Skype to Better Connect eBay Buyers and Sellers

Telecom News Editorials Reports Glossary

11:54 pm on October 1, 2005 | Category: Business, VoIP

Ever since eBay signed the $2.6+ billion agreement to purchase Skype, people have been wondering why they were willing to pay so much for a service, which is essentially free.

The most probable guess as to the reasons behind the decision would have to be that Skype could allow for better communication between buyers and sellers. eBay users often need to communicate by phone, regarding their current online auctions and transactions. Due to the fact that the people who use eBay are scattered all over the world, however, telephone communication can often get expensive.

In many cases, the people can’t afford to call half way around the world, and end up attempting to perform a transaction without ever engaging in verbal communication. This situation can lead to many instances of miscommunication, and ultimately, trouble for eBay itself.

If Skype is integrated into the very core of the eBay transaction process, however (much as Paypal has been), it will become much easier for buyers and sellers to communicate with each other, without having to pay hefty long distance charges. Using Skype’s VoIP technology in this way could ultimately make the whole eBay experience much more easy and user-friendly.

This, of course, is quite a nice benefit, but whether it is worth the billions of dollars that eBay spent on purchasing the Skype service, remains to be seen.

Links: eBay, Skype, Telephony, Internet Telephony, Communication, Auctions, Paypal, Internet.