Ebay buys ecommerce firm

Ebay said today it bought BillSafe, a purchase and invoicing technology provider with clients in Germany, and will combine it…

Ebay said today it bought BillSafe, a purchase and invoicing technology provider with clients in Germany, and will combine it with its PayPal online payments service, in a move to strengthen its e-commerce capabilities in Northern Europe.

BillSafe's technology lets shoppers buy and receive an item and pay later once they get an invoice. It is the most common form of e-commerce payment in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland, Ebay said.

Ebay took a minority stake in BillSafe last year and now owns the entire company. The company did not disclose terms of the deal but said it would have no material impact on the financial forecast it gave in October.

The deal is eBay's latest this year to build its business abroad. In April it bought a Turkish auction site for $235.3 million.

Reuters

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up to the Business Today newsletter for the latest new and commentary in your inbox

  • Listen to Inside Business podcast for a look at business and economics from an Irish perspective