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As consumers, we all have a burning desire to make fabulous buys on products and services. Now, thanks to the word-wide web, more people than ever are able to participate in the thrill of bidding and perhaps receive terrific online bargains in everything from jewelry to automobiles. Who would've thought thirty years ago that the man with the loud gavel would actually turn into microchips with an even larger gavel? In our discussion, we'll explore the early beginnings of the auction all the way to auctions in cyberspace. Let's start with the very basics; the word "auction" is a Latin derivative and actually means "i increase" (thank-you to our friends at Wikipedia who are fabulous). The concept of the auction has been around almost since the beginning of time, though, I believe that Adam would not have bid on that beautiful apple had he been allowed to give it a test drive first. During ancient times, auctions were held in a sheer informal fashion. A few people would walk up to the butcher's stand and start haggling over price until an individual (primitive bidder) would outlast and trump the rest. Further, many ancient soldiers made it standard practice to bid on goods captured in battle. The Romans were perhaps the most advanced civilizations when it came to informal auctions casting what they referred to as "lots" in their pursuit of goods. The auction concept continued to evolve and mature as civilizations passed. The first "formal" auctions took root, no surprise, in western Europe. As the auction concept continued to gain in popularity, "auction houses" were founded. With Auction houses, came the formal and entertaining process of gathering together in an assembly hall to "show-up" the local neighbor. There are of course several variants of the auction concept that would take as many as five articles to explore. However, needless to say that civilization has come a long way from the primitive Roman style auctions to the extremely formal Southeby's auctions. Then came cyberspace and with it, the advent of E-Bay almost15 years ago, and thus sounded a loud chorus of praise throughout the world. Since then, the excitement for those jumping online, in an informal setting, has prompted many varieties of online auctions. With so many online choices available to would-be bidders, where must we start? Well, it certainly doesn't matter as long as you do your homework to ensure that the online service is legitimate, and products on display are true as advertised. Just a few things to condor when participating in an online auction: 1) authenticity means integrity; the promoter (auctioneer) must adamantly vouch for the integrity of the merchandise, 2) provide an atmosphere of superior customer service, as there will be problems from time to time, and finally, 3) carry forth a consistently stable track record; a reputable online auction house should be able to point out its accolades in the industry. With that, I wish you good luck, terrific buys, and lots of fun! Online Auctions Please Visit Our Online Mall
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