Sothebys.com to get boost with eBay alliance

By Brian Bergstein
Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. — EBay Inc. and Sotheby's are joining forces in a new partnership, matching the technology savvy of the leading player in Internet auctions with the high-end heft of one of the oldest names in real-world auctions.

The alliance, being announced today, shows how far eBay has come in just a few years, from a virtual flea market for Beanie Babies and hand-me-downs to an all-purpose trading platform with 42 million registered users.

It also indicates that Sotheby's needs to recharge its online sales and bring a wider variety of buyers into its auctions. Sotheby's lost $41.3 million in the first three quarters of 2001 and is recovering from a price-fixing scandal, while eBay is generating record profits.

"We've watched eBay with enormous admiration over the years," said David Redden, Sotheby's vice chairman. "I use eBay all the time."

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

As part of the new partnership, Sothebys.com, the online wing of the 258-year-old auction house, will be managed by eBay and linked to its voluminous trading pages, replacing the "eBay Premier" category, which has not grown as well as the company hoped since its launch last January.

That means the art, jewelry, antiques and other high-end collectibles for sale on Sothebys.com will come up when eBay users search for those kinds of items. Some of the items will come from Butterfields, an eBay-owned auction house based in San Francisco.

"We want Sothebys.com to grow and grow and grow," Redden said. "This is a remarkable way to bring just the most extraordinary audience to Sothebys.com."

The companies also will use eBay's platform to let buyers make online bids for items being sold at traditional Sotheby's auctions in New York and London. The auction house has allowed telephone bidding on live auctions for years.