Auctions on eBay: A Dying Breed. As consumers opt for fixed-price purchases, what happens to the company that perfected the art of online bidding—and the scores of e-auctioneers? Bruce Hershenson, who auctions vintage posters online, is hanging up his eBay gavel. For almost a decade, Hershenson's business epitomized the e-commerce that made eBay (EBAY) famous. He sold rare, collectible, sometimes kitschy memorabilia in online auctions that had a starting bid of 99¢. But as the business of buying and selling over the Internet has matured, the thrill and novelty of auctions have given way to the convenience of one-click purchases. Hershenson will hold his last eBay auction June 3. "The auctions are nothing like what they once were," he says. Auctions were once a pillar of e-commerce. Sales at Amazon.com (AMZN), the leader in online sales of fixed-price goods, rose 37% in the first quarter of 2008.
E-Commerce Continues to Evolve Executives at eBay have gotten the message. EBay Fees Favor Fixed Prices Auctioneers Up in Arms. Artfact: Online Live Auctions & Auction Price Results. Bonhams 1793: Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers. VAN-HAM Kunstauktionen. Phillips de Pury & Company.