According to a new report from Macquarie Capital, marketplace giant eBay is set to launch a new vertical this spring called The Plaza on eBay that will focus on direct-to-consumer sales. As Macquarie analyst Ben Schachter notes in a report, details are sparse, but Plaza has been compared to Alibaba’s Tmall. One retailer with knowledge of eBay’s plans said that the site will allow brands to sell direct to consumers using eBay, but in a more controlled area than the traditional eBay marketplace. Basically, brands could use eBay to gain access to the company’s customers without weakening their brand by listing and selling alongside used and auctioned goods. What this could be is a complete redesign of eBay Stores, which is a centralized place for retailers like Toys R Us and others to list items on eBay. But currently the branding isn’t all that different on eBay Stores from the auction marketplace.