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- Ragle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2As Google just entered this market it would be waste of money to buy Skype ... especially as there are *no* synergies between Skype and EBay. At least as far as I can see for the moment ...
- digital_ice, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2What would Ebay want with Skype?
- sunimit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1spadin: I agree with you that Skype is probably not worth $2-3 Billion dollars. However, I think Ebay sees Skype as a conduit to get more people to use their services, especially internationally. Probably the same reason why Yahoo bought Konfabulator.
Remember also that they acquired 25% stake Craigslist with undisclosed amount.
These free internet services maybe worth more than you think.
Besides, Ebay earns about a Billion a quarter. I think they can afford to loose some change. - spadin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1We are witnessing the birth of another Internet bubble. $2 Billion for Skype? Come on... Where do they get their quotes from?
- Hitchhiker90, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I've finally come up with a good reason why Ebay would want this. So that users of Ebay's services can use voice bids in real time instead of a web browser. It'll almost be liking going to an auction at the local farm, except its on the internet. Millions will all be able to voice their bids. Now this is thrilling!
- kungfustickman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Eh I don't like this... Now I want that open source client. I liked skype.
- larsinio, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0next story: GOOGLE OFFERS 6 BILLION TO LIQUIDITE SKYPE
- pcmonline, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Well, according to the article, it says: "eBay has been looking to expand into new product areas and international markets." So I guess they figure, why not? That's if this is true, since no one could be reached for comment.
- Hoss, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0coming soon to ebay product page...
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Seller is currently ONLINE... would you like to ask him/her a question with our new voice service?
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Just one possibility I could see them using - bleutuna, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This puts Ebay in Direct Competition with Google and their Google Talk. Hmmm.....
- jamms, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0total speculation. it's like monster.com buying jewel food stores. why?
- PumpkinEscobar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0They said that they want to 'expand their business model.'
Any Flickr fans care to comment? - mcewen98, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I love how people post speculative stories but imply with the title that it has already, or is definitly happening.
- olorinpc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Very very good question - good digg though
- OwlBoy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I would rather Skype stay independent. They seem to have the power too.
- Plaguefox, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Wait, 2 or 3 /billion/? Skype is worth that much? Holy wow!
- Loie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Money is what eBay wants with Skype. eBay has been sucking lately, a lot of longtime customers are abandoning, so they need to seek revenue diversification. Such is the life of a public company.
- Ragle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Skype ... no matter who buys them ...
- bebopredux, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0eBay, Skype and PayPal.
There goes the neighborhood. - MWWLSE, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0ebay?
- listentothis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0]: I hope it isn't true.
- sir_zman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I agree, the services are not similar enough, it's like six flags buying a drug company; hmmm, now that I think about it, doesn't Anheuser-Busch own an amusement park (Busch Gardens); OK maybe it isn't that strange.
- mckirkus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0EBay is in the business of creating markets. Communication, information, are the most important components of a functional market. Voice communication could up the level of confidence between participants. They could add a "call seller" button to auctions. I'm guessing there are still lots of people that like to hear a voice before plunking down their cash.
- mindsinker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Wait, 2 or 3 /billion/? Skype is worth that much? Holy wow!"
hats what i said...geez. Mad props to one who made Skype. I think it will be interesting how eBay implements Skype into there auctions. - jmccorm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0eBay's model may be shifting into... "Do things that can be done online better than in the real world." Of course, I don't think there is a lot of money to be made as an IP telephony company. Must be one of those leveraged things.
- mercury81, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Well if EBay buy Skype I'm moving to something else, I refused to use a product owned by the same company that gave us Paypal.
- TDavid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Live auctions with voice bids, at least for speciality auctions, might cut down on fraud and definitely would cut down on last minute sniping activity.
- IraqManiac, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0hummm so this is what they do with all that money I paid them in FEES
- sunimit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0$2-3 billion? That's nothing. Remember, Yahoo! bought broadcast.com for $5.7 billion from Mark Cuban. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcast.com
I think Skype is worth way more than broadcast.com. - pussyWagon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0ebay needs to get into the services market a little more if they want to stay relevant. They are shooting themselves in the foot with their world's biggest market so they need to get into other types of products. This could be lucrative business for them, though I can't see my phone branded with eBay on it.
