EBay to launch e-trade in Russia end-March

EBay Inc will launch its Russian electronic commerce web site at the end of March, tapping the poorly developed and highly fragmented market.

"EBay will be launched with the Russian-language interface in the middle or closer to the end of March," Vsevolod Denisov from the Edelman public relations agency told Reuters.

Denisov said that Russian visitors of the site would be able to pay for goods they order on eBay through eBay's PayPal system.

Competition among Internet retailers in Russia is limited and fragmented.

EBay will compete with Russia's internet auction site Molotok.ru which serves around 200,000 people a day, offering more than five million items on sale.