Comments on: Report: eBay Says It May Sell Skype

By: eBay: more than just a marketplace?

eBay: more than just a marketplace? — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:47:47 +0000

[…] him about his opinion on what the future of eBay looks like, what he thought about the rumors that eBay might sell Skype and about his vision for the future of eBay in […]

By: Music 2.0 Tanks. « Media Junkie

Music 2.0 Tanks. « Media Junkie — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:39:43 +0000

[…] monetization–the Big Answer that still eludes Web 2.0 to this day. Following the news that eBay is going to dump Skype, another “2.0″ venture is shutting down within the next couple of weeks, confirming […]

By: Simply Jewelry

Simply Jewelry — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:24:43 +0000

Does that mean ebay will finally get the auction site back on track? I think not! The rot continues.

By: AgonizingFury

AgonizingFury — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:05:10 +0000

I can’t figure out why they are having so much difficulty finding a synergy here. How great would it be for me as a seller on e-bay to be able to have people call me and ask me questions about my item without me ever having to give my number to anyone but e-bay. Have “Call with Skype” as one of the options under contact seller. If they could get it to work with a java applet that would be even better (so buyers would not have to download yet another app to accomplish something). Even offer the seller the opportunity to allow others to hear the recordings of conversations if important questions were answered (with permission from both parties of course). Don’t want people calling your phone? E-bay could offer a phone mailbox for sellers on a per item, or per user basis for an additional fee. The possibilities are almost endless if you really think about it.

By: Wade

Wade — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:12:47 +0000

This reminds me of the US invasion of Iraq. Obviously it made no sense, but everyone embraced it at the time. Well done, Ebay. Mission accomplished.

By: Robert

Robert — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:43:58 +0000

@18: I dunno Sean. ebay has done some mightily stupid things over the years. No doubt the skype acquisition ranks up there, but sheesh, there’s so many other noteworthy candidates for the “stupidest thing ebay has ever done” award.

It’s like choosing a candy at the movie theater concession stand: There’s so many yummy choices!

By: Robert

Robert — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:39:15 +0000

@16: It doesn’t matter if skype is embedded in the auction or not. Even if a buyer would use it (doubtful) there are virtually NO sellers (except for the occasional newbie, maybe) that would allow it.

Besides, for buyer-to-seller skype to work, the seller has to be sitting in front of his computer. Ain’t gonna happen. Meg Whitman miscalculated big time on this. Just as she has in s-o-o-o many other ways.

By: Ruslan Zalata

Ruslan Zalata — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:35:23 +0000

Skype’s problem is its closed proprietary protocol which prevents it from being used and embedded into third party apps and business solutions (don’t tell me about Skype API, it’s a piece of crap). Relying solely on end-user is totally unreliable, because ppls are very agile and mobile nowadays, they can easily switch to competitive services once they don’t like Skype’s offers and/or rates. And yes, Skype’s rates are no more competitive. On the opposite, businesses are quite steady, once they stick to some service they become a customer for a long time which pays off very well.

So, in my opinion, the only way for Skype to survive is to adopt mainstream standards (preferrably SIP) and employ good busines-to-business strategy. Unfortunetly they are despirately denying this way of development :-(.

By: Todd

Todd — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 18:27:53 +0000

No Ebay seller wants to have to deal with some buyer on the phone. It takes too much time, and the margins are low enough already. Bad buy.

Amazon is eating Ebay’s lunch.

Paypal has their head so far up mastercard’s ass, they don’t even remember what they were trying to disrupt.

Heads should roll in addition to sell-offs.

By: Doug

Doug — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:51:32 +0000

Let’ see if they sell it for more than they paid for it.

By: Next5Exits

Next5Exits — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 13:21:06 +0000

I don’t really understand what Skype offers that hasn’t already been offered by Yahoo! Messenger or MSN Messenger or Google Talk. What exactly did eBay have in mind when they paid so much for an instant messaging platform?

By: Jose Miguel Cansado

Jose Miguel Cansado — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:39:52 +0000

eBay does well to sell Skype, specially because there are many buyers that could be interested, including Google, or even global telcos like Telefonica, Vodafone, Orange or Hutch. Telco’s rationale could be to kill it by making it a paid service, or just to cannibalize their voice revenues before someone else does.

As per Google, why should they buy Skype? See link below

http://tech-talk.biz/2008/04/1.....buy-skype/

By: Sean

Sean — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 08:03:42 +0000

Thank God. eBay buying skype was the stupidest buyout I’ve ever heard of.

By: sean

sean — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 07:57:37 +0000

well, ebay does not look like a very good company to me…

By: ebay打算出售skype

ebay打算出售skype — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 07:15:41 +0000

[…] $ 淘客网 http://www.taobao.tk « 网站转到Godaddy了 2008-4 19 ebay打算出售skype 分类：互联网作者： admin alimama_pid=”mm_10708340_941030_1960018″; alimama_titlecolor=”0000FF”; alimama_descolor =”000000″; alimama_bgcolor=”FFFFFF”; alimama_bordercolor=”E6E6E6″; alimama_linkcolor=”008000″; alimama_bottomcolor=”FFFFFF”; alimama_anglesize=”0″; alimama_bgpic=”0″; alimama_icon=”0″; alimama_sizecode=”34″; alimama_width=250; alimama_height=250; alimama_type=2; 著名科技博客Techcrunch在4月18日发布消息，ebay打算出售旗下网络电话服务skype。三年前，ebay花费了31.3亿美元的天价收购skype,旨在通过skype的庞大用户群，扩展其网络拍卖业务。然而，事实证明，skype出了为其在线支付系统paypal带来了更多的交易流水（skype充值），并没有明显改善ebay的核心业务。因此，ebay打算在今年年底或明天的上半年，出售skype。据Techcrunch推测，Google（谷歌）将成为skype的有力买家。如果Google过了收购skype,也许能为其自主拥有的及时聊天软件Gtalk，带来更多的客户。然而skype的用户，是否能够接受skype的改弦更张还是个问题。 var alimama_pid= “mm_10708340_0_0″; var alimama_key= “”; var alimama_cid= “1512″; var alimama_col= “2″; var alimama_row = “1″; var alimama_type = “B”; var alimama_titlecolor= “2BA94F”; var alimama_bgcolor=”FFFFCC”; var alimama_bordercolor=”003366″; var alimama_descolor=”000000″; […]

By: Stephane

Stephane — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 06:28:20 +0000

eBay and Skype should’ve got together and sorted out some sort of browser based skype application so buyers and sellers could launch a call from within the listing rather than hoping that the buyer and seller both have the skype client installed and setting up the call themselves.

By: Vini - Triimart

Vini - Triimart — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:21:37 +0000

There are ways to use skype in ecommerce business. I don’t know why they are thinking to sell it. It could be a better tool to provide communication between a seller and buyer.

By: YouYap.com

YouYap.com — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:18:03 +0000

It was a dumb buy. There pay too much money.
Now there going to sell it at discount. This is another dumb invevstment. Investing in a site to compete with craigslist http://www.olx.com/ I think there will go deal just like live deal. I wish I can get money to invest on my website.
YouYap.com

By: Mo Kakwan

Mo Kakwan — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:16:14 +0000

It might be worth to note that Oprah has been pushing Skype like crazy lately with her online class/book club thing. So there’s no question that Skype is very much in the mainstream public eye.

By: Web publishing SEO

Web publishing SEO — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 03:49:06 +0000

well, if 3 year ebay not able to use SKYPE in profitable why then i dont think so they will do anything in 8 month so sale is sure no doubts about it.
I am against selling of old business as if ebay done any sort of JV with Google or any other expert then things may work. Reason of failuer of SKYPE is basically Ignorance, as ebay have main business of onlne shooping which have no relation with SKYPE, i cant find any similarity in ebays main business and SKYPE, they purchased SKYPE to support its core ecommerce business, this is wrong decision they have taken for example If i have business of Rent a CAR will not going to purchase Petrol Pump in order to fule Car here they goes wrong .. what u think ?

By: TechCrunch Japanese アーカイブ » eBayトップ、スカイプ売却を臭わす発言を米誌にポロリ

TechCrunch Japanese アーカイブ » eBayトップ、スカイプ売却を臭わす発言を米誌にポロリ — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 03:26:23 +0000

[…] [原文へ] […]

By: ZiZi

ZiZi — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 03:20:55 +0000

Well, I am willing to make an offer if they really want to get rid of skype.. but they have to be extremely flexible with me.

By: Allan

Allan — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 03:12:26 +0000

@10 - I don’t think Joe T has ever raised any money from VCs before.

However, he is right that some companies find pretty crazy reasons to buy something. There are many reasons for this including executive compensation. CEOs are sometimes incentivized to make acquisitions to grow their corporate empire. CEO salaries, bonuses, and options are in some cases levered to how large their firm’s market cap is. The bigger it gets, even if through unwise mergers, gives him/her a short term boost in compensation. When the average corporate CEO lasts no more than 2-4 years, it’s pretty easy to focus on the short term.

At any rate, they better not mess up my Skype.

By: Joe T

Joe T — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 03:01:56 +0000

Really bizarre.

When a VC looks at a prospective financing deal, they vet the company fully, turn over every stone, and examine every grain of sand under an electron microscope. It’s called due diligence and the process lasts months. And there’s a huge measure of mystery, ritual, and gravitas surrounding the whole thing. Entrepreneurs are told stuff like if they have one too many PowerPoint slides in their stack, the VCs will laugh like a buch of high school jocks, and the deal will be killed. There’s a load of solemnity, mystery, and pomposity involved. Make one misstep and you’re over. And you goddamned well better have a clear-cut revenue model that flows trippingly off your tongue so the guy with the Harvard MBA and the six science degrees can be blown away in your 2-minute elevator pitch.

But when an obese Internet giant like eBay gets the muchies and wants to gobble up a hot new tech company, they throw due diligence out the window and say, “Revenue model? We don’t need no stinkin’ revenue model!!” They buy the company first and talk revenue models three years later, before they’ve netted a red cent.

Call me naïve but this whole scenario has me laughing.

By: Dr. Kuldeep C. Mahindra

Dr. Kuldeep C. Mahindra — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 02:58:24 +0000

Skype is a great brand and I think they made the writedown on Skype prematurely, especially if something as trivial as Slide get a half a billion valuation.

However, there are no synergies between eBay and Skype.

Virgin Mobile owned Skype could go places.