During the past decade, virtual communications have greatly affected consumer buying trends. No longer bound by brick-and-mortar stores or catalog houses, many have found that online buying is a cost-effective and convenient way to shop, and few areas of consumer and enthusiast interest have been more affected than diecast collecting and trading.
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| This Racing Champions Hot Rod magazine 1: 24-scale 69 Camaro makes a trick addition to any Camaro lovers collectionif the price is right! |
Another trend that is a direct product of Web-based commerce is online auctioning; the most famous of these sites is eBay. On eBay, there are as many as 150,000 diecast cars at auction or on sale at any given moment, and most of these sales are transacted without problems. There are risks, however, to online buying and selling, and participants need to do their homework if they want to come away from the deal feeling completely satisfied.
Diecast Auctions: who is looking out for you?
Officials at eBay have been remarkably proactive in creating the Webs most popular diecast auction site, and eBay goes to great lengths to preserve the integrity of its operations and to protect its bidders. Concerns about shill bidderspeople brought in by the seller to lift the price of a given itemare taken seriously. According to eBays Jim Midgal, When we detect any activity such as shill bidding, we shut down the item and take appropriate action to ensure a positive experience for bidders.
Recently, GoMotorsports.com, a leading online seller of automobilia, launched GoMotorBids.coman auction site that specializes in scale diecast cars. We protect collectors from online fraud and revolutionized the way that people think about Web auctions. We listened to the collectors who love the auction process and gave them what they asked forno fraud, reserves, phantom bidding or junk, says Russ Dickey, director of marketing for GoMotorsports.com.
The primary difference between GoMotorBids.com and eBay is that all of the merchandise listed on the site belongs to the house. We can guarantee you that youll get exactly what you pay for. We have no reserve prices, and every auction starts at $1, adds Dickey.
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| Left: Online diecast auctions are not just about Hot Wheels or 1:64-scale cars. This out-of- production Maisto 1:18-scale Jaguar XK180 was a pleasant find. Right: this diecast Maisto C5 Corvette was purchased for $10 plus $6 shipping. The original retail price was $24.95. |
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