San Jose, Calif. – EBay Inc. chief executive Meg Whitman said fees from online payments and Internet telephone services will spur revenue after sales last year grew at the slowest pace since the company went public in 1998.
EBay, the world’s largest online auctioneer, has begun extending credit through its PayPal payment service to buyers of expensive items such as high-definition televisions, Whitman told shareholders Tuesday at the company’s annual meeting in Las Vegas.
Its Skype phone service will eventually generate fees from leads driving sales of real estate and cars, she said.
EBay is “going to explore these new e-commerce revenue streams over the coming weeks and months,” Whitman said.
She left unchanged the San Jose, Calif.-based company’s forecast last month that 2006 revenue will be $5.7 billion to $5.9 billion.