- dylanA, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0i hope they dont change it at all
- jared9985, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0What happned with Ebay bought paypal.. it went to ***** (downhill quick). I am sure skype would follow the same pattern if Ebay bought it out.
I wouldn't trust Ebay/PayPal for anything.. - wingo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"What would Ebay want with Skype? I second that. Doesn't seem to fit into their business model at all."
where have you guys been? Ebay with its PayPal will most likely benefit in one way or another. - dbr_onix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Meeeh, like has been said, I hope Skype remains independant.. I'd imagine ebay would want to advertise their main site..
Also, I don't imagine ebay-skype would be very open-source...
I think skype are doing their job very well, and seriously hope this story is false..
- Ben - PacoBell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@TDavid: I never really understood why people are so miffed about "sniping". It's a perfectly rational way to bid, as opposed to the mindless "bidding wars" that occur often. Just bid the maximum you're willing to pay and let the proxy system sort it out. That way, if you're outbid by a so-called sniper, you have only yourself to blame for not being willing spend more. To keep bumping up your bid in hopes of outfoxing your rivals is a pointless pissing contest, IMHO.
- schwinn140, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0it's the same reason why Google entered the Voip space. don't fool yourself into thinking that Google simply wanted a nice the IM product. they want to offer advertisers the ability to accept VOIP calls directly from their client from across the world. the next ad play online is all about Click to Call.
imagine being away from your pc and an auction is ending, simply get on the old cell phone and tell ebay to bid up.
the larger question still remains, why does ebay need to control this technology? i smell a closed system - Joe_rigby, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Damn it.
- spadin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@sunimit: Broadcast.com was bought in 1998, before the internet bubble burst. Which is my point exactly as to why I don't think Skype is worth $2 Billion. No free service should be worth that much no matter how many users are on it. The main reason they have users is because it is free. If eBay decides to acquire it they are doing so with the intention of making money and making it fast to recouperate. It impossible to make $2-$3 Billion dollars anytime fast from a previously free service.
- siouxmoux, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I guest kazaa needs the mondy now to fight off the RIAA evil lawyers.
- phillprice, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0blatently so it can impose paypal only on skype and broaden the paypal market
- achtunga, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Sorry if I say what someone has already said, I just didn't feel like reading the whole thing. Call me lazy, but I ran out of time.
I am by no means one of those experts, but to me, this could be either good or REALLY bad. For example, it could turn out well and they add some amazing thing to Skype. More likely, they could totally bloat Skype with something, make the prices go up or something like that (pretty unlikely, but hey), or do some other gay thing that makes us not use it.
Also, remember how there were rumors of Google going into the Ebay area. Not Ebay area, but online bidding or whatever it's called. So, Ebay might want to battle Google in both voice and "online bidding". But, those were rumors, so some idiot might be trying to trick us all. - parrotscience, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I love Skype, but if Gizmo Project could only lower their dial out rates, I'd switch in a moment.
- MMorJon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Ugh...Change one word of a headline and it gets hundreds of diggs.
Digg Headline: EBay to buy Skype for $2 billion to $3 billion
MacWorld Headline: EBay may buy Skype for $2 billion to $3 billion - Jules, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Id rather want ebay to get skype than google.
- nads, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0oh great...
"you will be charged 1 cent for every 'a', 'e' or 'i' sound you make. 'O' words are free until midnight tonight! (Dependant on 25 'e' sounds being made" - godmstr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0comming soon, Advertisements! and somewhere under there is that skype thingy
- OCAU, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0As dvorak would say
"Meh... Not gonna happen" When was ebay worth 6 billion dollors that figure is false and skype only been around a year or two. It's more worth atleast under 300 million - Trumpi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I don't want eBay to own Skype. I don't like eBay. I like Skype. I don't want to not like Skype because Skype is part of eBay.
- airhead, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0darth vader: noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!
- xodex, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I think ebay wants a war with google because of rumor (beta's of wallet) not just the store that allows you to buy google stuff but rumor paypal service.
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