# General > Recommendations >  Caithness Auction Website?

## Matthew

Hi everyone

I've been living in Caithness for a couple of years now and have noticed that there seems to be a growing need for more Auction places in Caithness. Since the closure of Coghills Auction House in Watten, only the Quoybrae Auction remains... and they don't do non-livestock auctions very often.

I have come up with an idea of creating a Caithness Auction Website. It would be a website like eBay but just for Caithness. I think something like this would work out quite well...
A high percentage of the auctioning fees would go to *local* charities in Caithness.It would be an cheap, quick and easy way to advertise anything you want to sell.There would be a high chance of being able to pick up items instead of sending them through the post. This also means that people that are afraid of paying for goods over the internet could pay by cash.It could help local businesses as they could create their own "Store" on the auction website. (If you are used to eBay you will know what I mean).Do you think it would be useful? Do you think people would use it? I would love to know what other people think of this idea...   :Smile: 

Thank you!

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## TRUCKER

Hi i think it is a good idea there is a gap in the market for something like this

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## Matthew

Thanks for your feedback trucker!  :Grin:

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## hotrod4

Sounds kool to me,beware of the doom and gloom merchants though!!! They may try and dampen your spirits, but I think its a top idea-go for it!!!

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## riggerboy

yeah i would buy in to that, but who can make such a place in cyber space eh eh eh

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## joxville

A similar venture operates within the company I work for, only employees have access to it, and it's successful.

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## porshiepoo

Yeah, it could be just what we need. Especially with the rip off postage charges due to our postcodes that we get charged.

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## funkypumpkin

What a great idea Matthew! Caithness is desperate for something like this. Like you say especially with Coghill's now shut and Quoybrae being very hit and miss. I am an avid ebayer and get really annoyed at the people who want to charge ridiculous postage costs because of where we are! I think this is a wonderful idea and hope it comes to Caithness real soon!

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## changilass

Was this not tried last year, but went belly up through lack of interest - or did I imagine it.


Yup, here it is:
http://forum.caithness.org/showthread.php?p=375575

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## kmahon2001

I think this is a great idea. I'm an Ebay user and often get frustrated by sellers saying "ship to UK Mainland only excluding Highlands", as if we're not part of the Mainland! Or charging huge amounts of money to deliver something up here by courier when it could just as easily be sent via Royal Mail at half the price.

The only trouble is that if you put the site on the internet, the whole world will get to see it and you could end out with people from all over trying to buy or sell items, which would give us the same problems as on Ebay.

I suppose you could make it a members only site and make sure that all members are based in Caithness. Or you could allow sellers to list items as deliver/ship to Caithness only so that they don't have to agree to send something to Cornwall if they happen to get a buyer from down there. You would need to have delivery/postage offered for those that don't have access to transport, so this side of things would definitely have to be considered.

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## kmahon2001

> Was this not tried last year, but went belly up through lack of interest - or did I imagine it.
> 
> 
> Yup, here it is:
> http://forum.caithness.org/showthread.php?p=375575


That was more of an actual auction, where you could only bid on items that were already registered at that specific point in time, rather than the sort of rolling auction that Ebay is. With the Ebay approach, people can list items whenever they want to, for as long as they want to, and anyone can search the auction lists at times to suit them, put in bids and wait to see if they win. The beauty of the Ebay approach is that you don't need to have a whole load of items registered for auction before starting off, you just let the whole thing tick over slowly and gradually build up custom. If local businesses get involved and set up their own "shops" then there is a greater chance of success.

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## S&LHEN

Excellent idea sounds fantastic and like just what is needed. I think Caithness would benefit from something like this specially as the money is going back into the community.
Definatly would use it and sell on it. I like ebay but fed up of paying crippling postage costs I end up being cheaper getting it from here or Inverness :: 
Well done on the idea good on ya.
Between this and the tourist ideas on another post Caithness will be on the up.

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## newpark

I would use it for sure.  I buy a lot and sell a few bits on ebay and I would love something more local.  Good Luck with your venture.

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## Venture

If confined to Caithness this will be a good idea.  I for one use eBay a lot and also get fed up with excessive postal charges.  On some occasions the item is cheaper than the postage.  If set up I would certainly use it.

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## teenybash

Would definately use it and like other it would take away the excessive postal charges some sellers have on ebay.  A great idea seeing money going back into the community.....just what we need at this time....excellent.....loook forward to seeing it up and running.....hopefully. :Smile:

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## anneoctober

Matthew, you have your answer, now where do we sign up?!! :Grin:

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## poppett

Brilliant idea.

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## Matthew

Wow thanks for all the replies. It looks like most of you really like the idea. I'll get to work immediately  :: 




> Sounds kool to me,beware of the doom and gloom merchants though!!! They may try and dampen your spirits, but I think its a top idea-go for it!!!


Thanks hotrod, yeah there will always be a few merchants that love creating a hassle, but I don't think it would cause too much of a problem.




