Ebay And Sanook To Launch New Site In Thailand

[LaoPo]

eBay and Sanook to Launch New Site in Thailand

By Ina Steiner

May 28, 2007

eBay announced an agreement with Sanook, a leading online portal in Thailand, to launch an ecommerce site that will enable individuals and businesses in Thailand to participate in local trade as well as cross border trade through eBay's global Web sites. Under this revenue-sharing agreement, the co-branded site, called Sanook! eBay, will be managed and operated under a newly formed Sanook subsidiary. The Thai-language local site is expected to launch in approximately five to seven months. Once the site is launched, Thailand will be the 38th market where eBay has a local presence.

According to the press announcement, Sanook.com was established in 1998 as a subsidiary of MIH Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Naspers Limited. Naspers Limited (JSE:NPN)(NASDAQ:NPSN), is a multinational media company operating in 50 countries. Its principal operations include electronic media (including pay-television, Internet and instant-messaging subscriber platforms and the provision of related technologies) and print media (including the publishing, distribution and printing of magazines, newspapers and books, and the provision of private education services). Sanook offerings are search engine, marketplace, entertainment, infotainment, communication, social networking, mobile services, online advertising and search marketing.

"The ecommerce community in Thailand is among the most active we've seen anywhere," said Lorrie Norrington, president, eBay international marketplaces. "Through this agreement, we are combining our core competency in cross border trade with Sanook's local market expertise to deliver the best e-commerce experience for Thai users, enabling them to not only engage in domestic trade but also to buy from and sell to the world."

source:

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m05/i28/s03

LaoPo

[Totster]

Moved to tech forum.

totster

[Jai Dee]

eBay launches Thai auction site

US e-commerce firm partners with Sanook

Fewer than six months after reducing its commitment in China, eBay will make a new foray into Asia, this time in Thailand, the company said on Monday.

The auction company will join Thai portal Sanook Online to create a Thai-language e-commerce site, expected to launch in five to seven months, the companies said. They did not specify what type of e-commerce it will be in terms of fixed-price storefronts or online auctions.

EBay said the site will operate on a revenue-sharing basis, but did not specify the revenue split.

The auction company has had mixed results in Asia. In December last year, eBay announced it would move from ownership of its own site, eBay Eachnet, to a joint-venture arrangement with Tom Online, which now holds a 51 percent stake. The transition came after eBay Eachnet lost its lead as China's top auction site to rival Taobao.com, owned by Alibaba.com.

In June 2006, the company turned over its Taiwan operations to PC Home, and laid off most of its 40 employees. It had entered that market through the acquisition of a locally-based online auction company in 2002. EBay shuttered its Japan operations in 2002 after failing to gain traction or take market share from Yahoo Japan's auction site. It operates neither a stand-alone nor joint venture site there, where Yahoo continues to dominate.

Source: PC Advisor - 29 May 2007