Auction universe closed in august 2000, but classified Ventures' classified ad sites continue to operate. The Auction Universe site was modeled on eBay and offered similar types of auctions and services for buyers and sellers. Some critics believed that the Auction Universe interface was more intuitive than eBay's and included a better search engine; however, the site failed to mount a sustained challenge to ebay's dominance. Even with major corporate sponsorshoi and a s10 million advertising campaign behind it, Auction Universe was unable to displace the advantage eBay obtained from the lock-in effect it has created for a large number of auction bidders and sellers.