The success of eBay is hard to ignore. The San Jose, California based company is the world's largest online trading community, and offers users an opportunity to come together in one Internet site and be able to buy and trade a wide range of items. The sky is the limit, really, with what you can buy on eBay ranging from a cat in a bag to an imaginary friend. And like all true success stories, eBay is pretty tempting to Microsoft.

Rumours are flying around that Microsoft is considering buying eBay, and is in talks with the company about a possible takeover. The result - a sort of MSN and eBay hybrid - is likely to scare the hell out of Google. However, as the usual antitrust issues may likely come into play, it's not a forgone conclusion that this will come to pass.