Bidorbuyindia.com -- A biddable offer, this

Reshma Krishnan

NOT EVERYONE has the time to attend an auction.

Bidorbuy.com brings the excitement of an auction to your study. It allows you to bid online and is modelled on the famous e-buy site in the US.

Site layout and review: bidorbuy.com, is an international site and caters to four countries -- India, South Africa, Australia and Italy. One can access the Indian segment by going directly to bidorbuyindia.com. This site is well-arranged.

The basic concept is similar to a regular auction. One can bid online exactly as in a real auction. The only difference is that one does not get to see the object instantly. But since the auction is real time, bids are displayed as soon as they are made.

The home page features a number of categories, ranging from cars, computers to exotic holidays. Therefore, one can either use the browser facility if one is uncertain about what to bid for, or the search facility to locate the item one is looking for.

Buying: The site was tested to look for a car. The choice ranges from Maruti 800 to the Mercedes Benz. Product specifications are given and pictures are available in most cases, especially in this section. There are such worries as buying a car without checking its mileage or the engine, but the prices are attractive. For instance, bidding for a 1997 Maruti 800, can start as low as Rs. 20,000 and a 1982 Mercedes Benz at Rs. 1,00,000.

To start the bidding process, one has to register. This involves giving such personal details as the address and telephone numbers, e-mail address(es), but no payment details. Payment is mainly cash-on-delivery (COD) -- demand drafts for items such as CDs and phones, and bank transfers for more expensive items such as cars. One must give one's e-mail address accurately because this is the web site's only medium of communication with the client.

The bidding is on real time so one can constantly see who has made a bid, when, and at what price. Once a bid is accepted, the bidder is contacted immediately for confirmation. It must be noted that once a bid is successful, the bidder is legally bound to make the purchase.

Another feature on the home page is the Crazy Auctions section. Crazy Auctions last for a certain period -- say, an hour -- starting and ending at a stipulated time. This gives the illusion of participating in a real auction. If it is a ``crazy one-hour auction'' then one is notified immediately whether one has been out bid or has won.

For other major auctions there is a tool ``Auction Watch'' that allows one to keep a track on all the bids, monitor one's status and update the bid.

Auctions, especially the ``crazy kinds'' can also lead to gambling and raise the stakes so high that the item may not be worth the final bid. The maximum retail prices (MRP) of most products are given and, yet many members bid much higher just to avoid being out-bid by others. This can be dangerous, as one must remember that one is legally bound to pay. This is not a game.

Once you register, the web site also keeps you regularly informed about ``exciting auctions''. Registered members also get freebies the web site keeps giving away.

There is no cost to bid on the site and if, one wins, the cost of delivery of the product is borne by the client, as specified by the seller.

There are two facilities to ensure the safety and quality of the product one is bidding for. One can e-mail the seller and get in touch with him to inspect the product, say, a car or a piece of furniture.

Selling: It is necessary to register to be a seller. This web site acts as a good forum to display the goods and there is, generally, a high level of activity on some of the items on the site. So, if the product is attractive, it should attract attention. A good thing about selling through an auction site is that it allows you to test the market's perception of the product's worth. It eliminates middle-men costs as one is informed of the product status throughout the auction period.

Registration and listing the product on the website is free. One has to specify who will bear the delivery cost on one's page. There is a detailed ``How to Sell'' page that guides you to generating the product is description and creating a page for the product.

The site is in a nascent stage. Some 5,700 items are up for grabs. This might not seem impressive at first, but one must remember that the site and the concept is still new in the country. Also, there are no e-commerce laws, yet. Nevertheless, the site has the potential and is bound to grow once the concept is accepted.