I don't think it's the fact that Alexa is selling text links that is unprofessional. I think it's the fact that Amazon.com, who literally pioneered ecommerce, is outsourcing their advertising sales to a company that, for the most part, is known for dealing with smaller-sized advertisers. AdBrite is not an advertising agency in that they aren't a site representation company (the definition of an "advertising agency") who solicits advertisements (which is the route most of the larger sites take, if they don't do it in house). Instead, they're a marketplace who acts like a combo buyer directory / ad management system for the seller.

What makes it unprofessional is that Amazon.com, who has all of these gigantic ecommerce resources available to them, doesn't bother to invest in a proprietary text ad management system for their own site ... but instead goes with one of the relatively newer and smaller and privately-owned (all relatively speaking, of course) players out there.

There's a difference between Kanoodle and AdBrite (unless I'm mistaken). Kanoodle is a full service network. AdBrite is only a marketplace.

Ok, I see what you mean, but I must ask something then: Do you think these “market places� are no good for large companies? I ask because I am fairly new to the advertising business and I have started an advertising “market place�, where I hoped that both small and large organisations would benefit. Before you look at my site and criticize, it has only been running properly for about 1 month and what’s there is only the first stage of about 5 stages.
If large companies wouldn’t use the service my website offers, what do you think, would make companies like this interested? Also if every large organisation did make there own in house system, then other companies looking to advertising, would have to spend hours finding them and signing up to them. Where as in a “market place� they signup once and they can purchase all their advertising goods from one place. Is this not more efficient?