Skype me up Scotty

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According to Skype, there are 100 million registered users, with another 200,000 signing up every day. Very likely, you are among them.
Version 2.5, (beta) just recently released (Windows-only; users of Skype's Mac and Linux clients will have to wait) is more than a mere upgrade. I cut and paste:
"Easier international dialing to landlines and cell phones (you tell Skype what country you're calling, rather than having to remember country codes).
Easier payment (from within the software) for Skype's various fee-based services.
Sharing of contact groups (sounds handy for coworkers, friends, or family who have mutual contacts).
The ability to send SMS messages from within Skype.
Support for viewing and calling Outlook contacts within Skype."
The conceptual question, however, is another: why Ebay ever decided to buy Skype? Valuable investment only? Or is there a more interesting strategy/vision behind? Ebay deals with things, though only as a service that puts offers and demands in touch. Skype deals with words, whether written or spoken. If words could dominate over things (see ABRACADABRA in the previous post) then it would make sense to try to get hold of Skype as a privileged entry into a market of potential buyers and sellers. Did Ebay had in mind this priority of semantics over physics? Hard to know, but one thing is clear: it will be very interesting to see how the marriage develops.

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