In its search for growth, eBay Inc. is starting to go after teenagers’ wallets, teaming with social-networking sites to lure younger customers.
The San Jose, Calif., online auctioneer is working on launching a feature for visitors to social-networking company Bebo Inc., which caters largely to teenagers. The idea is, Bebo users would be able to use the site to post lists of items they want to sell or buy on eBay. Clicking on an item on the list would send Bebo users to eBay, bringing eBay a potentially lucrative stream of new visitors.
One potential downside: Establishing a presence on the popular social-networking sites gives some eBay critics a high-profile forum for their gripes. At Facebook’s “Student Superstore” group, which recently counted more than 1,900 members, one student posted a message that read, “how cool ebay on facebook…” But another commented, “Half ripped me off don’t use them.”
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