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Still Waiting To See The Magical Synergies Of The eBay-Skype Merger
from the still-waiting... dept
Plenty of folks were pretty damn skeptical when eBay bought Skype last year for somewhere between $2.6 billion and $4.1 billion (depending on various milestones). After all, none of official reasons given for the deal made that much sense. The company touted two main things. First, that since many Skype users were in China and many eBay users were in the US, it would somehow open up new markets for eBay by encouraging Chinese Skype users to use eBay. Why? That part was missing, and it hasn't helped much that China has threatened to ban Skype at times. The other big reason was that it would let eBay buyers and sellers chat with each other by voice -- but, again, this made little sense since neither side has seemed particularly interested in talking to each other.
Now the International Herald Tribune has written up an article looking back at the Skype-eBay deal to see how it's gone. The article tries to be balanced, talking to some people who think it still doesn't make sense, and others who think it was a good deal -- but they offer up little to actually support that. The numbers they throw out are for "downloads," a number that pre-eBay Skype used to toss around for hype purposes, but which are effectively meaningless. The IHT falls into the trap, though, comparing the number of downloads to the total number of worldwide internet users -- never once questioning how many people may have downloaded the software multiple times, how many people downloaded the software and never used it, or how many people checked it out and then stopped using it. If downloads were all that mattered, Skype could just set up a program to keep downloading more copies. What matters is users -- and paying users -- and on that note it looks like Skype may be plateauing. Total voice calls actually dropped last quarter, and despite the number of downloads, if you log into Skype the number of other users listed being online hasn't really changed very much over the past year. In other words, we're still no closer to understanding what value eBay saw in Skype, and it's not clear that anyone at eBay really knows either.
Now the International Herald Tribune has written up an article looking back at the Skype-eBay deal to see how it's gone. The article tries to be balanced, talking to some people who think it still doesn't make sense, and others who think it was a good deal -- but they offer up little to actually support that. The numbers they throw out are for "downloads," a number that pre-eBay Skype used to toss around for hype purposes, but which are effectively meaningless. The IHT falls into the trap, though, comparing the number of downloads to the total number of worldwide internet users -- never once questioning how many people may have downloaded the software multiple times, how many people downloaded the software and never used it, or how many people checked it out and then stopped using it. If downloads were all that mattered, Skype could just set up a program to keep downloading more copies. What matters is users -- and paying users -- and on that note it looks like Skype may be plateauing. Total voice calls actually dropped last quarter, and despite the number of downloads, if you log into Skype the number of other users listed being online hasn't really changed very much over the past year. In other words, we're still no closer to understanding what value eBay saw in Skype, and it's not clear that anyone at eBay really knows either.
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Reader Comments (rss)
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Forced use of paypal
I have half my familiy living in another country and would use SkypeOut regularily, if I could, but it keeps refusing payment by credit cards, that seem to work nicely everywhere else on the web - and then suggest, that I try paypal instead.
I've talked to loads of people, who all have the same problem. I'm not calling a conspiracy here, but you would think that others companys without their own payment system would act, if their clients were unable to transfer money to their account.
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Re: Forced use of paypal
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Re: Re: Forced use of paypal
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Forced to read worthless crap.
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eBay & Skype.. a lonely couple
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Check out other options
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Re: eBay & Skype.. a lonely couple
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free calls
BiraRai
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Skype numbers
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Re: Forced use of paypal
I am using Skype, and I like it, just wish they hadn't sold out to eBay. I give eBay about 6 more months to ruin them.
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what happens in 2007?
Skype has been eerily absent from eBay speak for the past few months. It seems that a company as big as eBay can only focus on one thing at a time, whether that's auctions, express, skype or whatever.
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Re: Forced use of paypal
I see this discussion may be dated, but I'm annoyed as I'm still having exactly the problem you describe.
It's like they are trying to refuse my business/my money. It's a strange "commercial" - or in their case anti-commercial attitude.
I was seeking understanding but I guess some things are just plain opaque.!
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Re: People, comments, and commas.
%)
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