Ebay vs Craigslist vs Expo

The CNBC commentary on Ebay was interesting. I always knew that Ebay carried a high market cap and it's reach worldwide has grown exponentially over the last decade, but 135 million users is crazy. Lately however, I find myself using Craigslist & Expo.com more since both are free and posting on either is plain and simple. The choices and options on Ebay sometimes are staggering if you are trying to post a small item.

I also use half.com alot for textbooks and movies, but I've stopped buying those now that HD-DVD & Blu-Ray are on the horizon. Anyways, back to the topic at hand. Long term, I wonder how Ebay will continue to grow. I'm all for trade amongst individuals, but at some point the amount of transactions is going to start plateauing. Unless they are able to penetrate new markets and countries, it's hard to imagine them doing doube-digit earnings year over year.

Their recent acquisition of Skype also has me puzzled. I'm not sure how it fits into their overall strategy, but if they could leverage Skype's VoIP technology to put buyers & sellers in touch with each other through their computers, then you can eliminate any confusion about auction listings, payment exchanges, etc.