eBay has introduced a new 'social shopping' tool, which people can use to encourage their friends to comment on things they are considering buying.

'Help Me Shop' lets users bookmark items they see for sale anywhere online, and then pass details of where they have found them on to their friends through Facebook.

The friends can then even rate and vote on whether they like their discoveries, to help the user decide whether or not to buy. The details of such votes can be either kept private or made public, again through Facebook, and each poll is set by default to last five days.

The Help Me Shop bookmark can be saved just like any other bookmarked website or page. Items can be saved from not just eBay, but any online shopping website, and as well as voting on your friends' choices, you can add options of your own for them to consider.