Skype's the Limit for eBay

"VoIP is hot, I'll agree, and cheap to build, but the revenue is tiny," says Sistla.

Offering eBay users a calling service could foster better communications between buyers and sellers, but there doesn't seem to be anything that could be considered more compelling to a Skype strategy, say analysts.

"I would find it hard to believe anything they'd say about synergistic advantages," says Pyykkonen.

ABI's Sistla summed up the eBay/Skype idea in a metaphor.

"I can understand a cheetah trying to be a tiger, but this is much different," says Sistla. "It's more like a cheetah trying to be an elephant."