Product category:
Used metal cutting machine tools
News Release from: Apex Auctions | Subject: Machine tool on-line auction software
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 11 February 2008
Software enhances bidding for machine
tools
As well as accommodating the large on-line auctions with as many as 500 lots, UK machine tool auctions firm's software is also cost-effective for auctions with relatively few items.
Stephen Dugard founded Brighton-based Apex Auctions seven years ago, yet even in this short period of time he has seen dramatic changes in the volume of machinery and equipment that is being sold via Internet-based auctions Just two years ago, event-based auctions - a live auction generally held at the selling company's premises - accounted for about 50% of the machines sold by Apex Auctions
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 30 Sep 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Metalworking machinery and equipment site launched
An online Internet equipment trading firm has announced the launch of its Metalworking Machinery and Equipment Trading website for resellers, brokers and dealers.
Machine builder also offers refurbished equipment
As well as designing and supplying laser and electron beam systems for a wide range of industries, good quality used machines are occasionally available, such as this one.
The events included bout two live on-site auctions and as many as six on-line auctions being held every month, said Apex.
Dugard was adamant that his company would not follow the route taken by e-Bay.
He told manufacturingtalk.com: "We structured our systems and software to accommodate event-based sales, not item-based sales.
Further reading
Website offers used test equipment for sale
Test and Calibration equipment for sale and wanted can be advertised on the Calibration Trade Centre website and portal, alongside a full range of test equipment available for hire.
Plastics and rubber machinery database accessed
A partnership agreement enables a plastics industry leader company in India to access the world's leading online database for plastics and rubber machinery.
Using the web rather than just being on it
There have been a number of significant changes since MachinePoint first entered the machinery market in 1999.
The idea of an event had historically been important to people buying, because they knew that all the machines and equipment had to come out of that factory by a specific date, and this fact generated attractive prices for the buyer".
Apex launched its software two years ago and it was configured to simplify the whole buying process.
Everything was done on the one screen.
Every change in circumstances - such as a higher bid on a particular item - was immediately visible on the screen.
* Smaller auctions are cost-effective - the capability of this type of 'auction software' (most major auctioneers have developed their own systems) was such that, as well as accommodating the large on-line auctions with as many as 500 lots, auctions with relatively few items were also cost-effective.
Moreover, said Apex, this new-found capability also provided an outlet for selling individual items on-line in turn gave Apex access to new markets.
While appreciating that the company's systems could easily combine any number of such individual items, Dugard said that he felt that applying this capability to sell dealer stock on a collective basis risked losing the integrity that conventional on-line auctions had firmly established.
"We did not want to change the concept of the event-driven on-line auction, as we knew this worked well.
However, we could see the benefits of offering individual items for sale, provided that the process was transparent to the buyer.
Indeed, we are quite open about the fact that we are now offering such a service, and we have adopted a different branding and format for our two offerings - Apex Auctions' event-based sales are branded blue and the machines marked 'a', while 'The Marketplace' for selling individual items is branded with orange tones and the machines marked 'm'".
Dugard added: "The Marketplace covers all types of machinery under a variety of headings, including turning, milling, borers, drilling, grinding, fabricating/sheet metal, presses, gear machines, plastics machinery, inspection equipment and many others.
Moreover, there are no search restrictions; by simply typing in a keyword, users have access to a cross-site search - event sales and 'The Marketplace' - or they can filter to one or the other.
The Marketplace default is to show machines in the order of those 'finishing' soonest".
* No requirement to log in - users can browse, search and watch events close without logging in, but anyone wanting to bid has to log in, which provides access to whole new areas of activity, including 'watching page'.
This is an area where the user can collect everything that is of interest to them, and not necessarily what they are bidding on.
They can, for instance, see how much time is left to bid, the current bid, the bid increment and the number of bids (an indication on the level of activity).
With regard to the level of confidence users can have, Dugard said: "We 'police' all our sales, and we have to approve everything before it goes on either site.
Moreover, we know every dealer and we approve every seller - not like e-Bay, where anyone can put items up for sale.
Bidders on either of our sites can be assured of 'fair play', as absolutely no one in the company has the authority to take a machine off the screen once bidding has started, except me, and then only for very specific reasons.
We have more than 2,000 regular bidders who come back week after week, confident in what we offer.".
• Apex Auctions: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
