If we talk about company acquisitions, we think in those big (and those not so big) consulting firms specialized in corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions, which are supposed to really know the market, and that will advise us in the process of finding a buyer for our company and negotiating the deal. Everything serious and formal. As it always has been.

Nevertheless, it seems this is starting to change a little bit, as in the last months, several so called Web 2.0 start-up companies have been posted to be auctioned on eBay.

Some of them, like Kiko, an online calendar that can be used in the web browser, had a successful result, as they sold for more than 250.000 $, an amount far higher than the reserve price. Other were not so lucky or they are in the middle of the auction process, as CrispAds.

Anyway, regardless of the specific results of these pioneers, what this trend shows is a need for a different way of cashing out some projects or companies. Maybe we will see very soon a site specialized in start-up auctions, a place where founders that want to sell their recently launched projects, whatever reason they have, can follow a more efficient process to do it.

It does not seem the best alternative for all kind of companies, but I am sure this is the beginning of a process that will lead us to new ways of carrying out acquisition processes. A more transparent, standardized and effective way for all the people participating in the deal. It's not new, it has already happened to other sectors that were inefficient and have been fully transformed.

And you, would you sell your company on eBay?