Countless reasons. Consumer confidence, repeat customers, up-selling and cross-selling to name a few. However, the main reason will probably end up being that AuctionIM acts as an anti-fraud mechanism.

In recent years, online auctions have gotten a bad rap. We believe it's a case of a few untrustworthy sellers ruining it for the much larger group of honest sellers. Take a minute and consider the following reports:

"Identity theft tops the list again....For the fifth year in a row, identity theft topped the list of complaints, accounting for 39 percent of the 635,173 consumer fraud complaints filed....Internet Auctions - 16 percent..." - Read full article.

"ID Theft and Web Scams Top Consumer Complaints...Internet scams, including bogus auctions and deceptive Web and computer services, joined identity theft among the top consumer fraud complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission...The FTC said the growth of the Internet is driving an increase in scams, including: unscrupulous auctioneers; failure to deliver goods on time, as promised or at all...." - Read full article.

"For the third straight year, identity theft topped the list of consumer complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2002....The top 10 categories of consumer fraud complaints in 2002 include: Internet Auctions - 13%...." - Read the full article.

"A recent government report uncovered the hardly shocking news that there is quite a bit of fraud in online auctions. The Internet Fraud Complaint Center reported that complaints about auctions amounted to 64% of the 30,000 complaints it has received..." - Read the full article.

"The Federal Trade Commission has released its annual report detailing consumer complaints...identity theft topped the list, accounting for 42 percent...Internet-related complaints accounted for 55 percent of all fraud reports, up from 45 percent...Internet Auctions - 15 percent..." - Read the full article.

All of these negative reports about internet auctions and consumer fraud can be unnerving. It's all too clear to see how some potential buyers would shy away from online auctions. However, we can use this information to create a friendlier and more inviting marketplace for the buyer.

AuctionIM's goal is to act as the buffer between the well intentioned seller and the skeptical buyer by personalizing an industry that has suffered because of anonymity. Enabling buyers to instantly connect sellers through a common, well designed instant messaging interface will allow the seller to make a decision based on more than a couple pictures and a feature listing.

We believe AuctionIM will quickly gain the attention and accolades of buyers and sellers alike simply because it provides a quick and easy way to connect with a merchant and feel them out before any bid or money exchange takes place.

More information can be found at the following links: