eBay Goes Widget Crazy

[jmiller]

eBay made another flurry of announcements this week, this time about four APIs announced during the eBay Developers Conference. The APIs follow the current mashup meme, allowing webmasters and developers to incorporate eBay listings and collect referral fees.

The eBay Developers Conference meets annually to highlight affiliate opportunities in commerce, communications and Web integration, covering topics like blogs and wikis, AJAX, XUL, and tagging. This year's conference offered ways to create widgets for more targeted eBay Web presence, including soon to be launched eBay Express, a website still in preview mode, an online store that works more like a traditional retail store than an auction (no bidding).

eBay Express Search API: Greg Isaacs, director of eBay Developers Program, points to Verizon's Superpages.com to illustrate how this API can be utilized. Do a search for [iPod] in the shopping section of the site, and a tab will appear presenting eBay listings for that item. Verizon receives a share (40-70%) of transactions completed at eBay that originate with clicks from the site.

eBay Express Shopping Cart API: This API allows developers that list eBay items on websites to add a shopping cart that users can fill directly from eBay.com, without having to go to the eBay listing directly.

eBay Product Info API: This one allows developers to create a clarification mechanism first and then incorporate product reviews and descriptions websites. A search for [Harry Potter] for example will prompt the user to specify whether they mean the book or movie. Clicking on one of the choices brings up information about the movie and a link to where it can be bought.

Contextual Keywords API beta: Allows affiliates to add HTML to a website or blog that will scan content and display listings based on it. If eBay scans the word "cars," for example, cars available to eBay users will be listed on the site.

The APIs are open and customizable to make them unique to a developer's needs.

"The eBay portfolio of businesses offers a powerful combination of commerce, payments, and communication tools for the new generation of developers and entrepreneurs," said Isaacs.

eBay is also expected to announce today the details about how it plans to incorporate Skype into its auction site for a click-to-call service. Newsweek reported Sunday that Skype links will be added in a few categories that includes cars, real estate and diamond rings.

[Inksupplier]

eBay reminds me of the cat that has been cornered by hounds and has no where to turn and so they are turning in every direction trying to get out of their self induced slump. This is just one more approach that will fail again. eBay’s stocks are failing miserably and their disingenuous obnoxious tactics in the way they have treated their auctioneers has caught up to them. I can still remember the day I sent eBay my final notice of my disgust in the treatment they afforded me and I told them in no uncertain terms that their day of reckoning was not far down the road. That was about 18 months ago when eBay stock almost hit $60.00 a share. My predictions have come true. As I write this they are at a pathetic $30.00. You can't treat your customers like dirt forever and get away with it. It will eventually catch up you. Now they are scrambling in every direction trying to pull their feet out of the quagmire they buried themselves in. Good luck eBay, you’ll need it. Better yet, start writing letters of apology to all your members and then start practicing good moral business ethics and treat your customers like you yourselfs would like to be treated.
Disgusted with ebay.

[caromero1965]

I might be interested in trying to work the eBay contextual search APIs into a web site I have... but right now the main source of revenue on that site is Google Adsense, and it seems like there's a ban on other contextual-based advertising on the same site as Google Adsense... so, oh well.

I may look into some of the other capabilities but with only referral revenue at stake, this is probably too uncertain a proposition to chase...

[brian.mark]

Originally Posted by caromero1965

I might be interested in trying to work the eBay contextual search APIs into a web site I have... but right now the main source of revenue on that site is Google Adsense, and it seems like there's a ban on other contextual-based advertising on the same site as Google Adsense... so, oh well.

I may look into some of the other capabilities but with only referral revenue at stake, this is probably too uncertain a proposition to chase...

The ban is on the same page... not the same site. You're free to experiment on other pages within your site.

Brian.