An Electronic Auction Service Framework Based on Mobile Software Agents

Abstract

With electronic commerce revolutionizing the traditional way of doing business, electronic auction service has been one of the many business models that were proven to be a success. The existence and development of numerous auction Web sites, such as eBay (www.ebay.com) and OnSale Inc. (www.onsale.com) have demonstrated the survivability of electronic auctions in online transactions. Considering some of the new forms of electronic auctions currently on the Internet, such as the “Get it together” network (www.accompany.com), where group bidding and negotiation is applied, it could be said that the definition of auctions is no longer restricted to that of its traditional meaning but also has been extended electronically. An auction may be an ideal way for a business to sell excess inventory and goods because it has attracted many of the common people that do not really participate in the real-world counterpart. However, current Web-based auction (e-auction) systems suffer from shortcomings in the following aspects: • Fairness and Friendliness: Different conditions of Internet connections, such as varying speeds, introduce unfairness among participating bidders. • Security and Privacy: The messages transmitted via the Internet are exposed to malicious attacks and may incur security problems. Also, in an auction, users may wish to be guaranteed privacy, for example, a bidder may not want to disclose his or her real identity until the auction closes and he or she is declared the winner. • Intelligence and Flexibility: It is important for an e-auction service to be intelligent to cater to the needs of potential auction customers who are not into the Internet. However, current Web-based auction systems require too much user intervention. Because the process can be tedious and risky for these users, they may not want to engage in e-auction services. Thus, it would be commercially profitable if intelligent assistance is provided.