eBay has been successful in attracting mass-market merchants of consumer products, and it seems now the online auction giant is pursuing mass-market providers of consumer services with the same vigor. Last week, eBay announced a new travel-booking service in a deal with Priceline.com. The new travel booking service will provide eBay users the ability to book flights, hotel and car reservations in an auction format or a "Buy it Now" fixed-price format.

Last month, eBay launched a "timeshare marketplace" in its eBay Real Estate category (http://pages.ebay.com/realestate/timeshares.html), forging relationships with three major players, including a consortium of vacation ownership developers and one of the largest resellers of timeshares in the industry.

eBay made a big push into services with its agreement with eLance to offer professional services this time last year (http://www.auctionbytes.com/pages/abn/y01/m02/i07/s01). In addition to Travel, Real Estate and Professional Services, eBay also has a "Tickets" category. eBay Motors is a separate site (http://www.ebaymotors.com) that sells automobiles, parts and accessories. Last month eBay introduced the eBay Assurance Program for vehicles that allows eBay Motors sellers to offer a limited warranty, purchase insurance, payment protection and mobile inspection.

Offering a virtual travel agency through this latest agreement with Priceline is one more step in eBay's strategy of going from "World's Largest Flea Market" to "World's Largest Mall."