> yeah i would buy in to that, but who can make such a place in cyber space eh eh eh


I have been working on getting the basic layout and scripts and it's pretty much almost ready. Just need to proofcheck it for bugs.




> A similar venture operates within the company I work for, only employees have access to it, and it's successful.


Oh cool, I'd love to see some screenshots of what you have going there if possible.  :: 




> Yeah, it could be just what we need. Especially with the rip off postage charges due to our postcodes that we get charged.


Yeah some of the postal charges up here are absolutely rediculous.




> What a great idea Matthew! Caithness is desperate for something like this. Like you say especially with Coghill's now shut and Quoybrae being very hit and miss. I am an avid ebayer and get really annoyed at the people who want to charge ridiculous postage costs because of where we are! I think this is a wonderful idea and hope it comes to Caithness real soon!


Thanks funkypumpkin!




> Was this not tried last year, but went belly up through lack of interest - or did I imagine it.
> 
> 
> Yup, here it is:
> http://forum.caithness.org/showthread.php?p=375575


That was more of an actual auction, not an online auction however.




> I think this is a great idea. I'm an Ebay user and often get frustrated by sellers saying "ship to UK Mainland only excluding Highlands", as if we're not part of the Mainland! Or charging huge amounts of money to deliver something up here by courier when it could just as easily be sent via Royal Mail at half the price.
> 
> The only trouble is that if you put the site on the internet, the whole world will get to see it and you could end out with people from all over trying to buy or sell items, which would give us the same problems as on Ebay.
> 
> I suppose you could make it a members only site and make sure that all members are based in Caithness. Or you could allow sellers to list items as deliver/ship to Caithness only so that they don't have to agree to send something to Cornwall if they happen to get a buyer from down there. You would need to have delivery/postage offered for those that don't have access to transport, so this side of things would definitely have to be considered.


The number of outside caithness people that would use the site would be very small. However I would need to create an option when listing an item for people to choose if they want to allow people from outside caithness bidding or not. Then that could just be linked to a script that checks your location you selected when you registered. 




> That was more of an actual auction, where you could only bid on items that were already registered at that specific point in time, rather than the sort of rolling auction that Ebay is. With the Ebay approach, people can list items whenever they want to, for as long as they want to, and anyone can search the auction lists at times to suit them, put in bids and wait to see if they win. The beauty of the Ebay approach is that you don't need to have a whole load of items registered for auction before starting off, you just let the whole thing tick over slowly and gradually build up custom. If local businesses get involved and set up their own "shops" then there is a greater chance of success.


Yeah I'm hoping that local businesses would get involved because they would help very much.




> I would use it for sure. I buy a lot and sell a few bits on ebay and I would love something more local. Good Luck with your venture.


Thanks newpark 




> If confined to Caithness this will be a good idea. I for one use eBay a lot and also get fed up with excessive postal charges. On some occasions the item is cheaper than the postage. If set up I would certainly use it.


Great! Thanks for the feedback Venture.




> Would definately use it and like other it would take away the excessive postal charges some sellers have on ebay. A great idea seeing money going back into the community.....just what we need at this time....excellent.....loook forward to seeing it up and running.....hopefully.


Cheers teenybash!




> Matthew, you have your answer, now where do we sign up?!!


I'll probably be looking for beta testers soon to just test out the website and make sure that everything works. Keep an eye out.  :Wink: 




> Brilliant idea.


Cheers!

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## Matthew

Apologies for the double post.

Here is what I have come up with so far... EDIT: This is just an image, not a working site (yet)!

Click for Larger image

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## funkypumpkin

Wow Matthew that looks really good and very professional. You are obviously very talented in what you do. I hope you get it up and running as I am sure it will be a big hit here in Caithness.

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## balto

what a brilliant idea, i for one would certainly use it.

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## crayola

> Apologies for the double post.
> 
> Here is what I have come up with so far... 
> 
> Click for Larger image


How do we submit bug reports? I clicked on 'Sign Out' and nothing happened.  ::

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## Mr P Cannop

> what a brilliant idea, i for one would certainly use it.



i would use it a lot too

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## Matthew

> How do we submit bug reports? I clicked on 'Sign Out' and nothing happened.


What I just posted is just a screenshot. It is not a web page  ::

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## chaz

Hi, i would use it also,sell a bit on ebay and buy a bit  :Smile: Definatly better to use a local site

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## hotrod4

Sign me up matthew what an absolute fab idea. Good to see the youth of today putting their efforts into something constructive, too often your age group is blamed for everything. Good on you lad, gets my vote cracking looking already. Top marks.

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## Mr P Cannop

> Sign me up matthew what an absolute fab idea. Good to see the youth of today putting their efforts into something constructive, too often your age group is blamed for everything. Good on you lad, gets my vote cracking looking already. Top marks.


sign me up to

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## funkypumpkin

The more I think about it, the more I think this is a brilliant idea. Judging from the posts it would appear a lot of other people think it is a good idea too. The screenshot you posted looks great. Well done you!

