Ebay will next week take the first step towards integrating Skype into its e-commerce sites, as it attempts to prove the theory behind its controversial agreement to buy the internet voice service, says the Financial Times. The online auction company justified the deal, worth up to $4.1 billion, partly on the grounds that it would make direct communications between buyers and sellers on its auction and other e-commerce sites easier, removing part of the ‘friction’ that prevents deals being closed and so adding to overall online buying. Doubts about the value of the deal, however, have been one of the factors hanging over the company’s shares in recent months.

Posted: 06|14|06 at 9:46 am. Filed under: Online Auctions.