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Real Media has landed the contract to sell ad space and sponsorship for the online auction house eBay.co.uk and Bush Internet.

eBay, which claims to be the largest web-trading community in the world, began taking advertising on its site for the first time last summer.

Real Media product manager Charlotte Dalrymple and her team will offer banner space across the network or on targeted trading sites - in areas such as sports, jewellery or computers - as well as buttons and text links.

The ratecard price for run-of-site is pounds 25 per 1,000, while the sales team is charging around pounds 30 per 1,000 to place a banner on a targeted site.

eBay does not accept rich-media advertising formats because it believes they may hinder users' movement around the website.

eBay, which launched in the UK in 1999, recorded 40 million page impressions a month and attracted more than 325,000 unique users, according to MMXI's December 2000 figures.

The company has country-specific sites in several countries, including the UK, Germany, France, Austria, Italy and Australia.

Brian White, Real Media's head of product development, negotiated the sales contract. He said: 'The eBay brand is globally renowned and fits perfectly with our portfolio of top branded websites.'

Real Media has also won the contract to represent Bush Internet, the joint venture between Alba Group and Virgin Net. The company offers customers who buy a Bush Internet TV or a set-top box access to web content that can be viewed on TV. Bush Internet operates nine colour-coded channels such as entertainment, shopping and money. It also offers an e-mail service.

In addition, the company has signed up to use Real Media's ad-serving technology Open AdStream.

Other clients on Real Media's books include The Times, Bloomberg, JamJar, and The New York Times.