In a bid to give its Internet auction site a boost, eBay Inc. last week unveiled a deal to adopt Microsoft Corp.'s Web technology and .Net development

Microsoft, eBay Strike Web Services Deal

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2021-07-11 14:30:06

In a bid to give its Internet auction site a boost, eBay Inc. last week unveiled a deal to adopt Microsoft Corp.'s Web technology and .Net development tools.

Under the terms of the deal, San Jose-based eBay will use Microsoft's .Net tools and offer access to its commerce engine as an XML-based Web service. By deploying Microsoft's Web services, eBay plans to extend its reach to devices such as pagers, handheld computers and televisions, as well as to other novelty Web sites that hawk goods.

For example, a Web site for motorcycle enthusiasts could use Microsoft's Web services to tap into eBay's marketplace, instead of building its own commerce engine, said eBay CEO Meg Whitman.

The deal calls for Microsoft to carry eBay's auction listing on some of its Web sites, such as CarPoint, WebTV Networks Inc. and Microsoft bCentral, a small business site. EBay will also deploy Microsoft's Windows 2000 Server and the Passport online user authentication service.

"We will gain transaction-based revenue - listing fees and final value fees - as the eBay platform is extended to other parts of the Web," said Whitman. "In the distribution deal, we will gain new users who come to bid and ultimately become sellers."