AUSTIN and BOSTON – July 9, 2013 – For years, auction houses have opened their doors to online buyers. Yet few have adequately addressed the “Now what?” question virtual buyers invariably ask when faced with shipping after winning an item.
A partnership between online auction marketplace Artfact and uShip, the online shipping marketplace, is making the post-auction experience more e-commerce friendly for Internet-based buyers by placing uShip’s Shipping Price Estimatortm directly within Lot Detail pages on the Artfact network of Web properties, including Artfact.com, Auctionzip.com and Invaluable.com.
Artfact’s customers now see approximate shipping costs based on comparable item, weight and distance moves on uShip, and then within a few clicks, can connect with thousands of feedback-rated service providers in uShip’s network to get their item moved, whether it’s decorative arts, antiques or collectibles.
uShip’s marketplace connects people with transport companies that competitively bid to win business. Carriers use uShip to maximize their loads and fill extra truck space at deeply discounted rates, helping customers save an average of 50 percent over commercial rates.
“We heard from our customers that they wanted a way to determine shipping costs and get their items moved after winning. Our partnership with uShip gives them an easy and affordable way to do that,” said Josh Hale, vice president of product & marketing at Artfact.
“uShip’s Shipping Price Estimator can serve as a pricing barometer specifically for Artfact customers who may not be aware of the cost to transport auction items. It offers a reliable source for that information and gives them access to trusted service providers who understand what it takes to move larger-than-parcel deliveries,” said Philip Strohl, vice president, business development at uShip.
About Artfact
**Update 10/23/2014** Artfact is now known as Invaluable
Invaluable (formerly Artfact) is the world’s largest online auction marketplace of fine and decorative arts, antiques, collectibles, and estate sales Comprised of invaluable.com, invaluable.co.uk, and auctionzip.com, more than 30 million bidders per year arrive in the virtual salerooms of the world’s premier auction houses. Bidders can search and buy from over 160,000 auctions annually with a combined value of over $25 billion. For additional information, visit www.invaluable.com.
About uShip
uShip.com is the world’s largest and most trusted online freight exchange serving the freight, household goods and vehicle shipping markets among other verticals. Consumers and businesses can compare and book upfront quotes, name their own price or receive auction-style bids from thousands of customer-reviewed Transportation Service Providers, ranging from independent owner-operators to the largest freight carriers and brokers. Launched in 2004, Austin, Texas-based uShip operates globally with localized sites in 19 countries and regions on six continents, including North America, Europe, South America, India, Africa and Australia. http://www.uship.com
uShip is also featured on A&E’s “Shipping Wars,” a real-life series that follows a handful of independent truckers who competitively bid to transport over sized, bulky loads found on uShip.com. Season 4 of “Shipping Wars” is currently in Season 4 and airs Tuesday 10/9c only on A&E.
Media Contacts:
Dean Jutilla
uShip
[email protected]
650.814.3854
Colleen McCormick
Invaluable.com
[email protected]
