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eBay has rolled out "eBay To Go," its first widget, intended to promote eBay listings by enabling users to easily create and embed cut-and-paste code snippets on off-eBay blogs, social networking sites and websites. The widget allows up to 10 items or a favorite search to be featured, with installation instructions located at http://togo.ebay.com. More specific instructions are given for code placement on such social networking and blogging sites as Myspace, Wordpress, Blogger, Friendster, Yahoo 360, TypePad, Live Journal and Tagged. In beta and Flash-based, it's only available in the U.S. but can be used by anyone, including people not registered at eBay.

The widget is not without its problems and skeptics, though, based on comments on the eBay To Go discussion board and the eBay Stores board. eBayers noted that Myspace disables outbound API links, such that the widget is seen but doesn't work. Stephen Chang of "Buyer Engagement" responded on the To Go board to one such complaint, saying: "I believe you're right. We're trying our best to make eBay To Go fully functional within most popular embed environments."

We did find three working examples of "To Go" at other blog platforms and social networking sites, although usually the widget said shipping was unspecified but was, in fact, specified when one followed the merchandise link to eBay.

Using the search box within the widget takes the customer out of a seller's items and to a larger eBay search: in one case, we looked at a wallet in a widget and clicking on "search" within the seller's widget brought up a display of five Mercedes-Benz cars for sale on eBay. Clicking on the link to the seller profile failed to connect in our tests, although we're told that this leads to "My World" pages instead of to the potentially more useful "About Me" pages. Our test of embedding the snippet on a Yahoo 360 blog failed.

Additionally, the To Go widget isn't available as a tool for affiliates, according to Chang. It's unclear whether store referral credits can be garnered through the widget. There were complaints from sellers who wondered why they would want to put To Go on their websites to drive business to eBay, with no remuneration from eBay for placement of what, in essence, they perceived as free advertising for eBay. To make matters worse, the widget is oversized and doesn't fit into the conventional space allotted for vertical sidebars in blogs.

Some eBay users posting on boards were not enthusiastic about posting eBay ads on their sites. Cockytoo wrote, "It seems to me that if eBay wants a "sponsored link" on my website, they can pay me for one."

In comparison, Auction Ads (http://www.auctionads.com) allows website monetization by displaying live eBay auction listings next to related copy. Click-throughs leading to a winning bid, buy-it-now or user registration at eBay pays out "a minimum of 100% of eBay commission revenue."

eBay seller chopsueysisters wrote on a message board that To Go placement might result in decreased page rank (PR). She wrote: "Sellers have been reporting that some search engines, like Microsoft Live, have flagged their site pages and that decreased their page rank. They are using the API or media kit. A lot of what eBay provides us is spammy to say the least so this shouldn't be a surprise. Can you provide any solid information as to whether applying eBay To Go on our personal sites will not decrease page rank based on what scenario I've explained to you? Not speculative... factual."

We asked eBay to comment on eBay To Go. eBay spokesperson Usher Lieberman responded in an email, "eBay To Go is an internally developed tool meant to allow people to share the fun and quirky listings that comprise the highly entertaining content that is unique to eBay. We have seen the same comments as you have and have some news coming at eBay Live! about eBay To Go that should be very encouraging for sellers."

As for specific questions we had, Lieberman responded as follows:

1) No affiliate revenue - does eBay intend to allow affiliates to earn revenue on the To Go widget?

We recognize that eBay To Go has great potential for affiliates and we certainly hope they and others will test it out. At this point in its very early life, eBay To Go is not enabled with affiliate revenue links. Of course, it is something we're looking at. Remember, we are still testing how the widget behaves in a full production environment.

2) Not working on all social networking and blogging sites, and when working, "usually the widget said shipping was unspecified but was, in fact, specified when one followed the merchandise link to eBay."

With regards to social networking sites, yes, we recognize that there are sites out there that at this point are restricting the usage of monetized widgets. Of course there are other sites that fully embrace them because they recognize the benefit to their user community. We are in the business of expanding economic opportunities to all people and we would encourage those sites that restrict their communities from being entrepreneurial to reevaluate their position.

The "shipping information" issue speaks to our need to further refine this widget. That is a problem we have recognized with the widget, which by the way is still in beta, and we are working to correct it.

3) For a site that publishes To Go widgets, could that decrease the site's page rank?

That is not true, any more so than publishing a YouTube video on your site would decrease its page rank.
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Cathy Harned is a veteran newspaper reporter and freelance writer. She sells vintage postcards both on her website (http://www.vintagepostcards.org) and on eBay, where she is vintage_postcards. She blogs about antique postcards at http://vintage-postcards.blogspot.com. She has a master's degree in historic preservation and is a certified architectural historian. She and her husband, Randy Stewart, are avid collectors of Canadiana; many of the postcards at their website illustrate Northern Ontario history and are used to teach history and the built environment in Canadian schools.

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About the author:

Cathy Harned is a veteran newspaper reporter and freelance writer. She sells vintage postcards both on her website (http://www.vintagepostcards.org) and on eBay, where she is vintage_postcards. She blogs about antique postcards at http://vintage-postcards.blogspot.com. She and her husband also maintain two stores at Delcampe: http://www.delcampe.com/stores/vintagepostcards and http://www.delcampe.com/stores/postcardpiggy. She has a master's degree in historic preservation and is a certified architectural historian. She and her husband, Randy Stewart, are avid collectors of Canadiana; many of the postcards at their website illustrate Northern Ontario history and are used to teach history and the built environment in Canadian schools.

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