EarthLink back on eBay with real auction

EarthLink is back on eBay, a day after having a trio of ads disguised as auctions pulled from the online bidding site.

But this time, the ISP appears to be playing by the auction house's rules.

EarthLink originally submitted three items to eBay's service on Wednesday. In those three offerings, the company listed its $19.95 per month service as though it were up for bid by users. Users clicking through a link in the item were brought to EarthLink's Web site, where they could sign up for the Net service.

Ebay pulled one of the EarthLink ads yesterday morning, and EarthLink voluntarily closed the remaining two offers.

But late last night, a new EarthLink offering showed up on the site. According to eBay, the new ad follows the company's policies, functioning like any other auction on the site.

"The overriding concern we had was whether (the original offer) would be considered a true bidding item,"said Kevin Pursglove, an eBay spokesman. "The one that went up last night falls under our bidding guidelines, as we explained to them."

The new ad solicits bids on a years' worth of the company's Internet service, which ordinarily would cost about $240.