eBay Launches Redesigned Site

eBay Inc. Wednesday rolled out a revamped site design which aims to simplify trading by providing more direct access to eBay's popular features and services.

New features on the site include one-click access to the "browse," "services" and "search" sections and direct access to My eBay, which allows users to easily track bids and the status of items they are offering for sale. as well as conduct customized auction searches via e-mail. A photo catalog of auction items has also been added.

In addition, users are automatically directed through a checklist of SafeHarbor options as each bid is placed, including insurance.

A new help section offers frequently asked questions, customer support and a glossary of eBay terms and lingo.

eBay began a user feedback request campaign in April and hosted focus groups and one-on-one user testing of the new pages with eBay and non-eBay users. eBay received 23,000 responses to online surveys posted on the new site, one of which revealed that nearly 80 percent prefer the new design to the original.

"Our users' feedback is essential to making sure we're meeting the needs of our rapidly expanding community and maintaining our leadership role as the personal trading site people prefer most," said Michael Wilson, senior vice president, product development and site operations at eBay.

The April Media Metrix report ranked eBay the third most popular site on the Internet. During the first quarter of this year, the number of registered users jumped from 2.1 million to 3.8 million.