(From Krause Publications - Super Seller - March 21, 2001)

Spot Market Site Taking Beanie Business From eBay

Industry insiders and SuperSellers agree: If you want to make a name in the online auction industry, competing against eBay on a grand scale is not the way to go.

Instead, long-term success may be generated by carving out your own niche in the industry by providing access to items the online auction giant has begun to ignore.

One auction site making inroads in the industry, due in part to success in a niche area, is MetaExchange, Inc. The company recently announced its trading volume in Beanie Babies has reached 30 percent of eBay's volume.

"We think this is a pretty stunning achievement (since Beanie Babies) is one of eBay's early key markets," CEO Jonathan Hubbard said. "We think that our success shows that for non-unique items, our trading format represents a serious challenge to eBay."