eBay targets under-18 market

eBay is exploring ways to harness an untapped class of buyers: kids, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The Internet company may allow consumers who are under 18 to set up accounts and access the eBay.com Web site to buy vintage T-shirts, jewellery, school supplies or other products, says Devin Wenig, eBay's president of global marketplaces.

To appease privacy concerns, eBay likely will require the accounts have parental authorisation. Wenig says minors would be able to buy most items available on the site, but eBay would design ways to shield younger users from viewing or purchasing adult content and products.

Getting children into the habit of using online services has become a key strategy for many online companies, CNET writes.

Facebook, for example, is reportedly mulling plans to allow under-13-year-old children onto its site, though it hasn't made any indication it'll happen soon.

For Web companies, bringing kids into the mix can present both a short-term boost to business and a long-term market to tap into. However, while customers are still kids, companies need to tread lightly, since privacy concerns and unsafe communication with other users can become major sticking points for detractors.

“We're definitely looking at ways to legitimately bring younger people in,” Business Journal quotes Wenig as saying.

“We wouldn't allow a 15-year-old unfettered access to the site. We would want a parent, an adult, as a ride-along.”

Minors as young as 13 can already make payments using eBay's PayPal unit, with permission of a parent.