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eBayMe: Skype Gets The Call From New Owner |
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Written by Adam Gosling
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Friday, 16 June 2006 |
In its first moves designed to leverage its massive
investment in peer-to-peer broadband telephony company, Skype, online auctioneer
eBay has announced how it will integrate phone functionality into its listings.
The company also revealed that it plans to integrate the PayPal
payments service into Skype in a move that may make it possible to Skype people
money.
eBay CEO Meg Whitman, who was the driving force behind the
company's acquisition of Skype announced the new initiatives at eBay Live a
conference of some 15,000 eBay PowerSellers in Las Vegas.
The pilot program in the US (the company has already been
trialling the system in smaller markets) will see eBay sellers add a SkypeMe
button on their listings allowing potential customers to call them with
inquiries about the sale.
The buttons will be available initially on just 14
categories across the eBay.com site. The service would also enable access to the
Instant Messenger facilities available in the Voice over IP client software.
"Skype represents a tremendous opportunity for our
sellers to connect even more closely with their buyers," eBay president
Bill Cobb said. "We believe that Skype will enhance the way that people
communicate and trade on eBay, especially in high involvement and high price
categories. It will be exciting to watch Skype become a part of our
marketplace."
The company also unveiled eBay Alerts, which allow members
to receive listing updates through phone calls, text messages and instant
messages using AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, or MSN Messenger.
eBay members can receive "outbid" and "item
ending soon" messages for any item they are bidding on, and can place a
higher bid either through their phone or text messaging.
eBay buyers can elect to receive a phone call alerting them
that three minutes remain before a listing ends. The service gives buyers an
easy and convenient way to check an item's status or place bids by phone.
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