OZtion

OZtion is an online auction site designed for Australians. OZtion is the second largest auction site in Australia. The Oztion website, based in Melbourne, was founded in 2005 by Philip Druce and Kelvin Yip. According to the site, there are more than 750,000+ items available for auction or purchase and as of 2008-07-14, over 312731 member accounts.

Community

OZtion uses a "rating" system (similar to the feedback system used on other online sites) for rating transactions. Transactions can be rated by both the buyer and seller as 'Satisfied', 'Neutral' or 'Unsatisfied'. Each OZtion user is also given an overall rating score based on their transactions, as follows: 2 points are added for each 'Satisfied' rating; 0 points for each 'Neutral' rating, and 2 points deducted for each 'Unsatisfied' rating.

Trading

Listing, including up to 3 pictures, is completely free and sellers are only charged a nominal fee when a sale is completed. [http://www.oztion.com.au/public/fees/default.aspx OZtion fees page] vShops are a unique OZtion version of online auction shops. They allow sellers to have a searchable store, and include information about their business on a separate page. Owners of vShops are charged $5 per calendar month for the privilege.

At least one form of verification is required to become a seller. Forms of verification available are: address verification, credit card verification, photo ID verification (drivers licence or passport), telephone verification and Australia Post verification (which adds address and photo ID verification as well). As of 2007, only residents of Australia, New Zealand, are permitted to sell on OZtion (overseas sellers from other countries registered prior to Sept 2006 are still allowed to sell). http://www.oztion.com.au/content/0012005/help/myaccount/verifyuser.aspx OZtion account verification page]

Prohibited items

A number of items are not permitted to be sold on OZtion [ [http://www.oztion.com.au/public/prohibit.htm OZtion Prohibited and Restricted Items, as per Oztion Website] ] . Notable examples include:
* Adult items (unless added to the "Adult" category)
* Alcohol : An alcohol license is required to list wine and other alcohol on OZtion. The seller must display their license number on the listing, and are responsible for knowing alcohol laws in all states and territories.
* Drugs: No controlled prescription drugs, regardless of herbal or chemical in origin, are permitted for sale.
* Fireworks
* Lock Picking Devices : Lock picking or lock smithing devices (including key cutters) cannot be listed.

Charity Auctions

In july 2008 a former housemate of Big Brother Australia Dixie, ran an auction for a pair of her nike jogging shoes. 100% of the profits go towards the Beyond Blue charity. [Oztion Auction Listing]

Promotions

OZtion offers a promotional program by which members can earn credit for referring new members, which can then be used to pay OZtion fees.

References

* cite web
last =
first =
authorlink = http://www.computerworld.com.au/
coauthors =
title = OZtion Announces Enhanced Address Verification
work =
publisher = ComputerWorld Australia
date =
url = http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1914634842
format =
doi =
accessdate =

External links

* [http://www.oztion.com.au OZtion Website]