As more customers request online information, more printers will invest in the technology that will help them serve their markets. This information is then sent to printers who have been prequalified and have registered with the auction or bid site. Sometimes you can specify that you only want to work with local vendors, or that you only want to see estimates from, say, three printers. The site's been designed very simply to accommodate both novices as well as sophisticated buyers. 58K has an 800 number posted prominently, and the firm encourages customers to use it.
Auction sites promise to save buyers time, energy and money.
Most have a series of pull-down menus, guiding users as they fill in the many job details. Once a job is submitted and price estimates become available, the customer can decide which printer to choose. Once the time is up, the lowest current bid is visible to all the bidders, the vendor is notified, and he or she contacts the buyer directly. Top of page 3. There's another category of e-printers that lets you buy printing directly from their Web sites.