uBid
Established in 1997, uBid (www.ubid.com)is a business-to-consumer auction siteâwhich means that, like Bidz (page 426), uBid requires its sellers to prove that they're bona fide licensed businesses. UBid offers a few other advantages for buyers:
Express Auctions. Every Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time, bargain hunters can find great deals. Express Auctions always start at $1, and uBid posts new items every 20 minutes.
Mega-Auctions. A Mega-Auction is like a giant Dutch auction (Section 1.4.7). The seller has a large lot of identical items to sell, and bidders try to buy a quantity (or just one) for the lowest possible price. The trick is not to get knocked out of the bidding (for bidding strategies, see Section 3.3.4).
Tip
If you're a seller, you can pick up some good deals in uBid's Mega-Auctions to resell on eBay.
Add-On Sales. Some uBid auctions let you purchase accessories for the product up on the block: printer cables, a digital camera case, and so on. If an item is eligible for Add-On products, an order form appears right after you bid. Check any accessories you want; if you win the auction, you've also bought the accessories.
In-house Payment Processing. When you win an auction, you pay for it with a credit card through uBid. You don't have to worry about scammers disappearing with your cash.
Overtime Policy. If you hate sniping, you'll love this policy. Auctions don't end until there have been no bids for 10 continuous minutes. If someone makes ...
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