eBay Launches Review & Compare Site

eBay today introduced product reviews and buying guides to help shoppers make more informed choices. eBay Reviews & Guides will enable member-generated product reviews and ratings as well as buying guides covering topics from purchasing a video camera to planning a wedding as a resource for buyers.

With about 55 million items across more than 50,000 categories on eBay at any given time, Reviews & Guides will offer online shoppers a valuable decision-making tool, said the company in a written release. "Tapping the combined expertise and opinions of eBay's community of 157 million users worldwide, Reviews & Guides over time is expected to become a powerful knowledge base - covering a huge selection of products - that is freely accessible to the public," it says.

"eBay's passionate, engaged community of millions of people is what sets our marketplace apart from ordinary e-commerce destinations," said Matt Ackley, eBay senior director of marketing. "By allowing eBay buyers and sellers to share their experiences and views with one another, we're tapping into a huge bank of expertise that can make buying all kinds of products much easier for the entire eBay community. And Reviews & Guides recognizes the spirit of sharing between our members that's been a defining trait of the eBay community since its earliest days."

Reviews can be created for specific products but not individual sellers' eBay listings, says eBay. Guides can be created for practically any topic, from buying a mountain bike to planning a family reunion. Currently, Reviews & Guides is in beta test on eBay and includes hundreds of reviews and guides created by eBay members and other subject matter experts. Many more Reviews & Guides will appear in the coming weeks and months.

According to eBay, any eBay member can write a product review or buying guide to appear on the site. Instructions and pointers on how to write useful reviews and guides appear on the Reviews & Guides hub which can be accessed at www.reviews.ebay.com or from the "Reviews and Guides" link on eBay's homepage under "Specialty Sites."

Additional features will be added over time, the company says. Coming in the next few months are special icons and profile pages for reviewers and the inclusion of top reviews from Epinions.com, Shopping.com's pioneering reviews platform.

Reviews and Guides are currently available on eBay.com. eBay says its international websites will launch the new feature in the coming months.

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