IOffer

Infobox Website
name = iOffer



caption = Screenshot dated August 5, 2008
url = http://www.ioffer.com/
commercial = Yes
type = Online trading community
language =
registration =
owner =
author = Steven Nerayoff
launch date = May 1, 2002
current status =
revenue =
slogan = A Place to Buy, Sell & Trade

iOffer is a San Francisco-based online trading community that was launched on May 1, 2002 by Steven Nerayoff.cite journal
last = Steiner
first = Ina
date = June 16, 2002
title = Something Old and Something New: Online Auction Sites & Services
journal = Auctionbytes-Update
issue = 72
issn = 1528-6703
url = http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y202/m06/abu0072/s02
accessdate = 2008-08-04 ] As of February 2008, it had nearly one million total users, including approximately 75,000 sellers.cite news
first = Lenora
last = Chu
title = EBay rivals circle vulnerable auctions kingpin
url = http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/06/smbusiness/ebay_alternatives.fsb/index.htm?source=aol_quote
work = CNNMoney.com
date = 2008-02-07
accessdate = 2008-08-04 ]

iOffer deviates from the online auction business model and instead adopts the "negotiated commerce model", characteristic of garage sales and flea markets, [cite journal
last = Steiner
first = Ina
date = February 2, 2003
title = This & That: Online Auction Roundup
journal = Auctionbytes-Update
issue = 88
issn = 1528-6703
url = http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y203/m02/abu0088/s05
accessdate = 2008-08-04 ] [cite book
last = Hamilton
first = Diane M
editor = Hossein Bidgoli
title = The Internet Encyclopedia
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=bW2_KaeKuVkC&pg=PA132&dq=iOffer&sig=ACfU3U1OwCnD2egtdg0xJjfZ4h6n4yFh5A#PPA133,M1
accessdate = 2008-08-04
volume = 1
year = 2004
publisher = John Wiley & Sons
location =
isbn = 978-0471222026
pages = 129–38
chapter = Business-to-Consumer (B2C) Internet Business Models
quote = An even more typical flea market transaction takes places at iOffer. (p. 132)] operating on the basis of negotiation between buyers and sellers rather than bidding. When a negotiation concludes successfully (i.e. a transaction occurs), iOffer charges a "final value fee" based on a sliding scale. The website advertises this distinction, claiming: "This is not an auction. It's better!"cite journal
last = Holden
first = Greg
date = February 5, 2006
title = iOffer: Is Silence Really Golden?
journal = Auctionbytes-Update
issue = 160
issn = 1528-6703
url = http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y206/m02/abu0160/s03
accessdate = 2008-08-04 ]

iOffer permits free listing of items for sale, charging fees only for premium listing services (such as bolding, highlighting, and listing on the home page). Sellers can post an asking price or request offers; buyers, in turn, can purchase an item at its asking price or make an offer. Users can also post "want ads" at no charge and barter.cite journal
last = Paletta
first = Lu
date = November 21, 2004
title = iOffer: Negotiated Ecommerce as an eBay Alternative
journal = Auctionbytes-Update
issue = 131
issn = 1528-6703
url = http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y204/m11/abu0131/s03
accessdate = 2008-08-04 ] All transactions are recorded and can be viewed by other users. [cite book
last = Conner
first = Nancy
title = eBay: The Missing Manual
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=ATAfRNklWlwC&pg=PA428&dq=iOffer&sig=ACfU3U1BcCJd2y3QrgJkvluabUNrvve61A
accessdate = 2008-08-04
date = August 2005
publisher = O'Reilly
location =
isbn = 978-0-596-00644-0
pages = 428
quote = On iOffer, "all" of your transactions show up in your feedback profile. ]

iOffer competes with other similar negotiated e-commerce websites, as well as online auction sites such as eBay. [cite journal
last = Steiner
first = Ina
date = July 9, 2002
title = eBay Sets Off Fireworks with PayPal Acquisition Announcement
journal = Auctionbytes-NewsFlash
issue = 353
issn = 1539-5065
url = http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y02/m07/i09/s01
accessdate = 2008-08-04 ] [cite news
first = Jon
last = Swartz
title = Some eBay sellers are going, going, gone
url = http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2005-02-01-ebay-usat_x.htm
work = USA Today
date = 2005-02-01
accessdate = 2008-08-04 ] According to Greg Holden, author of multiple books about eBay, from the perspective of sellers iOffer is both a "complement" [cite journal
last = Holden
first = Greg
date = December 4, 2005
title = Selling Strategies: Looking for Life Beyond eBay
journal = Auctionbytes-Update
issue = 156
issn = 1528-6703
url = http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y205/m12/abu0156/s02
accessdate = 2008-08-04 ] and "good alternative" to eBay. Through iOffer's software program "Mr. Grabber", sellers can relist items from sites such as eBay, Yahoo! Auctions, and Overstock.com onto iOffer "en masse", as well as import eBay feedback ratings. [cite book
last = Holden
first = Greg
title = Selling Beyond eBay: Foolproof Ways to Reach More Customers and Make Big Money on Rival Online Marketplaces
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=nrENGAdUw1oC&pg=PA49&dq=iOffer&sig=ACfU3U1ax5dDsuO2Pb3no37kpKHyDwwcBw
accessdate = 2008-08-04
year = 2006
publisher = AMACOM
location =
isbn = 978-0-8144-7349-8
pages = 48 ]

References