eBay bets a picture will bring 1,000 bids
eBay teams with iPix to give auction participants the option of including a picture of their car or antique for sale on the leading auction site.
Beginning this fall, eBay users will be able to upload up to two images of their auction items to Internet Pictures (iPix) for free through the leading auction site. The two companies also plan to allow access to enhanced image features such as slide shows and zooming photos.
"We know that photo hosting capabilities have been one of the most requested features by the community," eBay said in a message to users on its announcement board. "We are very excited about this relationship, and we look forward to your input on this exciting new service."
Many online auctions not only offer a text description of the auction item but also a picture or drawing of the item. But to date, eBay sellers have had to turn to outside sources to host images of their auction items.
Several auction portals, including AuctionWatch, GoTo Auctions and AuctionWorks.com provide free image hosting services. eBay sellers have also used their own Web accounts on Internet service providers such as AOL and MSN to host their auction images.
iPix's flagship product is its iPix viewer, which allows users to see a 360-degree view of a photograph or image.