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## arat

sounds good too me

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## Nibbler

This, I think, would take off great guns.  

Good luck to you Matthew.  From the looks of it, you are off to a great start already.

I for one, would register and hope to sell and buy from it.  (In case other half reads this, I would only sell  :: .)

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## annemarie482

fantastic idea. whens it start?! :Grin:

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## joxville

> Apologies for the double post.
> 
> Here is what I have come up with so far... EDIT: This is just an image, not a working site (yet)!
> 
> Click for Larger image


This is better than the version we have at work.


PS Will there be a 'wanted' section too? I'm looking for a toupee.  ::

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## Matthew

> Hi, i would use it also,sell a bit on ebay and buy a bit Definatly better to use a local site


Thanks chaz!




> Sign me up matthew what an absolute fab idea. Good to see the youth of today putting their efforts into something constructive, too often your age group is blamed for everything. Good on you lad, gets my vote cracking looking already. Top marks.


Thanks for the compliment! :P




> sign me up to


Cheers!




> The more I think about it, the more I think this is a brilliant idea. Judging from the posts it would appear a lot of other people think it is a good idea too. The screenshot you posted looks great. Well done you!


I hope it is a brilliant idea. Thanks!




> sounds good too me


Good!




> This, I think, would take off great guns. 
> 
> Good luck to you Matthew. From the looks of it, you are off to a great start already.
> 
> I for one, would register and hope to sell and buy from it. (In case other half reads this, I would only sell .)


Haha thanks.




> fantastic idea. whens it start?!


When a lotttttttt of scripting and testing is done!




> This is better than the version we have at work.
> 
> 
> PS Will there be a 'wanted' section too? I'm looking for a toupee.


I could impliment that too. Good idea! Thanks!

I absolutely cannot believe the amount of replies I have had in this topic today. Wow. Thanks everyone!  :Grin:

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## Mr P Cannop

have you set a start up date/s ??

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## Matthew

> have you set a start up date/s ??


No not at all. This was only an idea really, but it seems like a good one, so I have a lot of work to do. If there was a start date... I would guess July/August considering the legal issues involved.

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## Mr P Cannop

would you like me to help you with the web site ??

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## teenybash

Love the screen shot, the colours are spot on, clean, fresh and eyecatching.
Had a quick peer through my cupboards and have loads to sell.....loft is next that is overdue a clear out......When can we get started? ::

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## Matthew

> would you like me to help you with the web site ??


 
I will be asking for some beta testers pretty soon. Keep your eyes peeled.  :: 




> Love the screen shot, the colours are spot on, clean, fresh and eyecatching.
> Had a quick peer through my cupboards and have loads to sell.....loft is next that is overdue a clear out......When can we get started?


Thanks! woo, save that until the websites ready! And start date... Not for a while. Lots of legal stuff involved first. Since I believe I would have to be a Ltd Company and get myself an accountant.

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## teenybash

> I will be asking for some beta testers pretty soon. Keep your eyes peeled. 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks! woo, save that until the websites ready! And start date... Not for a while. Lots of legal stuff involved first. Since I believe I would have to be a Ltd Company and get myself an accountant.


Ooooo I'm rarin' to go....but I will be patient and watching.....Best of luck!! :Grin:

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## hotrod4

Judging by the responses and if you check out the amount of "for sale" etc on Caithness.org there is definitely a market.
Why not contact Bill to see if he could point you in the right direction for server costs or any grants that you may get.Seeing as it would be a local site that will benefit local charities then I am sure there is some kind of assistance that you could get to help finance the site.

Cant wait till its up and running!! ::

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## Thumper

Brilliant idea and I too would use it,paying a fortune to ebay sellers drives me nuts!x

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## Kodiak

This seems like an excellent idea, but a question if you do not mind.

Would you be implimenting a On-Line Payment method, if so which one?  I.E. PayPal, PPPay etc.

Or since you would be limiting it to caithness Only would you not wish to use such a payment method?

I wish you well with this and I do think it could work and I would sign up to buy as well as sell.   :Grin:

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## Matthew

> Judging by the responses and if you check out the amount of "for sale" etc on Caithness.org there is definitely a market.
> Why not contact Bill to see if he could point you in the right direction for server costs or any grants that you may get.Seeing as it would be a local site that will benefit local charities then I am sure there is some kind of assistance that you could get to help finance the site.
> 
> Cant wait till its up and running!!


I think I will cotact him. Thanks for the advice hotrod.




> Brilliant idea and I too would use it,paying a fortune to ebay sellers drives me nuts!x


Thanks!  :Smile: 




> This seems like an excellent idea, but a question if you do not mind.
> 
> Would you be implimenting a On-Line Payment method, if so which one? I.E. PayPal, PPPay etc.
> 
> Or since you would be limiting it to caithness Only would you not wish to use such a payment method?
> 
> I wish you well with this and I do think it could work and I would sign up to buy as well as sell.


Yes there will be online payment methods of course. There will be at least paypal. Possibly others like googlecheckout and 2CheckOut.

