eBay statistics: Q1 2022

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eBay, the popular online marketplace and eCommerce leader, was founded in 1995 in California, USA, by Pierre Omidyar, with a mission statement to “bring together buyers and sellers in an honest and open marketplace.” Read on for more eBay statistics.

Omidyar built a website called “AuctionWeb” that eventually became one of the first online marketplaces: eBay. It initially started as an auction website where sellers would list items for buyers to bid on, but over time this evolved, and today most of eBay’s sales are direct purchases (no bidding) thanks to eBay’s “buy it now” button, which launched in 2000 to allow users to buy products instantly. Today, eBay continues to be a colossal marketplace and is a powerful eCommerce platform, the second biggest in the world, just behind Amazon.

eBay is available in over 180 countries and can be accessed via both web and mobile app. It is a top destination for selling new and pre-owned electronics, cars, clothes, collectibles, and more.

A global platform, eBay’s main users reside in the US and UK. With 185 million active buyers and 19 million sellers worldwide, eBay is one of the world’s leading marketplace and eCommerce platforms. A publicly-traded company, eBay’s 2020 revenue was $10.271 billion.

In 2021, eBay stock (NASDAQ:EBAY) gained more than 35%. One of eBay’s key sources of revenue growth was its ‘Managed Payments’ solution, an in-house, end-to-end system designed for receiving payments from buyers, listing fees, and transfers to sellers’ bank accounts.

eBay top data:

Jamie Iannone is the current CEO of eBay, having joined the company in this role in 2020.
eBay generated $10.2 billion in revenue in 2020, a 5.1% increase year-on-year.
eBay has a total of more than 1.5 billion active listings.
159 million users are active on eBay.
Over 19 million sellers have accounts on eBay.
eBay sees more than 109 million visitors to its website each month.
The eBay app has been downloaded over 599 million times.
More than three out of every ten (34.9%) US mobile users use the eBay app, with approximately 66 million monthly app users.
More than 500,000 luxury items are listed on eBay at any given time. The company’s authentication policies ensure that branded goods sold on the platform are genuine.
8.8% of eBay sellers are cross-border sellers, meaning they sell to customers outside of their country.
eBay launched global shipping programs in 2012 to help US sellers ship more easily to international buyers.
250 million users use eBay Classifieds, a direct selling format available within some eBay categories.
In 2020, sales on eBay generated gross merchandise volume (GMV) of $100 billion, up from $85.5 billion in 2019.
eBay’s American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) score was 79/100 in 2019.
In 2020, eBay celebrated its 25th anniversary with a toast to its community.

eBay demographics:

Nearly 62% of eBay users are male, and 38% are female.
18-24 is the largest age group demographic that uses eBay, followed by those aged 25-34. However, women aged 45-54 are more likely to shop on eBay than those aged 35-44.
The least likely age group to use eBay is the 65+ age demographic.
Over 40% of eBay traffic comes directly to the website; another 40% comes from referral links.
Search accounts for 17% of eBay traffic, and only 1.5% of eBay traffic comes from social media.
Although social traffic to eBay is broadly low, the social media platforms that deliver the most traffic for eBay are Facebook (56%), YouTube (23%), and Reddit (just under 9%). The lowest-performing social media platforms for eBay traffic are Twitter (5%) and Pinterest (4%).
eBay has an average session duration of 8.09 minutes — the time an average customer spends on its website.
eBay sellers have longevity — more than half of all of its sellers joined ten years ago.

eBay sales and product information:

