independent of the value of the stolen goods. It varies with the chosen duration: Standard - 300 EUR ($465 USD) for five years; and Premium - 500 EUR ($775 USD) for an unlimited duration.
http://www.stolen-and-wanted.com
2) CheckMEND - Report & Search for Stolen Goods
By Ina Steiner
CheckMEND.com is an online property validation service with a database of counterfeit and stolen goods containing more than 100 million records. Auction sites, consumers and manufacturers can search the database to help validate the authenticity of a product. Likewise, users can report stolen goods on its sister website at www.immobilize.net.
http://www.checkmend.com
3) Flippid.com Marketplace Launches Listing Tool
By Ina Steiner
Flippid.com marketplace has announced the addition of Flippid Lister, an intuitive and easy to use web application that integrates any inventory into Flippid. There are no fees to list and sell, and the site recently introduced a stores feature. Sellers interested in learning more about Flippid Lister can do so here
4) eBid Adds Shipping Calculator
By Ina Steiner
eBid has added a shipping calculator allowing buyers to work out shipping costs by just adding their zip codes to sellers' auctions. See the LYI (List Your Item) form at eBid.net and click the "Calculated" button. USPS is currently the only working service but more will be added soon including UPS, DHL and FedEx.
http://www.ebid.net
5) Bang4Bucks News Update
By Ina Steiner
The new Australian Bang4Bucks auction site said it has launched a preferred seller program offering free fees based on how many listings a seller runs (see site for details). It has also launched a bonus bucks program for buyers - every time a buyer purchases an item they receive points that can be used on special auctions. Finally, the company has joined with a television station to run charity auctions for pensioners in Australia. "Membership has hit over 10,000 after 6 weeks," according to Debbie of Bang4Bucks.
http://www.bang4bucks.com.au
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