Friday, June 08, 2007

Category Requests on Global Auction Guide


On a fairly regular basis we receive requests from auctioneers wanting to expand our list of auction categories or auction type. We have been wrestling with this issue since February 2001 when we launched our first website and I can honestly say that there is no easy answer for this question.

In our database bidders are able to search by keyword, browse by location and company, and browse by selecting a date on the calendar. At no time are they able to narrow down the results by auction category.

Why not you ask ?

The more narrow the classification, the more likely someone is going to choose not to look at your upcoming sale. Because most sales are a combination of many types, to give a sale a very narrow type will limit the exposure you receive.

But the one area that you can certainly add a wee bit more detail would be in your auction title. If you are having a coin auctions, it is certainly worth mentioning that in the title and that will get more attention.

There is also a backend issue with adding too many new categories , as all our types are cross referenced with the categories available with the Central Auction Hub. This is so when you send a sale to another site, everyone knows which category it will be called when it is received at the other end.

I hope that explains it a bit better.

Keep sending us your comments and questions, we are always interested in offering an even better service.

Have a great weekend
Dwayne Leslie