Trust is the foundation of ecommerce. Being able to trust buyers and sellers is essential, and it can be difficult to achieve. But can you also trust that the merchandise you see for sale is actually genuine? Sometimes, it takes an expert to know the difference between what's authentic and what's the "real thing."

SpecialistAuctions.com combines the freedom of buying and selling online with help from knowledgeable experts. Each sales category falls under the purview of a moderator - an expert in collectibles or other relevant areas. The moderator's job is to answer questions, provide advice, and to identify fake merchandise and remove it from the site.

One of the UK-based site's three co-founders says the need for trust and authenticity was just one of the goals they had in mind when they launched it in November 2005.

"After many successful years dealing on eBay it became apparent that they had simply become too big," says Bob Clements. "Instead of making decent profits, trading was often at par and after costs, more commonly at a loss. We needed a venue that would cost effectively provide us and other collectors with a large, collectibles dedicated shop window, where it was possible to wait for the right buyer without financial penalty, and haggle to arrive at an agreed and acceptable selling price."

SpecialistAuctions.com was started by a trio of entrepreneurs. Clements and Sue Harrington are successful dot-com entrepreneurs who continue to manage several large software companies. The third partner, Simon Massingham, provides the necessary technical expertise.

As the name implies, it's a site for collectors, enthusiasts, and specialists of rare and collectible items in many different niche markets. Moderators include dealers, collectors, and members of professional sports clubs. People who are knowledgeable about things they love to talk about them, and accordingly, everyone can contribute to a community blog on the site. Members can comment on what's being offered for sale in user forums.

Several other features set SpecialistAuctions.com apart from the competition. They include a Have a Haggle feature, in which prospective buyers can make an offer for any item that's up for sale. Clements says nearly 60 percent of sales on the site are made after haggling. The site also actively discourage drop shipping by sellers.

Such features have attracted more than 300,000 active members to the site. "The number increases daily," says Clements. Buyers and sellers come from all over the world - about 36 percent each from the U.S. and the UK, and the balance from Europe, South America, the Middle East, and the Pacific. SpecialistAuctions.com is headquartered about an hour north of London.

From the start, the site attracted unusual and notable items. The second day it was online, a vintage Patek Phillipe wrist watch sold for £4500. Ballet shoes once owned and used by Princess Diana, dinosaur poop, and a unique vase made by Vincent Ysart have also sold. But more everyday buttons, toys, and other "routine" collectibles are sold on a regular basis.

Clements and his partners have advertised SpecialistAuctions in a variety of ways. Along with direct advertising and getting the site mentioned in user forums, promotions are regularly held with prizes given away to members. "We work closely with registered charities and never charge them any fees of any kind," says Clements. "This kind of activity attracts new users constantly. Simplest and most effective is word of mouth advertising by people who are happy using the site and are being successful."

The biggest challenge in developing the site has been one that's always hard to manage: time. "Time is our biggest enemy," he explains. "Because of the geographic territory we operate in, we usually work from around 7 in the morning to 11 each evening - we just need a few more hours a day or perhaps, days in the week. Getting people onto the site in the volume we'd like is a constant challenge as is ensuring that we respond to our members quickly and personally."

Clements doesn't see SpecialistAuctions.com as competing with eBay: "No one can or will out do them; all of us in the secondary market owe them a great deal." Rather, he wants the site to be known as the venue of choice for anyone who wants to buy or sell collectibles. He also welcomes "more designer labels using the site to drive their secondary (secondhand) markets and to moderate what is sold on these secondary markets thus removing fakes from being sold as real items."

Clements uses the site himself to follow his own passions: military collectibles, vintage watches, vintage cell phones, antique glass, vintage gear, Havana cigar boxes and labels. But the people who use the site are his real motivation: "I love the actions and reactions of our members when they discover that there is a site out there that supports them, listens to them, and implements agreed-upon changes quickly. I love seeing friendships develop between members, and being told that people love what we do. Members are responsible for keeping our forums interesting, maintaining our blog, and providing support. Eventually, we hope our name will become synonymous with online collectibles auctions."