ou've heard the buzz about eBay and its various cyber clones, Web sites where folks can bid on anything from Furbies to fishing lures, from slot machines to synthetic pearls. To the uninitiated, the idea of watching an on-line auction is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Nevertheless, such sites have become a kind of entertainment or sport. You don't buy items on eBay; you win them. You're not a consumer; you're a collector, even if your object of desire has the aesthetic value of a used tire (or, in fact, is a used tire).
The Internet, it seems, has turned into a great global garage sale - and the garage is about to go upscale.
In the next few months, both Christie's and Sotheby's, the prestigious international auction houses that handle million-dollar works of art, are launching on-line auctions. And two other sites, www.icollector.com and www.artnet.com, have been auctioning fine art and antiques on line for about a year. These initiatives could open up the art market to a broader array of collectors, folks who have been intimidated by the rarefied atmosphere of conventional auctions. But can these hidebound art institutions adapt to the wild frontier of cyberspace?
''Our business began in 1744 and it hasn't changed much in 255 years,'' admits David Redden, executive vice president of Sotheby's and the head of its Internet efforts. ''There are people who are intimidated just crossing the threshold of Sotheby's, and they're shy about walking into rather grand art deale
Sotheby's and Christie's, which command 39 percent of the $2-billion-a-year art market, bring their respected imprimatur to the on-line auction world, plagued by tales of broken deals and rip-offs. The auction chat rooms are full of sagas of disappearing bidders and ''priceless'' items that turn out to be worthless.
Both top auction houses, along with icollector and artnet, offer guarantees of authenticity on items sold on their sites. ''We've heard the stories and the anecdotes, and we aim to offer a high level of service and credibility,'' says Andrew Schoelkopf, president of Christie's Internet Auctions. ''The on-line auction business is going to change.''
It's one thing to buy Elvis memorabilia on line; it's another thing entirely to bid on a prized painting. ''I'm not suggesting a $60 million Cezanne will be sold on the site, but there is no question that good paintings are appropriate,'' says Redden.
Sotheby's has already signed up almost 3,000 art dealers to display and auction their collections on its site. The Barbara Krakow Gallery on Newbury Street is one of them. ''This entire new revolution is occurring, and I kind of want to be part of it,'' says Krakow. ''I remember a card I saw once that said, `Someday your train will come in, and you'll be at the bus station.' That freaked me out when I thought about auctions on line. I don't want to miss the train.''
Others, however, are happy enough to take the bus, thank you very much. Bill Vose of the Vose Galleries is one dealer who opts not to go on line. ''More people can see more paintings and get into the art market, but I think for quality and condition it will be a problem,'' he says. ''Paintings are individual, and there are problems inherent in buying them. You have to see them; it's too easy to fool around with a photograph. Caveat emptor: Let the buyer beware.''
Certainly, a high percentage of items sold at conventional auctions are snapped up, sight unseen, by buyers calling in telephone bids. The Internet, some dealers say, is just a different technology. But the prices are often driven up by the thrill and excitement of the live event, where the auctioneer is a kind of performance artist who specializes in motivational patter. Can the Internet really replicate that? Redden has been an auctioneer at Sotheby's for 24 years, and he says virtual auctions can stimulate the kind of nail-biting tension of a live sale. ''There can be quite a bit of drama,'' says Redden, who is not afraid to admit that he's bought plenty of things from such Internet auction sites as eBay and amazon.com and yahoo.com.
''I have a 10-year-old son who loves Pokemon, and we buy trading cards on the sites,'' Redden adds. ''In the early morning, all my son wants to do is jump on line. This is where the entertainment comes in. I'll hear endless exclamations, like `Fantastic,' `Awesome,' or `This rocks.'''
Schoelkopf of Christie's is less forthcoming about his on-line activity, although he has purchased items from virtual auctions. Pokemon? ''I wouldn't dream of telling you,'' he says, ''but I certainly watched the sale close, and I enjoyed it a great deal.''
Indeed, the Internet is spawning a new generation of collectors who have never been to an auction house but are glued to their screens. Clive Davidson, manager of a fast-food restaurant in Glasgow, has set his alarm clock to monitor a sale in the middle of the night. He's a frequent customer at icollector, the London-based Internet company that offers wares from about 150 international auction houses. ''It's convenient and not intimidating,'' says Davidson, who has bought a gold coin, an Art Deco watch, and a Muhammad Ali autograph. ''My mother and brother think it's daft, but I just love it.''
On-line auctions open up the field to enthusiasts who can't jet off to London or New York for the latest offering of Hollywood memorabilia or 19th-century furniture. ''We have one collector who sends in his bids from an oil rig in the South China Sea,'' says James Corsellis, managing director of icollector. The site offers an art price guide and other information (or ''content'' in cyberspeak) to assist buyers.
But even if all the information in the world is available to consumers, will fine art really find a niche on line? Some are dubious. ''It's a very catchy idea, but I'm a bit bemused by it,'' says Malcolm Rogers, director of the Museum of Fine Arts. ''If you're selling wristwatches or diamonds, that's different. But a work of art is highly subjective. What you pay for it depends on your personal response to it when you're in its presence.'' The MFA never bids at auction unless a curator examines the work in person, so the phenomenon is unlikely to affect major museums - at least for now.
But the skeptics and enthusiasts alike concede that there is no stopping the trend. It's anyone's guess how it will ultimately affect the art market. ''If you ask the Internet folks to predict anything beyond the next 18 months, they'll laugh at you,'' Redden says. ''But we're creating a nation of collectors, and it's going to spread to the rest of the world.''
As the Internet matures, everybody is looking for credibility - whether it be about visual art or tunes. Free music abounds in cyberspace. The problem is: How do you find it?
Staffers at www.RollingStone.com and www.TheSource.com are now listening to music tracks submitted by unknown bands and featuring the most promising talent on their Web pages. The venture adds credibility to the MP3 format, the technology that lets users download high-quality music.
The Source has always had a column called ''Unsigned Hype,'' in which it lauds unknown talent. ''This will allow us to reach more people,'' says Source associate publisher Jeff Jones. ''We have 10 garbage bags full of tapes we still have to hear.''
What about the critics who now have to comb through those electronic garbage bags? ''This is a good way for them to earn their keep,'' says Tom Cohen of Rolling Stone. ''Actually, they're excited. They're passionate about music.''
