Online auction thriving?????

I applaud innovation and creative ways to do business differently but I think this headline may have been before the spin doctors at PGGW. On closer analysis in 6 weeks trading dairy cattle, 3 sales have been made, true for over $600,000, but still only 3 sales, I'm sure even single independent livestock agents would not describe their business as thriving if only 3 sales were made in that time span. But like all new ideas in agriculture, permanent change takes time and based on other trading via the internet it will be a growing business in the future. PGG Wrightson's move into the online auction trade has attracted 7000 people to its specialist livestock auction trading site Agonline in the first six weeks of operation reports The Rural News. Two transactions totalling $635,000 were completed, each drawing interest from several hundred potential buyers. Mike Skilling, PGG Wrightson group general manager customer services, says Agonline is on track with our initial expectations in spite of the soft market conditions. "˜This is a difficult season with the uncertainty surrounding the outlook for the dairy industry in the next 18 months impacting on all sales,' he says. "˜We also know it will take time for Agonline to be accepted as an alternative channel for livestock transactions. "˜Traffic on the site has been especially pleasing with more than 10,000 hits in the first four weeks, and the completion of two auctions is an excellent achievement especially when one of was for a herd that had been on the market for sometime through traditional sales channels.'