Keeping eBay at bay: Interview with Trade Me technology manager Jon Macdonald

[Kristijntje]

TradeMe enjoys a near monopoly in online auctions in New Zealand and is so distracting some employers ban it in the workplace. But for technology manager Jon Macdonald, working at the behemoth is sometimes akin to that of Indiana Jones constantly fending off challenges from a raft of competitors.

Recognised as one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing companies, TradeMe expects further growth this year, with founder Sam Morgan predicting his site will host a million auctions a week by December - up 50 per cent on current levels.

Already, TradeMe is the country’s most visited website, receiving more than two million visitors a month - equivalent to half of the New Zealand population, making it more popular than the Microsoft-based XtraMSN portal...

...attracted by the success of TradeMe, competition is growing from local sources. Telecom New Zealand created http://www.ferrit.co.nz prior to Christmas, newspaper publisher APN launched http://www.bidnsave.co.nz and Fairfax’s own Waikato Times and The Press (Christchurch) launched http://www.bid4stuff.co.nz and http://www.press2Bid.co.nz and ACP launched http://www.sellmefree.co.nz.

full article: http://www.theage.com.au/news/management...93853.html