eBay Going International

Online auctioneer eBay is partnering with an Australian Internet media company to take its person-to-person auctions to Australia and New Zealand.

The joint venture with PBL Online, announced late Tuesday, calls for customized versions of the eBay home page to be created for Australia and New Zealand residents later this year.

No other terms of the deal were disclosed.

Meg Whitman, eBay’s president and chief executive officer, said the company is eager to expand its international trading community.

“We are looking forward to working with PBL Online, our first international joint venture for eBay. We believe that PBL Online is one of the best positioned Internet media companies in the region,” she said.

Daniel Petre, PBL Online’s chairman, said the partnership will allow his company to work with one of the world’s leading e-commerce giants.

“The partnership is a great opportunity for PBL Online to introduce the eBay service in Australia and New Zealand,” he said.

eBay continues to be one of the most successful e-commerce companies on the Web, growing from 1.2 million registered users in October 1998 to 2.1 million by the end of last year.