THE Auction Club, an interactive website based in Illinois, has formed a new electronic auction service catering for charities and other civic-minded groups.

The site, which was launched on February 19, hopes to help charitable organisations expand their horizons and reach an international audience.

Among the first to sign up for the online auction is the Childhood Cancer Organization.

It is hoped that The Auction Club will not only help to raise the profile of such groups among an increasingly web-literate population, but that previously untapped sources of revenue may be accessed.

British charities may follow the lead provided by Newsquest's online AuctionHunter in this market and will be studying the American initiative to assess whether Internet auctions can slot into their range of commercial enterprises and boost profits.

Significant areas of activity already include mail-order, direct retail, occasional live auctions and Christmas cards.

Find AuctionHunter at http://www.

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