eBay received approximately $1.9 billion in cash and a note from the buyer in the principal amount of $125 million. eBay retains approximately 30% equity investment in Skype. The company also purchased senior debt securities with a face value of $50 million as part of a Skype debt financing.

Josh Silverman posted to the Skype blog here.

Cheers,
RBH

Climate Counts also found that the improved scores of a number of the companies it evaluates were more than just incremental. Scores surged for previously low-scoring companies like eBay (a jump of 48 points), US Airways (up 43 points to match most of the top scorers in a relatively low-scoring sector), Apple (up 41 points), and Levi Strauss (up 36 points) when many such companies became much more engaged in quantifying and reducing their impact on climate change and in supporting public policy on climate (or opposing the climate positions of groups like the US Chamber of Commerce).

Climate Counts uses a 22-criteria scorecard to track corporate climate action in four key areas: measurement of impact; reduction of impact; engagement on public policy related to climate change; and openness and transparency with consumers on corporate climate activities.

The 5 Companies profiled in the Internet/Software Sector were as follows:
Microsoft — 61
eBay — 53
Google — 52
Yahoo! — 46
Amazon.com — 14

A PDF of the full eBay scorecard can be viewed here.

53 out of a possible 100 means we still have a long way to go but it’s a great step forward for eBay and a testament to everyone involved with the eBay Green Team. Congrats!

Cheers!
RBH

From the Government Relations team:
Everyday lawmakers in Washington, D.C. and state capitals around the nation are debating legislation that could impact your ability to successfully run a business on eBay. These public policies range from retail price fixing (laws allowing manufacturers to set a price below which you can’t sell your goods) or requiring you to collect & pay sales taxes on all of your out-of-state sales, to forcing eBay sellers to become licensed auctioneers (hog calling classes, anyone?).

We’ve read the bills and written the talking points. Now we want to hear firsthand — from you — how a law or other government regulation has impacted your eBay business. Or tell us how enactment of a proposed law could impact your business in the future. Thanks for participating and we look forward to hearing your story!

One winner will be chosen from qualified entries. The official winner will be treated to a free trip for four to our nation’s capital in 2010, including airfare for four and hotel accommodations for two nights in Washington, D.C. Subject to restrictions and monetary limitations; see Official Rules for more details. While in town the winner (and 3 guests) will also be provided with a private tour of the U.S. Capitol building. Click here for Official Rules. Contest ends 12/4/2009!

For more information regarding the contest and rules about submitting, check out the eBay Mainstreet contest page.

You can also learn more about a variety of legislative issues relevant to the eBay Community by checking out the current list of eBay policy papers.

Cheers!
RBH

We all have family members and/or friends that have served, or are still serving, their country in some capacity. My Grandpa fought in World War II (my Grandma, for that matter, was in the Women’s Land Army). My father-in-law was a tank driver in the army. His father was a Colonel under General Patton and I’ve had many friends that have fought in more recent conflicts – from the Falklands to the Gulf War.

I saw the following video when I first joined eBay. It’s a sweet, stirring story of how one eBay seller, Frank Sebroski, and a buyer, Gene Kieffer, gave a World War II veteran, Lee Nisperly, a Christmas he would never forget.

To all the men and women who have worn a uniform defending our freedom… making it so I can go home each day and feel safe with my wonderful family, I thank you and I’ll raise a pint in your honor tonight.

Cheers,
RBH

It’s a good deal for eBay Motors users and not just because it’s free. Cars listed with a vehicle history report enjoy 15% more interest than those without. Many top dealers already offer vehicle history reports because of the increased sales that come with transparency. With more than 10 million unique visitors browsing its vehicle listings every month, eBay Motors already sells a passenger car every minute.

Vehicle History Reports
This is the first time that eBay has leveraged a third party by embedding outside data into listings worldwide. Experian was tapped for the exclusive two-year partnership after a lengthy selection process, and won for the amount of quality data included in every report.

