eBay homepage meets Flash

eBay has announced it will dedicate itself to improving the user experience in 2008.

And it's getting a head start on this resolution: The homepage just received its first makeover since 1999.

To reinforce its long-dormant commitment to users, eBay is also adding a rating system that rates seller shipping costs, which began gathering from users last year.

Many sellers profit by drawing buyers in with low starting prices, followed by exorbitant shipping costs — something buyers oft neglect to check during the bidding process.

Shipping cost ratings will also be integrated into the search algorithm, so high-priced shippers don't show up in the first page of data.