Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home IT Management
    • IT Management

    Bid for Enterprise

    By
    Dennis Callaghan
    -
    July 14, 2003
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Online auction powerhouse eBay Inc. is increasingly moving beyond its core consumer auction business to bring corporate buyers and sellers together. But challenges still remain to the companys efforts to bring its auction services to the enterprise.

      While some enterprises are intrigued by the possibilities eBay could bring to democratize e-marketplaces, the same openness that eBay has built its business on stirs fears of channel conflict in some companies looking to embrace auctions as another sales channel.

      Castle Rock Industries Inc., which makes commercial floor-cleaning equipment and chemicals, is looking to open a secondary market for sales demonstration equipment and returned off-lease equipment from customers on service contracts. Castle Rocks local salespeople must now find buyers for such equipment in their territories. But the Denver-based company is looking to auction that equipment online—exposing it to a wider group of buyers—using a hosted auction service powered by Comergent Technologies Inc.s C3 Auctions application.

      “Its a conduit for Castle Rock and Castle Rock customers to hit that secondary market,” said Castle Rock CIO John Rough. Castle Rocks executive vice president of sales and marketing, Michael Malone, said the company intends to manage its way through potential channel conflicts as it runs the auctions. The success of the auctions will determine whether Castle Rock sells more products this way. “Were feeling out the market,” Malone said.

      The company typically sells products through the janitorial products reseller channel and directly to large customers. Fear of alienating those channel partners and customers is keeping Castle Rock off eBay and on a private auction service where it can invite and authorize potential buyers.

      “One of the advantages of Comergent versus eBay is that eBay is open to the world,” Rough said. “We want to be able to control who the audience is, whos invited to participate in the auctions.”

      With an open, eBay-style auction, end-user customers or other parties could undercut Castle Rocks reseller channel and large customers, Rough said.

      eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove said sellers can set conditions to limit bidders, such as requiring a deposit or statement of financial support, but cannot actually limit whos invited and authorized to bid. But many businesses seem able to work out their channel conflict issues to sell on eBay. The online auctioneer, based in San Jose, Calif., opened its Business Marketplace in January to bring business buyers and sellers together in recognition of the increasing amount of business-to-business commerce at the site. Pursglove said business buyers represent about $1 billion in annualized gross merchandise sales on eBay across the capital equipment, office technology and wholesale lots categories.

      eBay has made other inroads into enterprises. Last month, it bought FairMarket Inc.s intellectual property, which it plans to use to offer services to run loyalty programs and other promotional campaigns to its sellers, a key value-add for business customers. Also last month, eBay signed a pact to let customers of SAP AG, the worlds largest business application developer, sell idle assets and equipment on eBay. Sources close to both companies said eBay and SAP may extend this partnership to link eBays auction services to SAPs e-marketplace offerings. Pursglove declined to comment on speculation that a larger partnership is in the works.

      Channel conflict aside, eBays auction model could be a breath of fresh air for the e-marketplace world, which never lived up to its hype. “I would think that they could be a legitimate source of opportunity for businesses and especially small businesses,” said Irving Tyler, CIO of Quaker Chemical Corp., in Conshohocken, Pa. “The larger e-marketplaces which have come and gone over and over again, I think are too specialized and dont have a setup in which the trading partners will all have common needs.” eBay could attract a more varied group of traders, have fewer rules and constraints, and no software needs beyond a Web browser, Tyler said.

      “It might work,” Tyler said.

      Dennis Callaghan
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×