• Reuters, Tuesday, June 17, 2008 11:17 AM

Online auctioneer eBay has officially entered the "open" movement, by unveiling a plan on Monday that lets outside software programs work inside the world's largest ecommerce site. The move, eBay executives said, is designed to help both developers and sellers make more money, by allowing third-party software programs to work inside eBay's Selling Manager.

"Rather than having eBay try to build every feature, we should open up the platform and integrate others' work," Max Mancini, senior director of platforms and disruptive innovation told Reuters. "We have realized that we need to allow sellers and developers to get together a little bit more easily."

EBay, like other Web sites that have embraced openness, seeks to benefit from the innovation brought by third-party software developers. In turn, the developers are rewarded with new ways to make money. The ecommerce giant will promote third party software to its auction sellers, and then take a cut of resulting sales. The company would then vet each program to ensure it meets the site's guidelines for trustworthiness, Mancini said.

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