E-Commerce Web Sites. Specifically it

¶ … e-commerce Web sites. Specifically it will describe how the "look and feel" differs for three Internet auction Web sites: (eBay, Auctions.Amazon.com, and Auction.yahoo.com). Each of these Web sites has something unique to offer the auction shopper, from ease of navigation to a wide variety of goods available for sale. Still the "Big Daddy" of auction Web sites, eBay is hard to beat for sheer volume, ease of navigation, and peace of mind for the auction shopper.

Ebay has become an Internet auction legend, and it shows the vast importance of e-commerce on the Internet. Launched in 1995, eBay is the first Internet auction site and literally built the business from the ground up. Because of the company's long-term experience, it leads the way in auction innovation and versatility. The ease of navigation may be one of eBay's biggest pluses. The Web site is instantly attractive, easy to navigate, and offers more goods and services than the other two sites by far. There are far more shopping categories and sub-categories on eBay, and the site even includes autos, boats, RVs, and wholesale items. The search feature allows the user to narrow down their results by category and sub-category, and because of the amount of users and popularity of eBay, it has more volume and more to choose from than the other sites.

Auctions.Amazon.com seems as if it is a site hoping to attract a few new shoppers to Amazon.com. It is easy to navigate and find categories and sub-categories. However, there is far less merchandise to choose from at this auction site, and the look and feel of the site is far less exciting that eBay's site. Amazon is blander, and the photos of items are difficult to distinguish in the thumbnail mode of the search results. There seems to be a lot of wasted space in the search results, as well. The items, auction time, and number of bids all show up in a relatively small area on the left of the site, leaving the entire rest of the row blank. It seems as if the information is crowded into one area, and that more useful information could be included to make it easier for the buyer to preview the item and understand the auction terms. Many of the auctions do not include photos, which is a disadvantage for the buyer. The actual item page is uncluttered, but Overall, Amazon's auction site is not nearly as satisfying as eBay's, and it would benefit from a redesign to enhance the buying experience.

Auction.yahoo.com is more pleasing to the eye than the Amazon site, but still not as compelling as eBay's. It is arranged similarly to eBay's site, with categories on the left of the home page, and other information throughout the page. Quick searches of basic items indicate the Yahoo site is not nearly as popular as eBay, as there is not nearly as much merchandise listed for sale. The site is also extremely slow to load search results, even on a broadband connection, which could drive some buyers away. The actual item page is quite crowded and difficult to navigate, it is confusing and does not preview a picture immediately, the buyer must scroll down to see the item. Again, the site would benefit from a redesign that created a more user-friendly site that attracted more buyers and sellers.