Online Auction Services Company Andale Augments Offerings
By Ross Snel of Dow Jones Newswires
June 26, 2001

NEW YORK – Andale Inc. on Monday announced improvements to the services it provides to sellers at eBay Inc. (EBAY) and auction sites operated by Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) and Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO).

The privately held company said that beginning July 4, sellers will be able to manage multiple auctions at disparate Web sites simultaneously. Andale, of Mountain View, Calif., also said it has changed its pricing structure to allow sellers to pay for only those services they use. Previously, sellers paid for all of the services, whether they used them or not.

The company's services – which sellers gain access to online – help merchants at auction sites list for-sale items, communicate with buyers, manage inventories and accept payment in a secure environment. The company is one of several businesses that have sprung up in recent years to assist users of auction sites.

The popular perception of online auction users may be of bored Internet junkies or collectors of kitschy memorabilia. Auction sites, however, are increasingly playing host to larger businesses seeking to liquidate excess inventory and open up additional sales channels.

Andale claims that more than one million merchants use its services and that last year, these sellers were responsible for $3 billion in gross merchandise sales on eBay.

– By Ross Snel, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5285; ross.snel@dowjones.com