Online Auctions

This case describes various forms and purposes of auctions. It then surveys the remarkable development of consumer-to-consumer (C2C), business-to-consumer (B2C), and business-to-business (B2B) online auctions, and profiles companies that specialize in each of those market segments. In each segment, the case describes how the auctions generally work, the business model, major players, and provides a company profile for a major player in the segment. For C2C, B2C and B2B auctions respectively, the following companies are profiled: eBay, uBid, and for B2B auctions FreeMarkets and TradeOut.