eBay vs. Amazon.com

eBay's surprise rise suddenly reopens the bidding for the E-commerce crown. In the blink of a cursor, the Web's two E-titans have gone from being happy little shopping hangouts whose paths never crossed to being in each other's crosshairs. Since late March, Amazon has begun holding daily auctions, while eBay--gasp!--is mulling fixed prices. Says Accel Partners venture capitalist James Breyer, who funds E-commerce companies that have been courted by both eBay and Amazon: ''Competitive intensity between the two companies is rising dramatically.''