Ebay

PayPal, the electronic payments arm of Internet auction site eBay Inc., is looking to add as many as "several hundred" jobs to its Boston operations, company officials said, becoming the latest name-brand technology company to expand its local presence. Governor Deval Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray met in November with top executives from PayPal, including then-president Scott Thompson, to talk about expanding the company's operations here. PayPal currently employs just over 100 people at its office in the North End, where it is developing software to bring its services and...

Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson is assuring his colleagues that he didn't supply the incorrect information that led the troubled Internet company to list a bogus college degree in his official biography, according to a person familiar with the matter. Thompson told other top Yahoo executives at a Thursday meeting that he never provided Yahoo with a resume or incorrect information about his academic credentials, the source said. The person asked not to be identified because the meeting was considered to be private.

SAN FRANCISCO - EBay Inc.'s customers don't need to open a Web browser to search the site or auction an item anymore. After a quick download, the online auctioneer's users can click the company's logo on their desktop and launch an application that will allow them to do their business directly - no browser required. EBay is one of several companies, including Nasdaq Stock Market Inc., Time Warner Inc.'s AOL, Nickelodeon and Salesforce.com Inc., that have created downloadable, desktop versions of their Web sites using software developed by Adobe Systems Inc. Adobe is launching the...

WASHINGTON - Meticulous record keeping by a retired radio engineer helped uncover a thief ripping off the National Archives, the country's most important repository of records. When J. David Goldin saw the recorded interview of baseball great Babe Ruth for sale on eBay he knew something was wrong. There was only one original record of that 1937 interview of Ruth, and Goldin had donated it to a government archive more than 30 years ago. Now someone was auctioning it off, the winning bid just $34.75.

NEW YORK - EBay Inc., the largest Internet marketplace, has acquired closely held Hunch.com to add technology that recommends products and services to shoppers. Terms were not disclosed. Hunch, introduced in 2009, delivers customized suggestions to users based on their tastes, using information from social networks and other websites, eBay said. Adding New York-based Hunch will help improve the shopping and selling experience for customers, eBay said. EBay has been investing in new products and making acquisitions as part of chief executive John Donahoe's turnaround effort.

NEW YORK — EBay Inc. may be the biggest online clothing seller, but it’s still known for selling other people’s castoffs. Now it wants shoppers to think of it when looking for trendy duds like hipster jeans and red ballerina flats. EBay will launch a new fashion microsite Monday. It’s the latest in a series of changes that will sometimes have it acting more like an outlet mall or “private sale’’ website. EBay is working with fashion brands and retailers such as Hugo Boss and Lord & Taylor to act as sellers.

EBay left investors unimpressed with its predictions for the holiday season even as its namesake site and PayPal online payment service showed healthy growth in the latest quarter. The company's stock fell more than 4 percent even though eBay said net income grew 14 percent in the third quarter — thanks partly to consumers shopping and transferring funds using the company's smartphone and tablet apps. In a conference call with analysts, CEO John Donahoe said the company is looking for an "OK to solid" holiday season.

SAN FRANCISCO - Steve Yankovich is engrossed in a televised hockey game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Vancouver Canucks. Though he's a hockey zealot, he cares less about the score than the attire of Ryan Kesler, a Canucks center. "See his jersey?" the eBay Inc. executive said, pointing to a TV that almost covers a wall of his office. As he talks, the uniform pops up on a tablet computer in front of him, along with vintage sportswear and tickets to upcoming games - all available for purchase.

NEW YORK - EBay Inc. will pay about $316,500 to Louis Vuitton Malletier for legal costs and damages and stop using Internet search terms the luxury goods maker protested, following a ruling yesterday by Paris District Court. The online auction site was found liable for harming the reputation of Louis Vuitton trademarks, the company name, and domain name - all held by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton. EBay said it will appeal. EBay had been buying keywords such as “Viton,’’ “Vitton,’’ and “Wuiton’’ so online shoppers entering such...

Throughout history there have been great marketplaces in the world, places where commerce reached legendary proportions. But none of those places could remotely compete on a scale to what's become the mother of all bazaars, eBay . While the breakdown lanes rimming the Information Highway are bulging with Web business busts, eBay has not just survived, but thrived. "EBay is a selling platform unparalleled in the history of man," writes Adam Ginsberg in his encomium to the e-zaar, "How to Buy, Sell and Profit on eBay.

Scott Thompson's reign as Yahoo's CEO is in jeopardy after just four months on the job because he allowed an inaccuracy about his academic credentials to recur for years. A major Yahoo shareholder who exposed the fabrication is now leading the charge to oust Thompson for unethical conduct. In a letter Friday, activist hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb demanded that the board of the struggling Internet company fire Thompson by noon EDT Monday or face possible legal action. "CEO's have been terminated for less at other companies," wrote Loeb, who controls a 5.8 percent stake in Yahoo...

Profit at the largest Internet marketplace topped estimates, spurred by growth in its online-payments business, PayPal. Mobile-payment volume will surge 75 percent to $7 billion this year, eBay says. Quarterly revenue rose 29 percent to $3.28 billion; profit excluding some items was 55 cents a share.

Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market: NYSE Peabody Energy Corp., up $2 at $30.46 The coal company's first-quarter profit fell on weaker U.S. demand for coal, but its results still beat Wall Street's expectations. Boston Scientific Corp., up 31 cents at $5.85 The maker of medical devices said that its net income leaped in the first quarter compared to the same period a year earlier.

Shares of eBay Inc. surged to their highest level since 2006 Thursday as investors weighed the potential of the company's growing PayPal business and orders were brisk on eBay's e-commerce websites in the first quarter. THE SPARK: Late Wednesday, eBay CEO, John Donahoe called the January-March quarter an "excellent start" to the year. Revenue grew 29 percent to $3.28 billion. Profit grew 20 percent to $570 million, with adjusted earnings of 55 cents per share. Revenue and profit topped Wall Street estimates.

Analysts expect eBay Inc. to report higher earnings and revenue when the e-commerce company reports its first-quarter results after the market closes on Wednesday. Though its U.S. business is solid, the lackluster economy in Europe will likely continue to weigh on eBay's business in the region. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian thinks eBay will meet or do slightly better than Wall Street's expectations in the quarter. He said the company's PayPal business "continues to grow nicely, offset in part by currency and market headwinds from Europe.

Primedia Inc., the privately held operator of real estate websites including ApartmentGuide.com and Renters.com, said Thursday that it agreed to buy website Rent.com from eBay Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Primedia CEO Charles Stubbs said Rent.com has a "strong reputation, brand awareness, history and URL. " The transaction is expected to close by the end of June. Primedia was acquired by private-equity firm TPG Capital last July.