Wired Magazine recently asked “Who Killed the Internet Auction?” the answer was more complicated than you’d think. It’s impossible to summarize the article in a few points, and you really do have to read it, but a couple of interesting facts:

• An Irish immigrant made popular a system of fixed prices rather than a haggle based shopping experience in the United States
• Auctions account for just 31% of all sales on eBay

The article also has an in depth analysis of the differences between the laissez faire techniques that eBay used when setting up its marketplace, and the more authoritarian management by Amazon of its third party retailers.

Source: Wired Magazine

Via: Will Dearden