(General-purpose) Reverse Auctions — undeveloped or needless?
zacharye: I think the main issue is that the concept of a reverse auction is not practical for the seller in an online environment. In a reverse auction, the seller must work for a sale whereas in a conventional auction the site and the buyers do the work for them. Why should the seller "work" for a sale if (s)he doesn't need to?On the flip side of the coin, it is generally accepted that if a consumer wants to purchase something (s)he must shop for it. So far attempts to revamp this process have not been widely adopted. Ebay tried a reverse auction segment of the site for a while and I don't think it worked out very well. That's not to say it can't be done of course, just that eBay couldn't do it with its approach - and all of its resources.