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## Liz

That does look really good Matthew and I would definitely sign up.

Well done and good luck! :Grin:

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## im behind you

cant we sell your things on the org for free

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## funkypumpkin

Forgot to say, I would be happy to be a beta tester for you if it helps you get this venture going. PM if interested.

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## Bad Manners

> cant we sell your things on the org for free


You are quite correct you can offer things for sale for free on the org.

What is being offered is an auction facility that people can bit for an item this way the person who wants it most can win.

It is also helping out local charities.

It will also hopefully reach even those who havent found the org yet

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## anneoctober

How are things progressing Matthew?  :Grin:

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## Matthew

It is going ok. Main layout is done. Just having to go over everything and make sure find things that need to be changed.

If anyone is interested in helping find bugs, typos and stuff like that please let me know and you can help out if you want.

I emailed Bill Fernie this morning like somebody advised. So just waiting to hear back from him hopefully.

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## Mr P Cannop

> It is going ok. Main layout is done. Just having to go over everything and make sure find things that need to be changed.
> 
> If anyone is interested in helping find bugs, typos and stuff like that please let me know and you can help out if you want.
> 
> I emailed Bill Fernie this morning like somebody advised. So just waiting to hear back from him hopefully.


i would like to help you out with this ??

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## Kevin Milkins

Good luck with your new venture Matthew, it looks very interesting and exciting. Well done.

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## rockchick

This sounds like a great idea.  Maybe Caithness.Org can provide you with space for a link under their "Business" page?

Also I wouldn't worry about non-locals purchasing stuff.  If it has to be shipped, the purchaser pays the shipping costs, so the seller won't be left out-of-pocket.

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## anneoctober

> This sounds like a great idea. Maybe Caithness.Org can provide you with space for a link under their "Business" page?
> 
> Also I wouldn't worry about non-locals purchasing stuff. If it has to be shipped, the purchaser pays the shipping costs, so the seller won't be left out-of-pocket.


 How's it all going Matthew? Not that I'm excited or anything...... ::

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## Matthew

> How's it all going Matthew? Not that I'm excited or anything......


Going very well indeed. Bug tracking is going well too. Just need to get a few minor bugs fixed and it should be ready.

I also need to change to a better domain name. In fact, I am going to go with the domain name that *you* suggested.  ::  

Estimated start date: June 2009

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## joxville

> How's it all going Matthew? Not that I'm excited or anything......





> Going very well indeed. Bug tracking is going well too. Just need to get a few minor bugs fixed and it should be ready.
> 
> I also need to change to a better domain name. In fact, I am going to go with the domain name that *you* suggested. 
> 
> Estimated start date: June 2009


Oh God, watch her head expand!  ::  :Grin: 






Memo to self: Must not display envy. ::

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## anneoctober

> Oh God, watch her head expand! 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Memo to self: Must not display envy.


Better my head than your babygro.................... ::

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## anneoctober

> Going very well indeed. Bug tracking is going well too. Just need to get a few minor bugs fixed and it should be ready.
> 
> I also need to change to a better domain name. In fact, I am going to go with the domain name that *you* suggested. 
> 
> Estimated start date: June 2009


 Wooooo Hoooooooo  ::  Shucks, thanks Matthew...........  :Wink:

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## purplelady

count me in have used ebay alot and the charges for here are a crime let us know when you are up and running good luck x

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## Matthew

Thanks purplelady!

Small update... Finished typing my business plan today and having a meeting with Ian Thompson from business gateway to get some advice tomorrow!

Things are going well...

Also bought the cness.co.uk domain name.  :Smile:

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## teenybash

Things are moving fast........just so looking forward to it all.......so are my cupboards............. :Wink:

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## ciderally

watching and waiting.....xx

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## funkypumpkin

me too! My cupboards are heaving!

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## Matthew

Estimated start date is beginning of June if everything goes to plan! There will be free listings at start up for probably a month or two to get things going. So looking forward to everyone putting things up for sale! :P

Note to people that were helping beta test: I have moved the website to a new domain and beta testing is paused currently until I have made registrations on the site automatically work for the website forum. This will mean that you will not need to register for a auction account and a forum account seperately.

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## teenybash

Really looking forward to this....What way will the pics of goods for sale be uploaded?

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## Matthew

> Really looking forward to this....What way will the pics of goods for sale be uploaded?


 :Grin: 

Pictures of items will be uploaded through the website when you are listing items for sale. You will be able to upload up to 6 images for free and they are automatically resized to fit on the page.

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## Kodiak

How is it going Matthew?  Still all OK for a start in the beginning of June.  I have a few things waiting to be listed.

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## shazzap

Looking forward to this will you be able to use paypal.

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## Kodiak

> Yes there will be online payment methods of course. There will be at least paypal. Possibly others like googlecheckout and 2CheckOut.


As Matthew says PayPal will be a Payment method,  :Grin:

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## dereek

cness.co.uk???

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## joxville

> cness.co.uk???


