eBay to use Skype for buyer-seller contact

By Stan Beer
Saturday, 17 June 2006 14:52

Your IT - Home IT

eBay is poised to make use of its US$2.6 billion acquisition of Skype by allowing buyers and sellers to communicate directly using the internet telephony and instant messaging system.

In a pilot program, nine months after its Skype acquisition, eBay will allow sellers of high value products across 14 categories to add a "Skype Me" button to their advertisements. The button will automatically connect buyers who are users of the free Skype application to the sellers, allowing them to have voice and messaging conversations.

While it is not yet clear exactly how the addition of a Skype button to eBay listings will create more revenue for the online auction company, many observers believe that idea will be popular among both buyers and sellers, especially for items that require additional explanation that can only be conveyed in a real-time conversation.

At last count, Skype had more than 100 million users worldwide. However, originating from a company born in Europe, Skype's US user base is relatively weak. In an attempt to dramatically boost its US constituency, eBay made SkypeOut calls to all US and Canadian landline and mobile numbers free until the end of the year for Skype customers located in those countries. As opposed to the free Skype service, which enables free computer to computer calls, the SkypeOut service enables Skype users to call normal landline and mobile phone numbers for time charged rates.

The most likely benefit to eBay of including a Skype Me button on its listings is that it will encourage both sellers and buyers, many of whom are based in North America, to sign up for the service.