How to Lift Auction Cloud Sittin’ on the Stock of eBay

App stores aren’t just for Apple and Android, or consumers for that matter. Now eBay is planning something similar for merchants. If adopted, eBay could revive its online marketplace while hitting back at arch-rival Amazon. It may even put the company on a collision course with Groupon.

Best known as an Internet flea market, eBay’s core marketplace business has struggled as online auctions have lost their appeal. As a result, growth of the marketplace business has fallen behind e-commerce overall, eBay says. More consumers prefer the everyday low prices that can be found in Amazon’s marketplace. Indeed, auction volumes should …