A bid being placed for a Twitterauction

We frequently write about Twitter and its many benefits. We frequently visit our sister site at AuctioneerTweet to see what auctioneers are saying on Twitter. Today, however, we noticed something new. Actual items are now being sold on Twitter using the auction method of marketing.

Walt Kolenda, better known as AuctionWally, has conducted several Twitterauctions, as he calls them. “So far they’ve been pretty successful, small items so far. Sold about 75%!” Said Kolenda, “Items that didn’t sell didn’t get bids. I won’t do reserves at these auctions.”

The mechanics are simple. Terms, pictures of the items, as well as very good descriptions, are posted on his site at auctionwally.com. In order to place bids on the items, all that is required is a message sent to his Twitter account before the bidding closes.

Kolenda says he doesn’t see downsides, but just as there is much more to a traditional auction event than simply calling bids, the same is true for Twitter. “…there are definitely certain details you have to take care of,” he says. “You can’t just throw one out there and expect bids.” He’s published an eBook, entitled “How to do Auctions on Twitter“. From the order page:

By the end of this eBook you’ll know exactly how to set up a Twitter auction, how to promote it, the other tools you’ll need to make it profitable, the types of items that will sell, how to invoice and how to accept payment.

You can follow AuctionWally on Twitter at @auctionwally or @twitauctioneer.

We have mixed feelings about the process. While it seems like a new and intriguing method of accepting bids, it seems limited in the amount of items that can be sold per period of time as well as the direct labor involved. What are your thoughts? Does this method sound like something you’re going to try? Let us know in the comments.

As an effort to build and grow the community of auctioneers using Twitter, we launched a new website yesterday called AuctioneerTweet at – where else – www.auctioneertweet.com.

The concept is simple. Any auctioneer with a Twitter account can join and have his or her tweets included in the AuctioneerTweet timeline. A member list on the right side shows the member’s name, follower count and a direct link to the auctioneer’s website. Members are listed by full name and NAA designations, if any, are prominantly featured with each user.

The catch is that members must be auctioneers. Company Twitter accounts don’t count. Social networking is about connecting people with people, not people with companies.

While we’re excited about the launch, we’re a little embarrassed. We planned on making the announcement about the launch today, but while we were putting the finishing touches on the new, home-grown WordPress plugin that powers the site, a story popped up on the Examiner noting the launch of AuctioneerTweet by our friend AuctionWally. Thanks, Wally, for scooping us on our own site!

Look for AuctionWally in a future episode of the Auction Podcast. You can also follow him on Twitter, follow us on Twitter or proceed to the AuctioneerTweet website.

If you’re an auctioneer and you’d like to be listed on the AuctioneerTweet site, send a direct message to @traffas on Twitter with your full name and NAA designations, if you have any.

Walt Kolenda - AuctionWally, image via auctionwally.blogspot.com

We have to admit that we’ve been following recent events at eBay with a little bit of schadenfreude. We’ve always held the position that someone who sells on eBay isn’t an auctioneer. eBay is the auctioneer that outsources the work of listing items to its sellers. Over the last few years, we’ve seen eBay shift the priority from competitive bidding to its Amazon-like storefront model.

As eBay begins what many believe will be a long and drawn-out slide in favor of many more nimble competitors, we have to realize that there are many thousands if not millions of eBay sellers who make their livings from eBay transactions.  The loss of the largest auctioneer in the world means that companies like traditional-auctioneer-focused Proxibid and up-and-coming Bonanzle will have a migration of sellers eager to find a seller-friendly space to set up shop.

One of the most visible sellers using Internet auctioneers has been Walt Kolenda. Unlike our Auction Podcast, which is focused on traditional auctioneers, his AuctionWally Show is a podcast focused on helping and education sellers who use sites like eBay and Bonanzle. Here’s the description from his Talkshoe page.

On the AuctionWally Show you’ll find comprehensive coverage of the auction world, online and off. Content includes niche antiques and collectibles education, interviews with leaders in the industry, and an off-beat humor.

Recently, in an effort to get to the bottom of why eBay hasn’t been more responsive and loyal to its seller base, Kolenda wrote a comment on the eBay Ink blog which he also ran in his column in the Examiner in which he publicly requests eBay CEO John Donahoe appear on a future episode of his podcast. We’re waiting to see what becomes of this challenge.

AuctionWally – http://auctionwally.com/
Auctions and Antiques Examiner – http://www.examiner.com/x-312-Auctions-and-Antiques-Examiner

Have you heard the AuctionWally Show? What do you think? Leave a comment with your thoughts.