Ebay.com, the magazine?

The Net's hottest auction site adopts a new medium to reach its fans -- paper.

Published April 20, 1999 4:00PM (EDT)

In the online auction world of Ebay, digital transactions may turn on a dime. But that doesn't mean the company can't eye the slower-paced print industry. Say hello to Ebay.com, the magazine: a decidedly paper publication, appearing soon on a newsstand near you.

Ebay.com will launch in July, produced by Krause Publications, a specialty publisher that puts out 37 niche enthusiast magazines, like Gun List: The Indexed Firearms Paper. Jim Gleim, executive publisher of Krause, describes the Ebay spinoff as a general magazine for online auction enthusiasts. "We'll be able to provide someone with the full cycle of the experience -- from getting your item online, purchased and shipped, to finding a good deal, to getting it appraised," he says. The magazine will also have hints for spending or investing your newly won auction riches online.

The original Ebay will serve primarily as namesake and inspiration for the magazine. Ebay staffers won't produce stories, but will contribute trend information, statistics and tidbits about interesting auctions. The magazine will, apparently, also report on events at other online auction companies.

How big is the market for a monthly print magazine about online auctions? Gleim estimates that initial circulation for the magazine will be 400,000; but he's optimistic about its growth -- Ebay, after all, has over 2.1
million members. Gleim chuckles, "If growth on Ebay and its traffic is an indication of what we can expect, we'll grow rapidly."


By Janelle Brown

Janelle Brown is a contributing writer for Salon.

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