eBay networks with Bebo

Less than a month after news of eBay linking up with social networking site MySpace the Wall Street Journal reports eBay have a new alliance with Bebo.Similar to the MySpace deal users would be able to post lists of items they wish to sell or buy, clicking on an item would send them to the eBay site.

Bebo is popular with teenagers and what hasn’t been made clear is just how they’ll limit the feature to users over the age of 18. To use Bebo you have to be 13 or older, MySpace has a minimum age requirement of 14. The Wall Street Journal say eBay is “starting to go after teenagers’ wallets, teaming with social-networking sites to lure younger customers“. Apart from the age restriction it begs the question just how much disposable income these potential eBayers may have. Certainly less than the typical eBayer who’s aged between 35 and 44. As MySpace and Bebo users turn from potential to actual income earners this could however be a great move to hook future buyers and sellers into the world of eBay.

It’s significant that eBay are targeting web 2.0 partnerships, In the future the web is likely to be driven more by what you want to do, than which site you log onto first in the morning. By partnering with social networking sites eBay are starting to prepare for the Internet of the future.