Blame a certain Orger for coming up with *that* name.  :: 























Only joking missus.  ::

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## dereek

check out http://www.cness.co.uk 

lol

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## kmahon2001

> check out http://www.cness.co.uk 
> 
> lol


Looks fantastic. Can't wait till the auctions are up and running. One thing I noticed is that the registration page isn't encrypted and so isn't secure. Don't fancy registering until that is done. Other than that, it looks really impressive. :Grin:

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## Bad Manners

Edit: Sorry mistake.

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## Matthew

> How is it going Matthew? Still all OK for a start in the beginning of June. I have a few things waiting to be listed.


Things are behind slightly. I still need to find charities that would like to benefit from cness.co.uk. I have sent a few letters out to some and phoned some but have had very little luck.

If there are any charities reading this please let me know if you think you charity would like to benefit from this. You can PM me or send me an email at matthew@cness.co.uk. Thank you




> Looks fantastic. Can't wait till the auctions are up and running. One thing I noticed is that the registration page isn't encrypted and so isn't secure. Don't fancy registering until that is done. Other than that, it looks really impressive.


Will be adding an SSL certificate to the site to make sure that all information transferred over the server is secure and encrypted so don't worry. But thank you for your concern.

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## kmahon2001

> Things are behind slightly. I still need to find charities that would like to benefit from cness.co.uk. I have sent a few letters out to some and phoned some but have had very little luck.
> 
> If there are any charities reading this please let me know if you think you charity would like to benefit from this. You can PM me or send me an email at matthew@cness.co.uk. Thank you


This really surprises me. I would have thought the charities would be falling over themselves to get involved. :Confused: 




> Will be adding an SSL certificate to the site to make sure that all information transferred over the server is secure and encrypted so don't worry. But thank you for your concern.


That's good to know. Will register as soon as this is done. Can't wait till it's all up and running. :: 

BTW What are you doing about advertising it? Will you be producing bumper stickers, flyers etc that we can stick in our cars, house windows, local shops etc?

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## teenybash

Looking Good Mathew....well done you for all your hard work...I am sure the charities will come round when they are convinced everything is genuine.

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## Kodiak

If you are looking for a good Charity I would suggest the Local Red Cross or the Local Scout and Guide Groups.

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## anneoctober

> Blame a certain Orger for coming up with *that* name. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'll be seeing you in Heaven Joxy !! ::

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## Matthew

> This really surprises me. I would have thought the charities would be falling over themselves to get involved.
> 
> 
> 
> That's good to know. Will register as soon as this is done. Can't wait till it's all up and running.
> 
> BTW What are you doing about advertising it? Will you be producing bumper stickers, flyers etc that we can stick in our cars, house windows, local shops etc?


I would have thought that all charities would be really interested too.

Advertising-wise, I am hoping to have newspaper adverts and flyers up in shops. I'll also probably be handing out leaflets and maybe getting some mousemats, keyrings etc sorted out.

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## JWM

Just had a look at the website and i must say it looks really good!!!

Thought i'd try my luck at the registration process and was really surprised at how easy and user friendly it was!!

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## joxville

> I'll be seeing you in Heaven Joxy !!


Ooo-er missus.....hopefully not for a long time yet-for both of us.  ::

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## joxville

Since anneoctober came up with the name, ( :: ), as a way of thanks perhaps she can nominate a charity to benefit from the site?  :Smile:

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## crayola

> check out http://www.cness.co.uk 
> 
> lol


Matthew, you won't like this but I'll say it anyway because you asked for feedback and I have some experience of marketing on the web.

I think www.cness.co.uk is a rather poor name. The only thing in its favour is brevity but even then it doesn't roll off the tongue and it doesn't tell you anything about what the site is for.

I would expect an auction site in Caithness to have a name that includes or somehow suggests at least some clearly recognisable part of 'auction' and 'Caithness' in its name. Cness has neither. The main part of the name is 'ness' and cness sounds to me like an abbreviation for crapness. It could also mean C-ness which is worse than B-ness and a lot worse than A-ness. Or it could suggest Inverness or Loch Ness both of which are better known places.

You could counter these arguments by saying you are only seeking to serve a local market and everyone will soon know your auction site is cness. Maybe so but unlike eBay it has no ring to it and you need your customers to remember the site's name even if its only to type it into Google.

If I asked my minions to come up with possible names and only cness was suggested I would tell them to go away and come back when they had a better idea.

I would be delighted if events proved me wrong but I'm usually pretty good at this sort of call.

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## joxville

> _Edit._   If I asked my *minions* to come up with possible names and only cness was suggested I would tell them to go away and come back when they had a better idea.


Minions???? Is this how you always refer to people that work for you? Don't you think it's rather derogatory?

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## Kodiak

*crayola* If you have the experience of OnLine trading then you would know what you have said is so much Rubbish.

cness.co.uk is a perfect address, it is short, sharp and easily remembered.  Not only that but since it is short there are less like to be Typo Errors so people should go to the site first time.

