"An iPhone 4 prototype is already stuff of legend when one was acquired by Gizmodo and then taken apart for the world to see well before Apple's press event. Recently another one appeared on eBay, which quickly gathered enough attention for the bidding to quickly hit the six-figure range."

Most people know eBay Inc. for its online marketplace, where deals abound on everything from gadgets to antique furniture. But soon, eBay's biggest business will likely be PayPal, the online payments service that has been growing steadily even as the economy has stumbled.

EBay has spent much of the past two years trying to improve its faltering marketplace business, hoping to increase buyers' trust and clean up the look of its Web site. In the meantime, PayPal has thrived as more consumers and merchants use it to send money online.