The service will be called Keywords at eBay and is similar to DoubleClick's AdMarketplace service, where advertisers can bid for key words that then drive search engine traffic to their sites.
Keywords at eBay will allow sellers to bid on keywords. Starting from 10 cents, sellers bid the maximum price that they are willing to pay for each click on their banner ad. The highest bids will see the seller's banner ad receive a premier placement in the ad rotation on eBay's search result pages.
Jeff Jordan, senior vice-president and general manager of eBay US, said: "Many buyers looking to make a purchase on eBay start with a keyword search. Now it's even easier for sellers to target specific buyers through Keywords on eBay."
EBay started life as a site for people to auction off unwanted items, but has been adopted by many businesses as a way of reaching customers. Starting on Thursday, sellers can register for the service on the site.
"This new service empowers our sellers with a robust marketing tool that can help them become even more successful, and strengthen their business within the eBay marketplace," Jordan said.
EBay said there are 79m item-related searches every day on the site.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .