eBay, Kaboodle collaborate on collecting

Auction giant eBay and start-up Kaboodle are launching a Web site that will give collectors of everything from vintage cookie jars to fashion sunglasses a place to showcase their prized collections and swap information with others, executives said Friday.

The new site, MyCollectibles, is designed to enable people who buy and sell items on eBay to easily create online collections with photos and other information about their goods. Visitors to the site can search for specific items or browse items in different categories, rate the collections and comment on them.

The site was set to go live Friday night and will be officially launched Monday, executives said.

"The bread and butter, the heart and soul of eBay are the passionate collectors and enthusiasts," said Laurence Toney, director of eBay's collectibles business unit. "We are taking the best of these Web 2.0 technologies and taking them to main street. It's a great opportunity to reach out to the next generation of collectors."

Kaboodle is a free online service that lets people organize, share and collaborate on information such as comparison shopping, making wish lists, planning vacations and organizing research.