eBay, whose successful Internet auction site has spawned countless copycat services, said it is veering back into traditional retailing with the launch of an "eBay Stores" service.
The company said it is setting up eBay Stores as a way for frequent sellers on its site to establish their own specialised shopping destinations, where they can sell their goods at auction, or for a fixed price if they prefer.
In a pilot program to be launched June 18, a small group of eBay sellers will have their own shops on the eBay Web site.
The company aspires to create an eBay Stores Hub, complete with a directory of all the participating stores.
One of the participants on eBay Stores will be computer giant IBM.
IBM plans to use its popular Web site as another distribution outlet, to compliment the business it does with major retail outlets, according to eBay.
"A lot of these big manufacturers like IBM are beginning to realise that a marketplace that has 30 million registered users is too big to ignore," eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove said.
In exchange for the buyer loyalty the new service will bring, participating sellers will pay eBay a premium monthly subscription fee, in addition to regular listing and "final value" fees that are charged to all eBay sellers.
