HP opening retail doors on eBay

Hewlett-Packard is opening up a shop on eBay, selling products ranging from printers to servers.

Initially, the HP Store will offer refurbished PCs, workstations, servers, handhelds, printers and accessories. The items will consist mainly of canceled orders and returned products that have never been removed from their original packaging.

HP's store will be part of eBay's electronics shop announced last week.

HP worked with business consultancy Accenture to develop the new store. In May, Accenture announced its "Connection to eBay" program, designed to help corporate customers sell unsold inventory through the auction site.

"We think eBay, with its massive and growing customer base, offers a significant untapped market for HP," Marius Haas, HP's vice president of worldwide e-business, said in a statement. "We're always looking for new ways to reach out to customers, and with online auctions expected to grow steadily over the next three years, we believe this is the perfect time to offer the outstanding selection of HP products to this audience."

eBay grew to fame on the backs of mom-and-pop sales, but corporate giants like IBM and Home Depot are becoming a big part of its business. That's raised some concern among those who think that big business online could overshadow smaller sellers.