User Base:  

With over 319,000 members and over 750,000 items being auctioned at any given time, OZtion has a solid user base.

Fees:  

OZtion’s fees are very competitive. Membership is completely free and sellers can list their items for free. The only fee for sellers is a final value fee, which is a post-transaction fee determined by how much your auctioned items sell for. Any item sold for under $100 has a 3.9% final value fee. The final value fee percentage gets lower as the final selling price increases. An item sold for over $1,000 has a final value fee of $28.40 plus an additional 1.5% of the sale price over the value of $1,000, with a maximum fee of $99.

Additional fees will also be charged for implementing attention getters for your auctions. Featuring your auction on the front page costs $9.95 or you can feature the item under a specific category for $4.95. Bold and highlighted listings cost 95¢ and $1.95, respectively.

While listing is completely free, if your item doesn’t sell and you want to relist the auction for another 60 days automatically, you pay 2¢. Closing an auction early, after bids have been placed, costs $3. Setting up a vShop store to house all your items costs $5 a month.

Selling:  

OZtion offers several benefits for sellers, but does lack some advanced features. Dutch auctions are not available on OZtion, so you can’t auction several of the same items in a single listing. As a seller, you also can’t block a specific bidder from placing a bid, though you do have the power to cancel bids if necessary.

Buying:  

Bidding on and purchasing items through OZtion auctions is simple. Browsing through the listings is simple with advanced searching, allowing you to search for items by category, auction type, item condition, price, distance, and even postage options. OZtion also has the option to search items by which members are selling or bidding on them.

Another unique search function OZtion has is search suggestions. As you type in the search bar, OZtion gives suggestions and makes it quicker to find what you’re looking for.

OZtion has put online auctions in your hands and on the go with OZtion mobile. Now buyers can browse and bid on OZtion auctions from their cell phones or mobile devices.

Reliability/Security:  

OZtion has a thorough feedback system, allowing members to leave ratings and comments about their experiences with other OZtion users. Members can even reply to feedback left for them, and revise previously made comments if necessary.

Buyers are encouraged to pay through PayPal, Paymate, or credit card, and take advantage of “proof of delivery” postage, entitling them to $400 delivery protection through the Buyer Shield program.

Help/Support:  

OZtion’s online help and support is thorough, but live assistance is limited. OZtion’s help section is easy to navigate and makes finding answers to your questions simple. You can even search specifically in the help section for custom support. OZtion hosts a community forum where users can communicate, though it is seriously limited.

OZtion offers a unique, streamlined auction experience. The simple site layout and easy navigation make OZtion a great option for your online auctions. OZtion is primarily an Australian auction venue, but has quite a bit of international traffic and potential. We’d like to see some other auction sites take advice from the OZtion team “down under.”

For the best online auction site, see our review of eBay. Or if you're looking for an eBay alternative, see our reviews of eBid and OnlineAuction.