eBay, the online auction site, is looking to expand its overseas classified ads service to include several hundred cities in the United States. “Kijiji” (which means village in Swahili), as the service is called, allows individuals to post classified ads and is a completely free service.

A text-slice from the article at PC World:

Posting ads on the site is free, and unlike eBay, which can facilitate payment for transactions via its PayPal payment subsidiary, Kijiji plays no role in completing sales. However, it’s easy to see how eBay could plug in both PayPal and Skype Ltd. telephony, which it also owns, into Kijiji to create a kind of supercharged classified site that Craiglist would then require outside partnerships to match.

So why do classifieds? While the service runs as a competitor to Craiglist, a free service and a leader in the classified space, there are several areas where eBay could provide a differentiating experience. The quality of ads, tied with the integration of eBay’s allied services (Skype and PayPal) could garner much support. Craiglist does enjoy a great backing among the Web community as can be gleaned from this post by Henry Blodget. How has your experience been with classified ads, and what difference in service would attract you to Kijiji? Place your comments here.