History

StuffBuff is an auction platform based on the use of social and real-time technology. It was founded my Michael Langer October 1, 2008 and premiered as a TechCrunch50 in 2009. Unique to StuffBuff is their use of embedded auction windows that allow for auction hosting anywhere the embed code is placed. This allows consumer to share or participate in “viral auctions " and is in direct contrast to larger players that require some level of onsite activity.

Technology

The site uses a APE (AJAX Push Engine) to make real-time even faster than other technologies and facilitate their proprietary “Blink” and “LiveHaggle” systems. The approach is reportedly designed to help minimize auction sniping

Auction sniping

Auction sniping is the process, in a timed online auction , of placing a winning bid at the last possible moment , giving the other bidders no time to outbid the sniper. This can be done manually, or by software...

. They have invested in proprietary technology to differentiate themselves:

“Stuff it” is a button that resembles a Retweet button that allows consumers to purchase items from within online posts around products.

“Live Haggle” is a real-time, embeddable chat system where the person auctioning the item chats directly with those looking to bid on their items and can be viewed by everyone participating to prevent backdoor dealings.

“Blink!” is an auction scenario where items are presented for sale at a starting price which continually drops as the auction continues, as more participants enter the auction, the price starts to fall even faster, then the first bidder takes home the product.

The site also integrates with USB barcode scanners and webcams to capture the barcode of products for posting. Their technology will then populate auction’s details with known information about the item, like size and weight.

Revenue

StuffBuff makes money by charging around 25-50 cents to set up an auction, $1.50 to set a reserve, and then 5% of the final value.