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Who would have thought the day would come when eBay would announce its secret affair with the Open Web? eBay recently announced the availability of a handful of public API’s which would allow developers with the means to create utilities / software [extensions] improving that "eBay experience" – which includes the online auction giant, PayPal, and Skype.

EBay’s API offerings will give third party developers abilities to conduct searches, bids, alerts and a whole slew of other features from anywhere on the web. (Full list at the end of the post.)

The more interesting APIs however are coming from the PayPal group, which will enable mobile checkout. Similarly, Skype is going to be pushing something called Skype Extras, which are plug-ins written by independent third-party developers that let users expand Skype functionality and enrich their Skype conversations.

Available resources made available today [via GigaOm]

• eBay Shopping Web Services: a suite of faster, more responsive APIs that makes searching on eBay up to 16 times faster and allows developers to easily create buying applications
• eBay Bidding API: qualified developers can enable bidding on eBay from anywhere
• eBay Client Alerts: lightweight, near real-time alerts about platform activity
• New JavaScript and Flash Developer Centers: making it easier for JavaScript and Flash developers to access the eBay Web Services platform
• New Production Call Plan: access to API calls in the production environment raised from 10,000 per month to 150,000 per month, allowing new developers to rapidly scale up their applications.
• PayPal introduced a new suite of APIs, including Mobile Checkout, which allows developers to integrate any mobile website with the PayPal checkout process.
• Skype Extras: are plug-ins written by independent third-party developers that let users expand Skype functionality and enrich their Skype conversations.

Personally, the announcement is very much welcomed as I regularly peruse the offerings of eBay yet find the interface cumbersome and difficult to find exactly what I’m looking for. On an eBay related note, has anyone else received eBay catalogs? Definitely categorized as junkmail considering the only products mentioned are via stock photos of things you can find on eBay.