So What do these things have in common? Read on....

There's this one website I find quite useful it’s www.trademe.co.nz, check it out its really cool!!!!...... OK seriously I am sure you have all heard of trademe, ebay etc. and I thought it could make some interesting blogging;

How much has this internet auction medium changed the way we buy and value items? How has this medium made it more accessible for people with like minds to find one another, and trade and discuss their hobbies? You can even find old friends on trademe. What implications does this have on a global society where anyone can be tracked down? Or anything can be sourced from any part of the world? Have you ever used trademe? Or ebay?
Is it just me or is there a bit of a trademe craze going on? Obviously there is; according to trademe Deloitte rated it as the fastest growing buisiness in NZ in 2004 (http://www.trademe.co.nz/careers/). It seems to have created a whole new culture where people can buy products from across the globe and have them shipped within a few days, and sell just about anything! http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/EBay is a “web-encyclopaedia” entry for ebay, at the bottom is a list of crazy things sold on the international site. I am no economist but the economic impact of this must be huge. The idea of your global shopping basket bypasses any local market inequalities such as living in a remote island in the South Pacific. For example my friend bought a camcorder on the net from the USA for half the price he could have got it for at Bond and Bond. How will companies like this survive in a future of internet bidding? You can list your house for fifty bucks on trademe, cutting out the commissions and hassles of a real estate agent. Here’s one of many debates about this on the trademe forum;http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/messageboard/show_messages.asp?id=5216824&threadid=5216824 . Which brings me to another point; it seems to me that these sites have created a whole new community and culture along with it. It’s like blogging but with more of a direct link to the physical world. You can not only discuss a particular item/hobby and share ideas but end up with it on your doorstep a few days later. On trademe I have also noticed sellers adding extra information with their auctioned item; something about their life and how they have used it. Why do they do this? Are they trying to reach out and find others with a common view? This is what creates a web community all these little stories that go with second hand stuff. A good example of this is http://www.trademe.co.nz/Electronics-photography/Home-audio/Full-systems/auction-31990188.htm
But this interesting use of internet medium with a buying community could be seen in a negative light too. The idea of terrorists chatting on line and plotting rendezvous is worrying. I typed in AK47 into the trademe website and look what I found! http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Hunting/Rifles/auction-28639755.htm
Anyway this is getting quite long and somewhere in here I was going to slip in that I am selling my car: (http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/auction_detail.asp?id=32451931). This idea of a universal ‘going price’ for any given object is has had an impact on me too. The problem is another fifty others in NZ are selling the exact same model! Buyers can sit there at home and compare all the auctions and specs, and within minutes and see which is the best car to buy. Subsequently I have had to drop my price a few times. I am sure there is alot more to talk about surroundingthese types of website so comment please!
Otherwise if you're getting bored of this blog go buy yourself a can of sprite online http://www.trademe.co.nz/Antiques-collectables/Food-drink/Other/auction-32263271.htm

Richard