FUTURESHOP

The author says that buying new and holding 'til death will be practices of the past as more people use online auctions to sell what they don't need to a limitless market. With built-in feedback on the seller's reputation and easy tabulation of consumer reactions, Web auctions are more efficient than buying from a retail store. While selling unwanted goods goes against our primitive hoarding nature, and there's a stigma to buying used products, the new trend opens up a huge array of unconventional sellers and markets. Helped by John H. Mayer's savvy reading, this analysis with its integrity and vision provides a riveting glimpse into what the author says is the most important innovation since personal computers. T.W. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 06]