eBay on Wednesday said it would acquire online comparison-shopping site Shopping.com for approximately $620 million in cash, Reuters reported. The move would strengthen eBay's position in relation to other major players, including Google, which offers a similar shopping service with its Froogle, Yahoo Shopping, and MSN, which began testing its shopping search site in March. An eBay spokesman said the purchase would allow the online auction house to expand into the market for general, everyday merchandise.

When Shopping.com users specify a product they are looking for, the website directs them to vendors that offer the product. It also has a section for users to post product reviews. eBay said Shopping's more than 400,000 "e-pinion" reviewers would complement its own marketplace that's based on community feedback.

eBay plans to integrate its listings into Shopping.com's search results, to provide its sellers access to a new audience, while Shopping.com's merchants gains additional traffic and leads from eBay, ClickZ writes. Those retailers generally pay on a cost-per-click basis; eBay sellers pay a fee plus a percentage of the sales price. eBay offers sellers other opportunities, including keyword-targeted ads, to highlight their listings.

The purchase price of some $620 million is equivalent to $21 a share, or 20 percent more thann Shopping.com's Wednesday close of $17.44. Shopping's shares nearly 20 percent in after-hours trading, and eBay shares lost more than 1 percent of their value. Shopping.com became a publicly traded company in October 2004.

The acquisition is subject to approval from regulators and Shopping.com shareholders. It is expected to close in the third quarter.