Supplier Search The buyer next tries to identify the most appropriate suppliers through directories, contacts trade with other companies, trade advertisements, trade shows, and the Internet. move to purchasing has far-reaching implications for suppliers and will change the shape of purchasing for years to come Companies that purchase over the Internet are utilizing electronic marketplaces in several forms: Catalog sites. Companies can order thousands of items through electronic catalogs distrib- uted by e-procurement software, such as Grainger's. Vertical markets. Companies buying industrial products such as plastics, steel, or chemicals or services such as logistics or media can go to specialized Web sites (called e-hubs). Plastics com allows plastics buyers to search the best prices among thousands of plastics sellers. "Pure Play auction sites. Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers is the world's largest industrial auctioneer, with more than 40 auction sites worldwide. It sold $3.5 billion of used and unused equipment at more than 300 unreserved auctions in 2009, including a wide range of heavy equipment, trucks, and other assets for the construction, transportation, agricultural, material handling, mining, forestry, petroleum, and marine industries. While most people prefer to bid in person at Ritchie Bros. auctions, they are also able to bid online in real time at rbauction.com-the