This is exactly what is required and not something long and complicated.  It does not matter if it has Caithness or Auctions in the address as this is well know that what is in the address has nothing to do with traffic to a site.  What is the Most important thing is "Is it a easy address to remember" and the answer is Yes.

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## crayola

> I think www.cness.co.uk is a rather poor name. The only thing in its favour is brevity but even then it doesn't roll off the tongue and it doesn't tell you anything about what the site is for.


I probably should have said 'I think cness is a rather poor name for the website or business', the actual domain name is almost irrelevant nowadays.




> I would expect an auction site in Caithness to have a name that includes or somehow suggests at least some clearly recognisable part of 'auction' and 'Caithness' in its name. Cness has neither. The main part of the name is 'ness' and cness sounds to me like an abbreviation for crapness. It could also mean C-ness which is worse than B-ness and a lot worse than A-ness. Or it could suggest Inverness or Loch Ness both of which are better known places.


The above is still ok.




> Minions???? Is this how you always refer to people that work for you? Don't you think it's rather derogatory?


Lol JV, no I don't. I had been watching Reggie Perrin before I posted and Reggie's two 'ideas men' remind me of a couple of people that do a similar job at my work. Thanks for picking up my indiscretion.  :Wink: 




> *crayola* If you have the experience of OnLine trading then you would know what you have said is so much Rubbish.


I love the feeling when an internet desk jockey picks me up on something they  know a little about but probably  have less actual experience of doing themselves. How many websites have you created that are the first or second hits in a Google search? There's a knack to getting it right.  :Smile: 




> cness.co.uk is a perfect address, it is short, sharp and easily remembered.  Not only that but since it is short there are less like to be Typo Errors so people should go to the site first time.
> 
> This is exactly what is required and not something long and complicated.  It does not matter if it has Caithness or Auctions in the address as this is well know that what is in the address has nothing to do with traffic to a site.  What is the Most important thing is "Is it a easy address to remember" and the answer is Yes.


Are you telling me you still type complete addresses into the address bar in your browser? I thought everyone stopped doing that some years ago when Google became the standard way to find and visit sites.

If you use Firefox you can type a rough approximation of the site's name into the address bar and it will take you there even if you get the name wrong or have some mis-spellings or typos in the name.

It's the site's name that has to have a ring to it not the address. Think of "compare the market", "confused dot com", etc. They have memorable names and roll off the tongue. Cness doesn't roll off my tongue, it's a boring name in my opinion and it doesn't give any suggestion what the site is for. I would not entertain using it as a name for an internet business.

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## Kodiak

> I love the feeling when an internet desk jockey picks me up on something they  know a little about but probably  have less actual experience of doing themselves. How many websites have you created that are the first or second hits in a Google search? There's a knack to getting it right.



And I love it when somone like you assumes that I am an Internet Desk Jockey.

I have been making web pages for many Years and have created more sites than I care to remember.  Poo to Google anyone can get to No 1 Position there and there are far more exacting places that are relevant to particular sites that are far more difficult to even listed on let alone No1.




> Are you telling me you still type complete addresses into the address bar in your browser? I thought everyone stopped doing that some years ago when Google became the standard way to find and visit sites.


I would also advise you not to try and assume too much by a simple statement.  What I said was an easy addess to remember.  There are lots of people out there who do type in every addess and I know some of them, do not assume I do the same.

All I can say is if you use only Google then you are the one behind the times as for some things there are far better and quicker was of obtaining information.  Google is good, but only that good, as there are better.




> It's the site's name that has to have a ring to it not the address. Think of "compare the market", "confused dot com", etc. They have memorable names and roll off the tongue. Cness doesn't roll off my tongue, it's a boring name in my opinion and it doesn't give any suggestion what the site is for. I would not entertain using it as a name for an internet business.


Where did I say anything about the site name, I didnt you just read my post wrong.  What I said was about the Site Address and this is a completely different thing altogether.  Or did you not know you could have the site named one way and the Address another way.

So you would not entertain to use it for Business and you find it boring, then fine that is your opinion but I do not agree and my opinion is just as valid.  

cness.co.uk I belive is a Good Address, please note I said Address and NOT name of Site.

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## crayola

Oh good grief this is supposed to be an advice thread not a dreary point scoring exercise for desk jockeys who might use something other than Google and who might have produced a few websites for themselves or their friends or their clubs and might even know a fair bit more about the web than I'd originally given them credit for.

Getting back to the point......

The prototype site is called Cness.co.uk, its logo looks like this



and its text opens with the words 'Welcome to Cness.co.uk'.

Matthew, the domain name is irrelevant for reasons we've gone through already but I honestly don't think it's a good idea to call the business Cness.co.uk. It's short but it's not snappy and it doesn't mean anything to me.

