Virtual Marketplaces

Web-based services, sometimes hosted by nonprofit organizations, which permit people to supplement their incomes by listing personal possessions for sale. Also included are commercial auction sites such as e-Bay that allow sellers to post items for sale and purchasers to bid on those items, and commercial product listing services which allow individuals or organizations who subscribe to the service to list their products and which provide a form that potential purchasers can complete to search for a particular product, compare prices and make a purchase online. An example of the latter is abebooks.com which allows book collectors and professional booksellers to list, search for and purchase books.