If you accept it, negotiate a price with the adviser, get the info or service, and then receive an on-line invoice. Responders reply by stating their qualifications to answer the question. If both parties agree, the answer is sent to the questioner, who pays only if he or she is satisifed with the answer. The appeal is to bargain-hunting media buyers who can bid for what they want without having to spend time negotiating with sales representatives from each media outlet. Considered a neutral marketplace, buyers get market-driven prices that are lower than those of traditional brokers, while sellers get higher prices than they normally could, with FastParts earning up to 8 percent in commissions.
Employers can even rate their performance.
Name your banana Bidding on established time-sensitive services such as airline tickets and hotel space, where prices can fluctuate based on demand and availability, is catching on. Still on the horizon are some very local business models that combine the Internet and cash. Imagine the neighborhood kids organizing themselves to set up regular, weekend auctions on line for such basic jobs as raking leaves, mowing lawns, shoveling snow, and babysitting - with their own families outbidding each other. Ron Rosenberg covers business and technology for the Globe. Click here for assistance .