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The move is being dubbed Project Echo, and will involve giving software developers access to the internal workings of Ebay tools such as Selling Manager.

This application helps high-volume Ebay sellers manage their online stores, automatically relisting products that do not sell and handling tasks like assigning feedback.

The company claims that 700,000 people currently use the service, although no alteration of the application has previously been possible.

"Rather than having Ebay try to build every feature, we should open up the platform and integrate others' work," says Max Mancini, Ebay's senior director of platform and disruptive innovation. "We have realised that we need to allow sellers and developers to get together a little bit more easily."

In blurring the boundary between what Ebay builds itself and what it incorporates from other developers, the company is seeking to benefit from rapid external innovation while rewarding partners

Ebay will promote software built by outsiders for purchase by its army of auction sellers, and take a cut of resulting sales. The company would vet programs to ensure they meet site guidelines for trustworthiness, Mancini claims.

By incorporating outside programs more directly into Ebay.com, developers would gain access to mountains of data that is closely controlled by the site - such as available inventory, latest bids and completed sales - allowing their software to capitalise on these insights into user behaviour.

"Our philosophy is to help sellers manage their businesses, not just businesses on Ebay," Mancini explains.

Already, a little more than a quarter of all Ebay.com auction listings are the result of some 12,000 software programs built by outside developers. This activity is now typically initiated on other sites, then routed into Ebay behind the scenes. However, Project Echo will give more powerful tools to external developers.

Selected sellers will gain trial access to the project early in the fourth quarter, although others will have to wait until early 2009.

Across the web, companies are opening up their software platforms to act as distribution hubs for outsider developers.

Facebook has attracted a vast new audience since it did this a year ago and outside developers have now built 24,000 new applications for the social network. Apple has also begun wooing outside developers to create programs for the iPhone.