E-commerce platform provider Soldgers has teamed up with Manila-based IP Ventures to launch an innovative auction website offering the latest game titles and gaming gear in the Philippines. Gamers.PH, which went live on 18 July 2013, is set to take online bidding and game‐shopping to a whole new level by allowing games enthusiasts to participate in auctions and engage in bidding wars for the latest games, gear and equipment at a fraction of the retail price.

The partnership was seeded in January when Soldgers participated in the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore’s (IDA) iSTART@Philippines programme. “We wanted to better understand the Philippines market and at the same time gain access to potential business partners and network,” said Soldgers’ Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Ms Tian Qiuyan (centre in photo, with Co-founders Angeline Tham and Chan Chiou Hao). The fact that the contacts were referred by IDA also helped with the credibility, she added.

As part of market access support, IDA worked with prominent Philippines-based incubators and accelerators to help Singapore-based startups understand the market dynamics in the country, and connect with key individuals with the intent of securing customers, investors, and partners. This was done through a variety of targeted meetings, events and workshops organised for the delegation.

“IDA understood our needs and pointed us to IP Ventures. They made the introduction and we hit it off instantly,” said Ms Tian. “We saw a lot of potential in the partnership. They provided the local expertise and products and they saw value-add in our technology platform and know-how.”

With Soldgers and IP Ventures complementing each other, the rollout of Gamers.PH was fast and smooth. “This is Soldgers’ first licensing deal beyond the scope of just expansion and running the sites greenfield. This is also the first vertically-focused site where only game-related products will be sold,” said Ms Tian.

“The site is run by gamers, so we know by heart what each kind of gamer looks for,” said Soldgers Co-founder Ms Angeline Tham. “New games pop up all the time and titles fresh off the shelves don’t usually sell cheap. Gamers.PH helps make it possible for these new titles to sell at 50 to 80 per cent off the retail price by just participating in the bidding. And that’s where the fun starts.”

Unlike traditional online auctions, the bid price on Gamers.PH is fully determined by the bidder. To make a bid, users will require “tokens”, which are priced at Php 10.00 each and can be purchased at the My Page section of the site. Registration is fast, simple and free, and no credit card information is required.

All auctions start at Php 0.00, and will increase by 15 cents when someone enters a bid, with the auction timer to increase by up to 20 seconds. When the timer reaches zero (0) and the auction closes, the last successful bidder wins the right to buy the product at the final auction price. According to Soldgers, this could be 60 to 98 per cent off the retail price. The site also offers free delivery nationwide in the Philippines.