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## kmahon2001

> Oh good grief this is supposed to be an advice thread not a dreary point scoring exercise for desk jockeys who might use something other than Google and who might have produced a few websites for themselves or their friends or their clubs and might even know a fair bit more about the web than I'd originally given them credit for.
> 
> Getting back to the point......
> 
> The prototype site is called Cness.co.uk, its logo looks like this
> 
> 
> 
> and its text opens with the words 'Welcome to Cness.co.uk'.
> ...


I have to say I agree with Crayola. cness.co.uk is fine for the web address because it's short and easy to type, but as a name for the actual business it doesn't seem to convey anything (although the logo definitely does - it's perfect :Grin: ). You don't get a feeling from the name that the business is about either Caithness or web auctions.

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## highlander

I dont find anything wrong with cness.co.uk but one did spring to mind was kw.ness.co.uk after our postcodes, just a suggestion.

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## garrioch

could always encorporate established acronyms, any game that has an action style way of geting rid of items is always called the auction house despite it's real in game name and this is then shortened to AH so you could play aroud with that soemthing like ahcness.co.uk or ah.cness.co.uk or something altogether diffrent, but i for one would regonise ah in the name and assume an action site of some sort.

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## crayola

> I have to say I agree with Crayola. cness.co.uk is fine for the web address because it's short and easy to type, but as a name for the actual business it doesn't seem to convey anything (although the logo definitely does - it's perfect). You don't get a feeling from the name that the business is about either Caithness or web auctions.


Yes, the logo is great but the name is a bit lame.




> could always encorporate established acronyms, any game that has an action style way of geting rid of items is always called the auction house despite it's real in game name and this is then shortened to AH so you could play aroud with that soemthing like ahcness.co.uk or ah.cness.co.uk or something altogether diffrent, but i for one would regonise ah in the name and assume an action site of some sort.


I wasn't aware of the meaning of the 'ah' prefix so ahcness.co.uk or ah.cness.co.uk don't do anything for me. Sorry. 




> I dont find anything wrong with cness.co.uk but one did spring to mind was kw.ness.co.uk after our postcodes, just a suggestion.


That sounds sensible but it has to go the other way. I see kw = Kirkwall and ness = Loch Ness.  :Frown: 

I noticed earlier that caithness.co.uk is for sale but it might be expensive.

I still like the name Caithness Internet Auctions for the business and the domain name can be just about anything that's vaguely related. It's a pity caithnessauctions.co.uk is already owned by another orger. You could always make them an offer for it.  :Smile: 

I didn't know until today that the Org powers-that-be also own caithness.org.uk

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## funkypumpkin

At this point I think the name is the least of Matt's problems. He is still making adjustments to the websites interface which are taking longer then usual plus he is covering holidays at his work.

However after contacting approx 15 charities at least 3 weeks ago explaining exactly how it would work for them and the community and trying to arrange meetings with those that may be interested, not one has got back to him, even though he did ask that if they were not interested to let him know ASAP so that he could offer the invite to another charity.

So on behalf of Matt, if any charities are out there reading this who have not already received a letter and would like to know more about this venture please contact him or PM me. It's ok, I'm his mother and I don't bite! LOL

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## teenybash

Mathew is doing great in putting this worthy project together and it will take as long as it takes.....we all have to be patient.
Domains that are available that could be considered are.............
Caithnessauctionsales.co.uk/org.uk
Caithnesswebauctions.co.uk/org.uk
Caithnessauctions.org.uk
Caithnessonlineauction.co.uk/org.uk

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## kmahon2001

> At this point I think the name is the least of Matt's problems. He is still making adjustments to the websites interface which are taking longer then usual plus he is covering holidays at his work.
> 
> However after contacting approx 15 charities at least 3 weeks ago explaining exactly how it would work for them and the community and trying to arrange meetings with those that may be interested, not one has got back to him, even though he did ask that if they were not interested to let him know ASAP so that he could offer the invite to another charity.
> 
> So on behalf of Matt, if any charities are out there reading this who have not already received a letter and would like to know more about this venture please contact him or PM me. It's ok, I'm his mother and I don't bite! LOL


I must say, I'm absolutely staggered at the attitude of the charities. I'd have thought they'd be only too willing to become involved in such a worthwhile venture. What's wrong with these people? Don't they want additional sources of income?  :: 

Matthew, and funkypumpkin, please don't take the recent debate over the name of the business the wrong way. I certainly don't want to add to your problems and I'm sure no one else here does. We are all eagerly anticipating the launch of the site and really appreciate the effort you are putting in to getting it off the ground and I'm sure everyone here will be happy to go along with your decision as to what the name of the site will be.  :Grin:

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## funkypumpkin

Just want to say thank you for all your support. It will be ready when its ready. It sounds quite an easy thing to set up but it isn't just the website and what it looks like or what it is called there is also the other side of things as in getting the security in place etc. Getting charities on board, advertising, the list is endless really.

But a big thank you all the same and I hope you enjoy it when it finally arrives.

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## crayola

> However after contacting approx 15 charities at least 3 weeks ago explaining exactly how it would work for them and the community and trying to arrange meetings with those that may be interested, not one has got back to him, even though he did ask that if they were not interested to let him know ASAP so that he could offer the invite to another charity.


