1.   Anne has much to gain, and Greg to lose, if Priceline stops Microsoft from letting consumers bid on goods.

2.   But if you know exactly what you want to pay, and stick to it, Santos adds, consumers can bid their way to some exceptional bargains.

3.   Growth appears to be especially strong for www.surplusauction.com, a site that lets consumers bid online for computer hardware and software.

4.   In the price-aggregation model, prices go down as more consumers bid for them, creating bulk deals.

5.   Priceline WebHouse Club, which let consumers bid for discounts on groceries and gasoline, abruptly closed down in October.

6.   When consumers bid on Accompany, there is no certainty how low the final price will be.