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eBay auction widgets: the good, the bad, the ugly

April 5th, 2008

by Al Merkrebs April 5, 2008 @ 12:53 p.m. PDT

It all started this morning when my office mate, an ardent eBay watcher, said she’d like to have an eBay widget that would monitor her auction watch list.

I can’t resist a challenge, so here’s what I found.

The good:

• eBayAuction Watch by Ty Kroll (for iGoogle or Google Desktop)
• eBay by Patrick Vallaeys (for iGoogle or embedded in a Web page)
• My Ebay, aka eBay Auctions (for Netvibes)

Why good: They all automatically find and update your eBay watch list.

The bad:

• eBay To Go by eBay (only embeddable in a Web page)
• EbayWatch by Peter Maloy (for iGoogle or embedded in Web page)
• Ebay Watch Them (for Netvibes or embedded in a Web page)

Why bad: They all require you to manually enter the items you are watching.

The ugly:

•Official eBay Gadget (for iGoogle or embedded in a Web page)

Why ugly: It’s dead; does not work. And thousands of unsuspecting people are downloading this widget!

Runner up for ugly: Any eBay widget that does ONLY SEARCHES eBay (so lame, so sad)

Not reviewed: eBay Watcher for Mac by Hawk Innovations/Jordy, iPhone myEbay by SilkSystem Solutions.

Our Favorite:

eBayAuction Watch (for iGoogle or Google Desktop)

Pros:

• Easy to install, with Google’s install platform.
• Automatically signs in to eBay and automatically refreshes your eBay watch list, including a count-down timer.
• Tons of custom options, including notification sounds and pop-ups.
• Shows item pictures, if they are available.
• The desktop version is not tied to a Web page.

Cons:

• The desktop version requires installation of the Google Desktop engine.

Coolness factor: 5/5

Engine required: None for the iGoogle version. For the standalone version, install the Google Desktop engine.

Get the iGoogle widget here.

Standalone version:

1. After installing the Google Desktop Engine, open the “Add gadgets…” menu (see picture on right).

2. In the “Add gadgets” window (see picture below), search for eBay and then add the EbayAuction watch widget (gadget).

Entry Filed under: widget reviews