eBay Revives Live Auctions After a 5-Year Absence

In 2009, eBay CEO John Donahoe decided to close eBay Live Auctions, a live-bidding platform and seemingly successful part of its Marketplaces business. On Thursday, eBay announced it will launch a new live-bidding platform in partnership with Invaluable, formerly called Artfact. Gene Cook, eBay Marketplaces general manager of emerging verticals, told EcommerceBytes there won't be a special name for live auctions; rather, the live auctions will be "deeply integrated" into areas of the eBay site. A search on eBay for a collectible will bring up results for live auctions alongside listings for traditional auction and fixed-price listings.