eBay To Purchase Skype For $2.6bn - $4.1bn

Well, it finally happened. eBay is finalizing an agreement to purchase the voice call over internet provider Skype for between $2.6bn abd $4.1bn depending on who you ask. Either way, that's a big Twinkie. The hope, from eBay's standpoint, is to strengthen the relationships of their enormous online community by providing a better way of communicating between buyers and sellers that would, presumably, increase the trust factor of their marketplace. Go here to read the full story. There is another earlier story located here on DesignTechnica.

What does this mean for users of both eBay and Skype? I think it's going to make the cost of eBay's already increasing seller fees go up further. I don't think I'm going to trust someone more just because I can place a call to them using Skype. It's not a replacement for reading feedback, and I'll be interested to see where this goes. Thoughts or comments?