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Technology Stocks : Jimbo's Playhouse/CPQ -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jimbo Cobb who wrote (3366)	7/28/1999 6:51:00 AM
From: Kenya AA	Respond to of 12662

Jimbo: Since I'm leaving on vacation in 2 days, you'll just have kick EBAY's troublesome butt without me. K

To: Jimbo Cobb who wrote (3366)	7/28/1999 7:07:00 AM
From: Kenya AA	Respond to of 12662

Amazon, Yahoo Eye EBay In Auction Race Date: 7/28/99 Author: Pete Barlas When it comes to auctions on the Web, Amazon.com Inc. and Yahoo Inc. are making a lot of noise. Amazon, the largest bookseller on the Web, and Yahoo, the Web's biggest portal, offer two of the ''best'' auction sites on the Web, according to a study that was to be released late Tuesday. In a ranking based on a number of criteria, Amazon and Yahoo's auction sites placed No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. They trail only EBay Inc., the world's largest Web auctioneer, says Gomez Advisors Inc., the Boston- based research firm that did the second-quarter study. Amazon and Yahoo jumped ahead of rivals to make a run at EBay, which has had problems with power outages in the last few months, says Sue Rothberg, senior analyst for Gomez. Amazon launched its auction site on March 30. Yahoo's auction service debuted in September. EBay started in 1995. ''The sands are shifting in the auction space,'' said Rothberg. ''For a long time EBay was the undisputed leader, but companies have started to learn from its successes and mistakes.'' Competition is rising as the online auction business explodes. People are expected to spend $15.5 billion in 2001 on auction sites, up from $1.57 billion last year, says Gomez. ''By the end of 1999, 15% of all consumer electronic-commerce spending will be at auction sites. It's the fastest-growing area of e-commerce,'' Rothberg said. Gomez plans to examine and rank the largest auction sites each quarter. This is its second quarterly survey. In the first quarter, Yahoo ranked only No. 6. Amazon hadn't been in the business yet. Rather than relying on customer surveys, Gomez says it completes its analysis in-house. The company says it evaluates the Web sites on 120 criteria, including ease of use, functionality and customer service. While Gomez takes into account the number of registered users at each Web site, the survey isn't meant to be a popularity contest, says Rothberg. ''We look at all of the little things, such as how fast a site executes trades and how long it takes to download pages,'' she said. Gomez gets some of its input by calling Web site customer service departments and posing as bewildered customers. Amazon scored big in customer service and in such categories as site navigation, Rothberg says. ''They really bend over backward to make customers happy,'' she said. Yahoo improved its ranking by adding new features designed to make the site easier to use. For example, Web surfers on Yahoo's auction site can receive electronic mail or pager message updates on specific product auctions. ''If someone is outbidding you on an item, you'll know about it right away,'' Rothberg said. ''That's a big deal.'' Amazon was unaware of its ranking, but is happy to accept the accolades, says company spokeswoman Sharon Greenspan. ''We're very pleased,'' she said. ''Going from nowhere to No. 2 is a big accomplishment.'' Yahoo was more skeptical about the study. The company declines to comment because it isn't sure how Gomez does its analysis, says Tim Brady, Yahoo's vice president of production. Though Amazon and Yahoo are rising fast in the auction arena, they face a tough rival in No. 1 EBay, says Rothberg. ''EBay is still the best in nearly every category,'' she said. ''They have a diversity of products you can't find anywhere else and a loyal following. The power outages irritated some people, but it's not a long-term hurt for them.''