Approximately 71% of items purchased on eBay are shipped for free. Free shipping is a big incentive that sellers use to attract buyers and boost item visibility.
80% of eBay items sold are new items. This number has increased over the years as eBay moved from being an auction site to becoming a more comprehensive eCommerce marketplace.
56.3% of new items on eBay US are sold.
Around 40% of all items listed on eBay are sold.
Globally, more than half (50%) of all used items on eBay are sold.
61% of eBay’s sales are via mobile devices.
eBay offers its sellers the option to list products via “Promoted Listings”, an advertising feature that, for a fee, will bump listings higher in search results within the website and mobile app.
More than 940,000 sellers use eBay’s “Promoted Listings” feature.
In 2020, eBay launched a feature called “Managed Delivery”, which allows high-volume sellers to fulfill orders more conveniently and swiftly.
In 2018, eBay launched “Managed Payments”, and today over 1 million eBay sellers use the payments solution.
eBay offers a “Global Shipping Program”, allowing sellers to ship purchased items to eBay’s global shipping hub in Kentucky, USA. eBay then handles any customs forms and issues, which allows the items to be shipped internationally more easily.
In 2022, eBay launched an Authenticity Guarantee service for trading cards sold for $750 or more. The company already offers authentication for key categories, including sneakers, watches and handbags.
The third-most expensive football trading card was a Tom Brady rookie card, sold on eBay for $2.3 million in 2022.

eBay categories:

eBay’s top categories, based on percentage of items sold, are (in order):

Electronics, including mobile phones & accessories, computers, tablets, printers and video games
Clothing, Shoes & Accessories. The fashion category is one of the most searched on eBay. Best-selling men’s clothing brands on eBay include The Territory Ahead, Filson and Carhartt, whereas top women’s brands include Eileen Fisher, Free People, and Diane Von Furstenberg.
Automotive accounts for 0.5% of all sales made on eBay. Each day, 360 cars and trucks are purchased via mobile devices on eBay.

- - Health & beauty, including vitamin supplements, skincare products, perfume and hair care tools such as blow dryers and straighteners.

Sports & outdoors, including sporting equipment and items such as camping equipment.

Tools & Home offers items buyers need to complete DIY projects, as well as professional building materials and equipment.

- - Home & Kitchen, including wall prints, bed sheets, cushions, lamps and plant pots. Home decor items such as lighting, coffee tables, and sofas are also top-selling items on eBay.

Toys & Games. This category saw an uplift during the pandemic and includes board games, jigsaw puzzles, and children’s toys.

Jewelry. Top-selling jewelry items are necklaces and pendants, and watches are also popular. Top watch brands sold on eBay include Citizen, Bulova, and Frédérique Constant.

Books. A range of fiction and non-fiction books are available on eBay, in addition to rare and collectible books.

Shoes. eBay’s shoes category includes new and pre-owned items. Sneakers, in particular, are a popular style in the shoe category.

Flowers & Gifts. The marketplace is also a place where people come to purchase gift items.
Software & Apps. eBay also has a category for digital services.
In 2000, eBay introduced eBay Motors, its online automotive marketplace selling passenger vehicles.
In 2020, eBay saw a 325% rise in the sale of sneakers/trainers.
As of February 2022, top keywords on eBay included Ps5, Nintendo Switch, and iPhone.
eBay is also well-known for being a marketplace where rare and collectible items are sold.
Items prohibited from being sold on eBay include food, alcohol and event/concert tickets.

eBay statistics from around the world:

31% of eBay sellers are based in the United States. 29% are based in the United Kingdom, 15% in Germany, 12% in China, 4% in Australia, and 2% in Italy.
15% of all eBay sellers are based in California, USA.
eBay first launched overseas in 1999, expanding in the UK, Germany, and Australia. Today, eBay can be found in a whopping 180 countries around the world.
eBay as a company has 51 offices across 31 countries. eBay office locations include the US, UK, Switzerland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, and Canada.
57% of eBay’s total revenue comes from its international operation.
While eBay is unavailable to buyers in China, 12% of eBay sellers are based in mainland China.
eBay raised nearly $123 million for charity globally in 2020 — up 10% from the previous year. eBay sponsored charities include Heifer International, ASPCA, NHS Charities Together, Homes for Our Troops, British Heart Foundation and many more.

eBay market share:

eBay has a 4.7% market share among online retailers in the US, putting it in third place nationally, after Amazon and Walmart.
Worldwide, eBay is the second most popular eCommerce website (based on share of visits), just behind Amazon.com and just ahead of Amazon.jp.
Tens of millions of buyers from outside the US account for more than half of eBay’s annual sales revenue.
With a market cap of 47.89 billion dollars, eBay US ranks amongst the leading large cap eCommerce companies worldwide.
eBay debuted as a publicly-traded company, with shares listed on NASDAQ in 1998.