EBay Inc is launching a new Web site aimed at international users as the Internet auction leader expands into classified advertising.
The San Jose, California-based company launched Kijiji.com on Feb. 28 as a place for users to buy and sell goods and services that are difficult or impossible to ship -- such as babysitting services in the Montreal suburbs or a matching leather ottoman and recliner in Beijing.
Users can post advertisements in local languages if they're looking for a new roommate or potential love interest, want to find someone to share driving expenses on an upcoming trip, or are looking for day laborers or longer-term employees.
EBay says the "intensely local" site was the brainchild of a group of entrepreneurial employees on the lookout for a fresh business opportunity.
"Kijiji" means "a village" in Swahili.
Stark contrast
The site, which lists items for more than 50 cities in Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, is a stark contrast to ebay.com.
Ebay.com is a global e-commerce destination where buyers and sellers rarely live in the same area.
They frequently ship goods worth thousands or millions of dollars across state and country lines.
"It's a great local trading platform, as opposed to eBay, whose whole focus is building a global platform for trade where geography is irrelevant," eBay spokesman Hani Durzy said.
Site use
EBay will not say how many people have used the site since its debut less than three weeks ago.
The site is not expected to affect this year's revenue.
Costs associated with the unit have been incorporated within the company's most recent financial outlook.
It's unlikely that eBay will launch a similar site for Americans, however, who comprise the company's largest single national audience.
That's because Kijiji is similar to craigslist, a popular online network of classified ads that a San Francisco programmer founded in 1995.
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