Repti-bid site.. opinions? feedback?

[Nerys]

Hi

have been asked to find out what the "market opinion" on this site is..

http://www.repti-bids.co.uk

bumph reads:

The UK's 1st Free auction site for Reptiles, Amphibians, birds and all related Products & Supplies.

(tho have to say, over the last few years i have not seen any of the animal auction sites take off.. )

so..

why is this?

what don't people like about the idea of it being an auction?

playing devils advocate here, there are a lot of horse auctions, bird auctions, cattle auctions in real life.. so why not in virtual life?

feedback please!

thanks for any input

Nerys


(its not my site no, its not connected with me at all.. but it came up in conversation with someone earlier, and i thought, well.. who better to ask than the diverse wide range of virtual users on here..)

[glidergirl]

Having been to 'live' auctions and seen the state of some of the poor animals it's no wonder people don't like them!

I don't think I'd be keen on advertising my animals on an auction site mainly because bids and winning bids are legally binding, therefore if you decide the person you've just sold to is a complete idiot that doesn't know the first thing about the animal then there's nothing you can do, they've won the bid.

At least with classified ads you can quiz the person and if you decide you don't want to sell to them then tough, it's your decision. But the nature of an auction takes that freedom to refuse away.

[sparkle]

I think I dont like the idea of them...

bidding for an animal instead of direct contact with the owner .. Im not sure how comfortable id be with it all.. certainly a bid online is a binding contract and if the animal was very poorly or wrong weight etc... when you went to collect it could become incredibly awkward and difficult..

with LIVE auctions you can see an aimal.. even then i dont like live animal auctions..

[glidergirl]

Sorry, yes, I was thinking from a sellers point of view, there is of course the buyer who could just as easily be caught out by a bad seller.

[Nerys]

cheers guys, thanks for replying and its good to have a view point from both buyer and seller yes it would take both to want to use a site like that, for it to take off in the first place

anyone else?

N

[Meko]

Originally Posted by glidergirl

I don't think I'd be keen on advertising my animals on an auction site mainly because bids and winning bids are legally binding, therefore if you decide the person you've just sold to is a complete idiot that doesn't know the first thing about the animal then there's nothing you can do, they've won the bid.

Originally Posted by sparkle

bidding for an animal instead of direct contact with the owner .. Im not sure how comfortable id be with it all.. certainly a bid online is a binding contract .

i'm not sure it is legally binding; or that it has to be.
It's usually in the terms and conditions of the auction that states it's legally binding etc but if the site states that the buyer has the right to refuse if the animal looks to be in ill health. Does bidding in an auction automatically enter you into a legally binding contract by law or by acceptance of the terms and conditions stating that you'll enter a contrct?
The same if the seller doesn't think the buyer is old enough or can't / won't look after it.
When you sign up to eBay or any other site you agree to their terms and conditions.

With the animal being ill, you don't need to bid blind. If you're buying a car / loads of other stuff on eBay you can arrange to view before bidding.

[sparkle]

Originally Posted by Meko

i'm not sure it is legally binding; or that it has to be.
It's usually in the terms and conditions of the auction that states it's legally binding etc but if the site states that the buyer has the right to refuse if the animal looks to be in ill health. Does bidding in an auction automatically enter you into a legally binding contract by law or by acceptance of the terms and conditions stating that you'll enter a contrct?
The same if the seller doesn't think the buyer is old enough or can't / won't look after it.
When you sign up to eBay or any other site you agree to their terms and conditions.

With the animal being ill, you don't need to bid blind. If you're buying a car / loads of other stuff on eBay you can arrange to view before bidding.

the issue is the arguements it would potentially cause.. winning an auction can be legally binding yes... to factor the legalities into it could be annoying for seller and buyer alike...

.. what is acceptable as a small discrepancy in weight colour and descition to the seller... may not be enough to cancel the final payment for the buyer if the animal advertised did not seem to be what they had hoped for... which is something I couldnt be bothered haggling about..

[Bluejen]

I guess the fact the site is practicaly empty shows it's certainly not liked or much interest in. There are many more cons than pros and guess that is why ebay doesn't allow live animal sales.

[Issa]

I've seen this site before. Never actually seen any reptiles up for auction though, mainly birds, which seems strange for a site that claims to be a Reptile Auction site. Perhaps it should be called Birdy Bidders instead...........