EBay's new shopping-cart-based Express service, launched Monday, is in a "preview phase" for its first few weeks. But what's the holdup? As a reader points out, the Express idea ain't in beta. It got namedropped in a press release five years ago. Was the eBay development team in hibernation until another boom came along? Who's running the show there, Slartibartfast and the Magrethea planet-builders?

eBay Previews eBay Express [eBay press release, 2006]
eBay Inc. outlines global business strategy [eBay press release, 2001]
Pretentious reference: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy [BBC]

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