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Google May Take on eBay

The search giant is poised to jump into e-commerce with a service called Google Base.

Google on Tuesday appeared close to launching a service called Google Base that would pit the search giant against eBay, Amazon, and Craigslist by allowing users to list everything from used cars to real estate.

A screen shot of the service appeared on several web sites, although Google appears to have blocked access to the page shortly after it was discovered. The service invited users to “Post your items on Google” and appeared online at base.Google.com.

Analysts said the service could be linked with a long-anticipated payments service, pitting Google against eBay, Amazon’s auction service, and Craigslist, the popular community listing service. eBay acquired 25 percent of the equity in Craigslist in August 2004

Google shares fell $1.74 to close at $346.91 during Tuesday’s trading session, but rose $0.18 to $347.09 in after-hours trading as speculation about the service spread. eBay shares fell $1.41 to close at $38.01, then lost another $0.07 in after-hours trading. Amazon shares fell $0.76 to $46.17 during the regular session, then tumbled $3.57 to $42.60 in after-hours trading as the e-tailer warned its sales won’t meet analysts’ expectations in the fourth quarter.

Tie to Payment Service
If the service becomes a reality, it would likely be linked to the new payment service that Google is expected to launch any day. Analysts said the service could be supported either by ads or linked to the payment service.

By allowing users to post real estate listings and used cars, it could create new rivals for Mountain View, California-based Google. However, it could also go beyond that by providing a common repository for descriptions of all sorts of information, from calendars to scientific data.

Resource: Herherring

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