50,000 Online NZ Art Auctions In 2004

50,000 Online NZ Art Auctions In 2004

Trade Me today announced a partnership with Parnell based International Art Centre to sell fine art online. Trade Me is set to host over 50,000 art auctions in 2004.

The partnership sees one of the fine art industry’s most established names selling to Trade Me’s growing community of over 450,000 regular customers. It also allows International Art Centre customers the option of bidding virtually rather than having to attend traditional auctions.

“Art is one of our fastest growing categories so it made sense to partner with an established fine art specialist,” said Trade Me general manager Sam Morgan.

“In the last week alone we ran over 1200 art auctions online. This new development should further increase the ability of small manufacturing artists to access a national and international client base. The move into fine art allows us to explore a growing category that we estimate will contribute to us hitting 50,000 art auctions in 2004.”

International Art Centre sees the move as something that complements their more established business. "We recognise that being online serves an important niche in our market. Trade Me was chosen because our clients feel more comfortable working with a proven, reliable and secure solution,” said Richard Thomson from International Art Centre.

International Art Centre is continuing their offline auctions, with their next auction scheduled for the 25th of March.

Trade Me is New Zealand’s largest online auction website and is expecting to host over 20 million auctions during 2004. Trade Me had over 512,000 unique domestic visitors during February, according to Red Sheriff, making it the leading e-commerce site in the country.

A growth in local online trading saw Trade Me grow by 950% in 2003, making it the second fastest growing company in New Zealand according to the Deloitte Fast 50 Company Awards.

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