

Show HN: We're launching an auction site and the first auction starts at 3pm PST - minouye
http://shoptheshelf.com/auctions/1

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MartinCron
Interesting, some feedback:

It's not immediately clear _why_ I would shop The Shelf instead of one of the
many other ways of shopping.

Please be super-explicit about what the app will do if I log in via Facebook.
I like being able to auth without creating a username/password, but I worry
about feedspam.

You should show the current bid amount on the front page before the click-
through.

The scam "pay to bid" sites make me weary of new auction sites, so you may
have an uphill battle proving that you're not one of them. I trust that you're
not.

~~~
minouye
Thanks! All great points. You're definitely right that the auction format
inspires serious mistrust these days(i.e. "Just buy a bidpack!"). Our main
goal is to provide a platform where sellers can get in front of new customers
and buyers can get access to quality products, in a fun/engaging format.

~~~
MartinCron
_get access to quality products_

A marketplace of only actually awesome stuff that I can buy right now sounds
good.

~~~
hnriot
Like Amazon, you mean.

~~~
MartinCron
Amazon sells good stuff, but a lot of crap too. Their mission is to be
comprehensive, not curated.

~~~
xanadohnt
You mean FAB, then?

~~~
MartinCron
More like FAB than like Amazon, but a lot of the stuff on FAB feels a little
cheesy. I'm thinking more like Uncrate without the supercars, yachts, and
kickstarter junk.

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minouye
Didn't expect to get to the frontpage :)

We're going to start another auction at 5pm PST since it looks like there are
still a lot of people checking it out.

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nedwin
Love what you're doing guys but you're killing me. Add an email subscription
form or a registration button or SOMETHING to the page if I make it through
the popup.

Also maybe go easy on the popup in the first place - I closed it so I could
work out what the page was about first.

Both of these things should increase your conversions to new users or, at the
very least, subscribers.

~~~
minouye
Thanks for the feedback! Just cleaned things up a bit to make it less jarring
and easier to find the sign-up page.

~~~
nedwin
Much better. There's plenty of data out there around call to action buttons
with a lot saying that a red button converts the best, but contrast is
definitely important.

A nice little guide here FWIW: [http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/call-to-action-
buttons-guidelin...](http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/call-to-action-buttons-
guidelines-best-practices-and-examples/)

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paulhauggis
This is a very difficult space. Ebay has user feedback (which is very
important when purchasing anything online).

There have been many competitors to Ebay over the years, but none of them
lasted very long.

~~~
minouye
Absolutely agree. Although we incorporate auctions, I think there's many ways
to use the auction format that eBay isn't able to take advantage of.

Our main focus with The Shelf is to help quality sellers get in front of new
customers and provide an engaging format for buyers. Sellers can see it as a
new marketing channel and buyers can have fun getting quality stuff.

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aal727
Are the products on your website handmade? Who is curating these items?

~~~
minouye
We're curating the items to make sure that the quality is high and to ensure
that we only work with great sellers.

~~~
aal727
Are the products handmade? What qualities do you look for in a quality item?

~~~
ujeezy
We haven't nailed down a set of criteria, but we're starting with things that
we and our friends would want to own. Handmade items tend to have good stories
which make them more fun to sell, but probably not everything will be
handmade.

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vyrotek
If I understand correctly, this is kind of like woot.com with auctions?

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dutchbrit
I freaking love this!!

~~~
thrill
heh - me too - I won the first auction

~~~
casca
You bid $22 on an item with a retail value of $20?

<http://shoptheshelf.com/auctions/1>

~~~
kapitalx
It is still lower than the item + shipping on etsy. which is $23.95