Each vehicle report is summed up with a score between one and one hundred relative to other vehicles of similar model year and class that also considers whether the car has been:
• Stolen, salvaged or rebuilt
• Turned in under a lemon law
• In a flood or hail storm
• In an accident or fire
• A victim of potential odometer rollback
• Used as a rental or fleet vehicle, or as a police car or taxi

I’ve been told that the most significant pain point among eBay Motors buyers is vehicle not as described. Most issues arise from a misunderstanding about expectations and frequently the complaint relates to something that even the seller is not aware of. With a comprehensive, independent vehicle history report, the buyer and the seller can share the same up-front information. It seems to be a win-win for both parties.

Cheers,
RBH

In a nutshell, as of last Thursday, Luxembourg’s National Data Protection Commission (CNPD) has formally approved eBay’s binding corporate rules (BCRs) for privacy compliance for both customers and employees. The data protection authorities in the other 13 EU Member States where eBay operates have also accepted the CNPD’s findings and assessment, under a mutual recognition procedure.

eBay’s approval represents a number of firsts:
• eBay is the first eCommerce company to receive this approval;
• It is the first time a company has received approval for both employee and customer BCRs in less than 12 months time;
• It is the first BCR approval led by the Luxembourg DPA.

“We are excited to have met this major European data privacy milestone and to have been the first eCommerce company to do so. We are delighted at this recognition of our commitment to high privacy standards for our employees and customers,” said Scott Shipman, the Global Privacy Leader for eBay Inc. “Data protection and privacy remains a key focus for eBay Inc. as we continue to foster users’ trust in our online platforms. The cooperation and communication eBay received from the CNPD and the other DPAs was greatly appreciated and made the project a success.”

About BCRs
BCRs are strict rules and procedures that ensure a consistent and high standard of protection for individuals’ privacy. The approval means that all the data protection authorities are satisfied that the eBay Inc. group BCRs provide an adequate level of protection for eBay customers and employees, in relation to the processing of personal data and personal information transferred by eBay Inc. group members.

The President of the CNPD, Gerard Lommel stated, “We were very pleased with the exceptional work provided by eBay, by the quality of the documents elaborated and by the constructive dialogue in the process of validation and implementation of eBay’s binding corporate rules, and are proud to have brought the international coordination procedure to a successful end.”

Although trust and safety might not seem as sexy as say, the next mobile app for iPhone, this news does stand as another clear endorsement of eBay’s efforts with regard to online privacy. Had to share.

Cheers,
RBH

New Offerings Demonstrate Potential to Change the Future of Payments

Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA) worked with PayPal to support application payments in the Java Store Beta and enhancements to the beta user experience. A consumer-facing storefront enabling the discovery and purchase of Java™ and JavaFX™ applications, the Java Store Beta offers an unequaled distribution mechanism for reaching more than 800 million desktop Java users worldwide and driving potential revenue opportunities through the sale of innovative content.

Carlson Marketing teamed with PayPal to provide another redemption option for participants in client loyalty and engagement programs. Participants now can redeem their program points for specific PayPal dollar amounts. The money can be deposited into their own PayPal accounts or can be given as a gift. Participants simply select the PayPal reward from an online catalog, and within minutes they will receive an e-mail confirming the transaction.

ShopSavvy, the comparison shopping application with more than 3 million users worldwide, now offers mobile payments utilizing PayPal X. PayPal’s first suite of application programming interfaces (APIs), Adaptive Payments, makes it possible for ShopSavvy users to immediately purchase items through their PayPal accounts after they scan the product barcode with their mobile phone cameras.

Payvment today introduced an e-commerce application that allows anyone to easily create a retail store on Facebook. By harnessing the power of PayPal X, customers will now be able to shop from multiple vendors in a single shopping cart, turning Facebook into an online shopping mall.

MedPayOnline uses PayPal X to power its patient payment system, which addresses the payments needs of the $2.3 trillion healthcare market for patient payments. Using Adaptive Payments, the new application allows anyone to easily pay their medical providers online.

Storenvy today launched as an online store system and social shopping community, connecting independent merchants with shoppers in a social setting. Storenvy’s social shopping features allow consumers to interact and see each others’ tastes and comments on products across all stores, creating a crowd-curated selection of “Most Popular” items for new users to discover. Adaptive Payments allows Storenvy shoppers to use one shopping cart and make one payment transaction, even when buying from multiple stores or multiple countries.