I'm not particularly surprised. Things tend to happen in Caithness when people who know each other hear things by word of mouth. From reading Matthew's previous posts I gather he's only been in the county a couple of years and he's only 18 so he probably won't be known by many people in the business or charity communities. The best way to get results is to go out and talk to people face to face. After that it's the charities' loss if they don't react.

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## Stefan

cness.co.uk seems cool to me, easy to remember, short, sweet and not much room for typos.
Colours of the page are hideous. Green of the logo (logo is good) clashes with the menu, mixed with blue (big no no).
I would go with the green from the logo and the yellow, then add shades of the same green (lighter) for the sub menu etc.

Can't wait for it to start, got some stuff to sell... actually tons of it...

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## anneoctober

I think it's a cool name too Stefan ..........  :Wink:

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## buggyracer

how about www.cbay.co.uk  ::

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## wicker8

> Hi everyone
> 
> I've been living in Caithness for a couple of years now and have noticed that there seems to be a growing need for more Auction places in Caithness. Since the closure of Coghills Auction House in Watten, only the Quoybrae Auction remains... and they don't do non-livestock auctions very often.
> 
> I have come up with an idea of creating a Caithness Auction Website. It would be a website like eBay but just for Caithness. I think something like this would work out quite well...
> A high percentage of the auctioning fees would go to *local* charities in Caithness.It would be an cheap, quick and easy way to advertise anything you want to sell.There would be a high chance of being able to pick up items instead of sending them through the post. This also means that people that are afraid of paying for goods over the internet could pay by cash.It could help local businesses as they could create their own "Store" on the auction website. (If you are used to eBay you will know what I mean).
> Do you think it would be useful? Do you think people would use it? I would love to know what other people think of this idea...  
> 
> Thank you!


 hi your spot on what a great idea how do we go ahead with it i will support it from the begining  cheers ::

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## Bobinovich

> how about www.cbay.co.uk


Erm probably 'cos it's taken!

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## buggyracer

> Erm probably 'cos it's taken!


 
sorry, it was meant in humor  ::  i dont care enough about the subject to go and check whether its taken or not  :Wink: !!!!

But saying you have checked thanks for the info  :Smile:

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## Matthew

Hi there,

This just a quick update to let you know that Cness.co.uk *will* be launching on 1st August so make note of this in your diary. 

Unfortunately the admin of caithness.org is not allowing me to discuss this venture anymore on the forum as it could be classed as advertising. So this may be the last post from me in this thread.

Thank you all for your patience!

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## Venture

Well done to you Matthew for all your hard work in setting up this venture.  I for one will certainly be using it.  Good Luck. :Wink:

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## purplelady

well good luck and i do know someone who has stuff to sell on there already x

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## anneoctober

> Hi there,
> 
> This just a quick update to let you know that Cness.co.uk *will* be launching on 1st August so make note of this in your diary. 
> 
> Unfortunately the admin of caithness.org is not allowing me to discuss this venture anymore on the forum as it could be classed as advertising. So this may be the last post from me in this thread.
> 
> Thank you all for your patience!


 Looking forward to the launch Matthew. Pm me please nearer time, surely the forum will allow that !!  ::

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## hotrod4

> Hi there,
> 
> This just a quick update to let you know that Cness.co.uk *will* be launching on 1st August so make note of this in your diary. 
> 
> Unfortunately the admin of caithness.org is not allowing me to discuss this venture anymore on the forum as it could be classed as advertising. So this may be the last post from me in this thread.
> 
> Thank you all for your patience!


Looking forward to that Matthew, pity admin wont let you talk about it anymore as it *is* for charidee!!!!

Have seen alot more blatant advertising for people who are running a business for Themselves.
good luck though I for one will be there!!!

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## joxville

Well done Matthew, I'm looking forward to the launch of what I hope is a successful venture.  :Smile:

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## poppett

Good luck Matthew.   Hope you will not desert the org and will find other topics to comment on when you have time in your busy schedule.

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## teenybash

Got myself registered and look forward to August 1st...........Well done Mathew.......... ::

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## Kodiak

Also Registered and waiting for the the 1st August.

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## funkypumpkin

Wow, not long now!

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## Kodiak

I believe that cness.co.uk is now open and they have a few listings posted.  Well worth a look  :Grin:

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## funkypumpkin

Not much listed yet but hopefully in time it will grow and grow and grow and grow into a long long long list of lovely lovely stuff! And help Balmore too!

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## Metalattakk

> I believe that cness.co.uk is now open and they have a few listings posted.  Well worth a look


Aye, there's nothing like a bit of self-promotion, eh Kodiak?  :Wink:

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## phil1958

Hi just came across this site looks good but does'nt seem to busy its for local community  www.cness.co.uk  worth a look  :Smile:

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## rs 2k

Hi

It has been mentioned on here a couple of times  :: 

http://forum.caithness.org/showthrea...=cness+website

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