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Only Five Days Until Consumers Can Start Bidding In First Bonded Online Auction Event, April 27th - May 2nd

More than 300 Auction Dealers Participating in First-of-its-Kind Event Where Every Item is Guaranteed up to $10,000

Alexandria, Va. (April 22, 2004) - Consumers only need to wait five more days to start bidding in the first-ever bonded online auction event. Named BondedSale.com, the event features antiques and collectibles, and is a joint effort between buySAFE, Inc., which offers one of the highest levels of protection from online auction risks through the buySAFE with The Hartford program, online antique dealer Tias.com and auction site ePier. The auction event, where bidding starts at 12:01 PDT Tuesday, April 27 and ends at 11:59 PDT Sunday, May 2, 2004, marks the world's first online auction event where all sellers are bonded and all transactions are guaranteed.

Every seller participating in BondedSale.com has passed a comprehensive background check by buySAFE and is bonded by The Hartford Financial Services Group. Buyers are financially protected since every purchase is guaranteed up to $10,000. This means buyers can bid with confidence and know that they are purchasing items from reputable and trustworthy merchants.

Hundreds of sellers have already listed a wide variety of antiques and collectibles. Participating sellers can only post items that they are offering for sale online for the first time. Recently listed items include a Paul McCartney Autograph Promo Placard, a vintage Shirley Temple Doll, a diamond Cameo pin, an 1892 Worlds Fair Souvenir Spoon, an antique hand-cranked butter churn and more.

"Buying antiques and collectibles online can be challenging. Often a buyer is unsure of the quality of the merchandise or its authenticity," said Jeff Grass, CEO, buySAFE. "Bonding online auctions, particularly for antiques and collectibles, makes incredible sense. Buyers can feel confident that they are dealing with trustworthy merchants, thereby enabling sellers to increase the amount of potential customers and profit opportunities. This is an important milestone for the online auction world, and we're thrilled to be a part of it."

NOTE: Buyers and sellers must register at www.bondedsale.com in order to participate in the auction event.

about buySAFE

buySAFE makes online marketplaces safer, resulting in reduced risks for buyers and increased profit opportunities for sellers. buySAFE with The Hartford is the first and only service to guarantee online transactions for buyers by using surety bonds to provide protection from risks, such as fraud, misrepresentation, refund failure and seller default. Using the latest advances in business assessment techniques and technologies, buySAFE comprehensively qualifies online sellers and provides the buySAFE Seal to approved sellers for display on their auction listings, which informs buyers that they are dealing with a reputable and trustworthy seller. Approved sellers can guarantee their online transactions with surety bonds issued by The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, buySAFE is on the Web at www.buysafe.com.

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