Cheers!
RBH

“The addition of these new currencies makes it even easier to use PayPal around the world,” said Scott Thompson, PayPal’s president. “Consumers have more choice in how they pay, merchants can conduct business in more markets around the world, and developers can now create multi-currency applications built on PayPal X.”

Remember, if you want to follow my live-blogging of PayPal X, please check out my Twitter feed @ebayinkblog. I’ll continue to update Ink with news as I receive it.
Cheers!
RBH

New Capabilities for Adaptive Payments
PayPal unveiled new capabilities and enhancements for its Adaptive Payments APIs, expanding payment functionality for multiple recipients and on multiple platforms. New capabilities include:

Currency conversion: Fast, easy global payment apps, automatically converting currencies using current exchange rates.
Pay Anyone: For financial and other institutions to let their customers send money when logged in to their bank accounts. Their customers won’t need a PayPal account to use the service.
Pre-approvals: Enables developers to create reusable payments agreements between buyers and sellers. While payment approval happens online, the actual money movement can occur offline at different intervals, and through multiple devices that are not necessarily Internet-connected at the time.
Send Money: Developers can build person-to-person (P2P) solutions or business-to-business (B2B) payment applications on their platform of choice – whether it’s the mobile phone or a social networking site.
Chained Payments: Developers can take a cut or distribute funds from PayPal payments as they happen.
Parallel payments: Developers can enable buyers to send money to several people in one payment, which is ideal for purchasing multiple items from different sellers, or even for payroll applications.

Introducing Adaptive Accounts
PayPal introduced a beta of its Adaptive Accounts API to provide a streamlined signup experience for people who don’t have PayPal accounts, while maintaining security and privacy of consumer data. With the new API, developers can create PayPal accounts for their customers from within their applications.

New Pricing for Services Payments
Starting in Q2 2010, PayPal will offer pricing for developers building applications in markets that are traditionally served by cash and checks, such as rent, consulting businesses or payroll.

The introductory pricing is:
A flat fee of 50 cents for service transactions funded by a bank account or PayPal account balance, with a three-day settlement period; or a 0.75 percent fee for service transactions funded by a bank account or PayPal account balance, with instant settlement.

Mobile Embedded Payment Toolkit Beta
A key component of PayPal X will be the mobile payment software development kit (SDK), which makes it easier for developers to integrate PayPal into mobile applications to buy physical goods. With just a few lines of code, developers can add a checkout button to accept mobile payments without having to worry about collecting any financial information. The mobile SDK, which will initially support iPhone, will be available in the first half of 2010.

“Mobile transactions have been notoriously tough to monetize,” said Osama Bedier, PayPal’s vice president of platform. “With the new SDK, just tell us how much you want to get paid and what the payment is for, and the funds will be transferred in seconds, not days or weeks.”

X.com Developer Portal
PayPal also unveiled X.com, a new developer portal that contains all the information developers need to create applications built with PayPal X. All general sessions at Innovate 2009 can be viewed live from x.com, and all sessions from the conference will be available for viewing at x.com after the conference.

I’ll keep everyone posted with news from here at PayPal X Innovate 09 as it comes out.

Related Links:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/a-growing-paypal-could-soon-overshadow-parent-ebay/

http://mashable.com/2009/11/04/paypal-id/

http://venturebeat.com/2009/11/04/paypal-woos-developers-with-150k-challenge/

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/paypal-seeks-new-ways-to-use-its-payment-system/

http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/11/05/paypal-on-track-to-lead-ebay-opens-doors-to-outside-developers/

http://gigaom.com/2009/11/03/paypals-partially-open-platform-to-usher-in-new-payment-models-apps/

http://tamebay.com/2009/11/paypal-x-dev-con-spawns-facebook-shopping-mall.html

http://econsultancy.com/blog/4907-paypal-turns-to-developers-in-its-quest-for-world-domination

Cheers,
RBH