eBay Turns Attention to the Other Gavel

By now it is a familiar story: eBay (EBAY Quote) has emerged as the winner of the dot-com sweepstakes.

With strong profits, a loyal and growing clientele and no serious competitors, eBay has marked itself as the rare tech success story of the postbubble era. It has distinguished itself as perhaps the best-managed New Economy company.

The San Jose, Calif., company's success in meeting its ambitious growth projections -- last year, eBay famously set a 2005 target of $3 billion in annual revenue, implying 50% annual growth over a five-year stretch -- has kept it popular with investors even as the economy sinks into recession. ...