We were among the first to tout Proxibid’s technology overhaul in August 2011, creating an online coin-buying experience that also incorporated the excitement of an onsite auction. The re-design and its myriad functions attracted more bidders, but increased traffic also sometimes slowed navigation or triggered time-out errors. Those glitches have been fixed, affording full-site access.

The latest technology upgrade comes at a time when Proxibid coin auctions have increased dramatically, with a 29.3% surge in coins auctions from 2010 to 2011. In the first quarter of 2012 alone, the portal saw a 36% increase in the number of coin auctions over the number of coin auctions that took place in the first quarter of 2011.

Not only are there more coin auctions requiring competition, as this post explained, but quick-click navigation that allows for a wider array of bidder choices across auctions. In the past, when bidders were coping with time-outs, or had to switch browsers and fiddle with settings, just to get to a page, they were not looking online at lots.

Those problems seemed to vanish about a week ago, but the labor behind the enhancements has been ongoing now for months.

Cassius Almeida, head of product management at Proxibid, confirms that the entire Omaha-based organization has been keenly focused on upgrading the user experience. “We are doing that through a commitment to continually enhancing the performance, scalability and reliability of our systems while also adding new features and services to ensure Proxibid retains its lead as the best online auction service provider.”

“Because of our commitment to technology we have been upgrading our systems aggressively and consistently over the last year,” Almeida added, “and we have seen a significant improvement in reliability, including fewer server time out errors. Additionally, a few months ago we increased the login timeout period from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, and in the future we hope to offer a feature where bidders can set their own time out period, or turn it off entirely.”

Proxibid also has enhanced its technology for security as well as convenience. Nothing is as important as that for the online buying public, which is why we continue to encourage auctioneers to pay for APN clearance without asking bidders to contact their companies to provide credit card information. We also have advocated for in-house shipping because of the same concern.

When you have to give your credit card information to third-party shippers, over the phone or worse, via email, you are bypassing the technological safeguards that Proxibid has put into place.

Proxiblog knows how difficult technology upgrades can be. They not only entail expanding capacities and adding new functions but also programming them to work with browser upgrades and new versions. We applaud the continuous improvement underwritten by auctioneers who host sessions on the portal. Your fees are being well-spent, at least for those companies that treat Internet bidders with the same courtesies as onsite patrons.

Proxiblog is an independent entity with no connection to the auction portal Proxibid. Our intent is to uphold basic numismatic standards as established by the American Numismatic Association and the National Auctioneer Association and to ensure a pleasurable bidding experience not only on Proxibid but also on similar portals such as iCollector and AuctionZip.