E-Commerce Stock Watch: OnSale Makes Auction Ads Up-to-Minute

eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) is obviously the king of the online auction houses, but OnSale Nasdaq: (ONSL) has added an intriguing wrinkle to promotion of its auction site.

On Wednesday, OnSale introduced banner advertising that includes the latest auction bids for items. These ads are currently running on sites including Yahoo!, CNet, Infoseek and Hotbot. This is a shrewd marketing move because it appeals to impulse buying, which is a major part of auction sales. Shares of OnSale were up more than seven percent Wednesday, closing up 2-1/2 to 37.