Kantar Retail has ranked eBay as one of the most valuable brands in the world.

eBay is one of the most well-known and trusted companies in the world, according to a new study, which placed the online auction site sixth on a list of the most valuable retail brands.

However, despite its strong performance in Kantar Retail's report, eBay's brand value was found to have shrunk by 29 per cent over the last two years, something Kantar put down to the difficult economy.

Many of eBay's sales come not from auctions, but from fixed-price sales, the study said, indicating a shift as people place parcel delivery orders in a "more organised and efficient marketplace".

"PayPal complements the eBay business and enables the company to broaden its reach to merchants without credit card processing capability and to consumers that prefer not to pay with credit cards," added the report.

The online auction site recently announced the launch of a Blackberry app that allows people to bid and buy using their mobile phones.

Posted by Matt Watts.

Article Added: 05/07/2010 10:10:06