LONDON, UK - May 12, 1999 - Person-To-Person Marketplace Enables Yahoo! Users to Buy and Sell Virtually Anything on The Web

Looking for a marketplace that is always open and offers everything from movie collectibles and Princess Diana memorabilia to Beanies and a cricket bat autographed by two test teams? Look no further. Yahoo! UK & Ireland (http://www.yahoo.co.uk) today unveiled Yahoo!® Auctions (http://auctions.yahoo.co.uk), an online, person-to-person auction service, enabling Yahoo! UK & Ireland users to easily browse, view, buy, or sell items at anytime from any Internet-connected computer. Yahoo! UK & Ireland Auctions is a free service - no commissions or listing fees - and provides collectors, auction enthusiasts and first-time bidders and sellers with the resources and tools they need to participate in online auctions.

"Yahoo! UK & Ireland Auctions is the place for buyers and sellers to meet and build a thriving community on the Web," said Lloyd Shepherd, senior producer, Yahoo! UK & Ireland. "The new auctions service provides consumers, from collectors to general Web users, with an ideal and effective forum to connect with relevant individuals and conduct personalised transactions. From launch users will first have access to the Auctions now happening from Australia to the USA, and as UK & Ireland Web users begin to sell and buy more products locally, the local Auctions market will expand."

At launch, Yahoo! UK & Ireland users can access items for auction from Yahoo!'s World sites in Australia & New Zealand, Canada and the United States. These items can be delivered to them in the UK & Ireland, should they be the successful bidder. In addition, users now have their own local UK and Ireland, person-to-person marketplace where they can browse, buy or sell items in pounds as well as any foreign currency.

Yahoo! UK & Ireland Auctions offers more than 1,900 different product categories, including Toys & Games, Arts & Entertainment, Antiques & Collectibles, Sports & Recreation, Electronics and Cameras, and more. Users can browse, bid or buy merchandise, including collectibles, antiques, memorabilia and general items - locally or around the world from Yahoo! UK & Ireland Auctions.

Get Into The Auction
To join in the fun and view thousands of ongoing daily auctions, Yahoo! users can click on any category to browse an expansive inventory of collectibles, antiques, hard-to-find items, and other products, or do a keyword search for a particular item - all within regional or international auctions. To bid on or list an item, users only need to register for Yahoo! UK & Ireland Auctions. The new service uses the same universal registration process, user identification and password system as the rest of Yahoo! UK & Ireland's communication and personalisation services. Bidders and sellers can obtain all the information needed to get started, by visiting the Yahoo! UK & Ireland Auctions Bidder Guide and the Seller Guide.

Once an item is submitted, Yahoo! Auctions immediately opens the bidding. Sellers set auction parameters such as the price at which the auction will begin and the length of time the auction will run. Once an auction closes, bidders will be notified by e-mail if they have the winning bid, and will receive contact information for the seller. Sellers will also be notified via e-mail with instructions on retrieving and contacting the winning bidder(s) to complete the auction transaction.

Useful Tools and Resources Within Yahoo!'s Person-To-Person Marketplace
Yahoo! Auctions offers a number of features to enable auction enthusiasts, collectors and general users to get the most out of their online experience. For example, sellers can put a human face on an auction by providing a statement and link to their Yahoo! profile to give bidders personal background and information. They can also post pictures of the items they are selling. In addition, bidders are entitled to post comments about sellers with whom they have placed a bid by using "Rate a Seller" in the Bidder Guide. As a service to other bidders, winners are asked to rate their experience with a seller on a scale from zero to five. The ratings are averaged with those from other bidders and published in an overall rating noted under the seller's information.

Buy, Sell and Connect - All in One Central Location
Visitors to Yahoo! UK & Ireland Auctions have convenient access to Yahoo!'s expansive and popular array of personalisation, communication and information tools and services. These include My Yahoo!, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Pager and Yahoo! Finance.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! UK & Ireland (www.yahoo.co.uk), part of the Yahoo! Inc. global network, is ranked the most popular navigational guide in the UK. At Yahoo! UK & Ireland, users will find UK & Irish Web sites listed first by category, with full access to relevant worldwide sites appearing next. Yahoo! Inc. is a global Internet media company that offers a branded network of comprehensive information, communication and shopping services to 60 million users worldwide. As the first online navigational guide to the Web, www.yahoo.com is the leading guide in terms of traffic, advertising, household and business user reach, and is one of the most recognised brands associated with the Internet. The company's global Web network includes 18 world properties. Yahoo! has offices in Europe, the Asia Pacific, South America, Canada and the United States, and is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif.

Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logo are trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Media Contacts:

Yahoo! UK & Ireland
Iliane van Ees, Yahoo! UK & Ireland 0171-6640443 iliane@uk.yahoo-inc.com
Kate Rider, Yahoo! UK & Ireland 0171 664 0428kater@uk.yahoo-inc.com
Chris Hewlett, DSA PR, 0171-8335833 chris@dsapr.co.uk
Christina Wright, DSA PR, 0171-8335833 christina@dsapr.co.uk