Tradera
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden. |
| Key people | Gustav Gyllenhammar, (CEO) |
| Industry | Internet Commerce |
| Employees | 43 (2011) |
| Website | tradera |
| Registration | Required to buy and sell |
| Available in | Swedish |
Tradera.com is one of the leading online commerce services in Sweden, with over 2,5 million members and about one million listings (2011)[citation needed]. Although Tradera welcomes members from all over the world, most are Swedish. Tradera was founded in 1999 but was acquired by eBay Inc. in 2006[citation needed]. Tradera was originally based completely on private auctions but today visitors can purchase both new and second hand items through auctions as well as fixed price listings.
On 24 April 2006, Tradera.com, along with its sister site Traderamotor.com, was acquired by eBay for 365 million SEK (about 50 million US dollars)[1]
Contents
History
Tradera was founded in 1999 with Daniel Kaplan as CEO. The objective was to create a service to decrease the distance between collectors in Europe who wanted to trade various types of exclusive jewelry. It was originally intended to be a small project but investors became interested and invested in the company, which led to rapidly increasing expansion plans. However, after about a year in a luxorious office at Norrmalmstorg in Stockholm the company ran out of money as a result of the IT bubble bursting.[2]
In 2003, the company had regained its strong position and in 2004 it had about 400 000 members. In April 2006 the company was acquired by eBay Inc. for 365 million Swedish crowns, and in 2011 the member count was up to 2,5 million.
Items
Thousands of items are listed on Tradera, in categories such as collectibles, clothing, music, electronics and art. From having previously focused on private consumer-to-consumer auctions, the service now accommodates both private and commercial sellers. Both Swedish and International visitors are able to use the service, but it is primarily used by Swedish buyers. Although the service is commonly referred to as an online auction service, it is also possible to buy and sell items for fixed prices. The company has previously collaborated with various organisations, and in October 2011 original photographs of the band Army of Lovers was sold through the service as a promotional campaign. As opposed to the major competing service in the Swedish market, the majority of items sold are delivered to the buyer through postal or delivery services.
