SAP and eBay have signed a deal to allow SAP customers to sell excess inventory via a dedicated eBay online marketplace.

Companies with idle assets can resell them without much effort or investment, but usually lack the systems to do so cost-effectively, SAP and eBay explained. They said that their system would be easy to use, low in cost, and would deliver a rapid return on investment.

"We believe there is a huge opportunity for our entire customer base to rapidly make a positive impact on their bottom line by leveraging online marketplaces to sell their excess inventory and used capital equipment," said Ajit Nazre, managing director of SAP Inspire at SAP.

The system, using SAP NetWeaver technology, consists of software and services and will use eBay's application programming interfaces to connect to the auctioneer's online services and integrate data from SAP R/3 and mySAP customer relationship management to the eBay marketplace.

Companies will be able to sell their excess inventory and assets via eBay with the same level of integration as from their established sales, order fulfilment and financial processes, eBay and SAP promised.

The initial focus of the joint initiative will be on the North American market, with European and other countries expected to follow.