When a tipster told me that workers at eBay France had created a lip-dub video, my hopes were high. But I should never have expected great things from eBay.

AOL France bid a classy adieu when Time Warner closed its Internet outpost in the country last year, offering a perfectly executed single-take lip-dub.

The online group singalong, a triumph of Internet narcissism, has become an elaborate art form with its own rules. The offering from eBay France breaks most of them, ensuring its lameness.

But what else should we expect from a company which has coasted on its auction monopoly and failed to innovate as Amazon.com and Google snuck up from behind? The eBay video is an imitative pastiche, with moves culled from Broadway shows and music videos with no rhyme, reason, or style. Much like eBay's own website.