Did Ebay even try to 'leverage the synergies'* between the two companies?

I'm not a heavy Ebay user, but I don't ever recall an (for example) link/icon on a tat page saying something like "Click here to speak to me now via skype". That is surely what they refer to 'entropic synergy leverage'** - I mean, if you are wanting to buy something a bit pricey, you want to speak to the dude first right? A little link to hook you up with the seller via skype, or take a voice mail if the seller isn't online? Isn't that what they were talking about.

Well, two points spring to mind:

1) They never (as far as I know) ever went down that road. Opportunity lost.

2) Skype could have added that feature on their own, and made an API available that *anyone* could use, just like cart icons on web pages (publicly available APIs that you are invited to code against). They didn't need to get bough for $2.6 billion to write an API! I would have developed it for them, for a mere fuckton of cash. Could have saved themselves loads that ebay lot, the silly beggers.

* To my hallowed fellow El Reg readers, I apologise

** Hey, I can spout this shit all day if you want me to!

on something bought from eBay.

Most people don't even know what Skype is. I use a standalone Skype phone and the service only cost three bucks a month plus a twenty four dollar Skype in number each year. Thats only $60/year! I know people paying $60/month for a traditional landline. The call quality of Skype is very good too. The standalone phones are expensive but that is a one time cost that quickly pays for itself. All Skype needs is some advertisement! Seems so simple. Why is Meg Whitman an such an airhead on this?

$2 billion equates to $125 per active Skype customer.

Given the average spend for each skype customer, this price does not compute.