TulipTools Internet Business Owners and Online Sellers Community

Quote:The managers of eBay, the world's largest online auctioneer, had something else in mind in September 2005 when they decided to pay at least $2.6 billion to buy Skype...

Back then, eBay's chief executive, Meg Whitman, predicted that the 55 million people who had downloaded Skype's free Internet telephone software would bolster eBay's online auction and PayPal payment businesses, driving sales and profit.

Today, eBay sellers can place a "Skype Me" button next to their items on eBay so that buyers can call and discuss possible sales. EBay is also experimenting with using Skype software to transfer money between PayPal accounts, expanding the payment system to Skype.

But more than a year after the purchase, eBay, one of the world's largest publicly traded Internet companies, is fighting to convince skeptics that the deal, whose final price tag could reach $4.1 billion if bonuses are paid, was indeed a smart move...

full article: http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/12/b.../skype.php

Quote:fighting to convince skeptics that the deal, whose final price tag could reach $4.1 billion if bonuses are paid, was indeed a smart move...

It ranks up there with Billpoint and Ebay Japan on the smart move scale. :asshat2:

Oh, man! I've been Skyped!

[quote author=thentavius link=topic=5914.msg31936#msg31936 date=1163382310]
Oh, man! I've been Skyped!
[/quote]

Quote:Today, eBay sellers can place a "Skype Me" button next to their items on eBay so that buyers can call and discuss possible sales. EBay is also experimenting with using Skype software to transfer money between PayPal accounts, expanding the payment system to Skype.

Oh GOODY! More ways for the scammers to get us!

Just based on the content of several ASQ I have received, I would be thrilled to get a call in the middle of the night from a buyer asking me "so do you do layaway?"  :blinkie:

Another great idea from the land of bay. 

Quote:After rising continuously since its inception, the total voice traffic over Skype, or the combined calling minutes of Skype users, fell for the first time in the quarter that ended on Sept. 30, by 7 percent to 6.6 billion minutes from 7.1 billion in the second quarter, Skype said.

Not a good sign.