35 eBay Statistics That Show the Platform is Still in the Race [2024]

Amazon is second to none in the realm of American retail. None of the eBay statistics could refute this fact. The meteoric metamorphosis of the house Jeff Bezos built, from a lowly online bookstore to a global technology empire, is an awe-inspiring success story.

eBay, on the other hand, can be said in the same breath as Amazon, but it somehow doesn’t feel right. The San-Jose-based company also saw the light of day in a similar era and is likewise a household name in its own right. However, it didn’t “Get Big Fast” like its long-time nemesis.

Doesn’t that mean that eBay has underachieved? It may have lived in the shadow of Amazon for as long as we can remember, but there’s a reason we’re still talking about it in 2021.

Let’s find out what has become of eBay as it celebrates its 26th birthday in September this year.

eBay Fast Facts (Editor’s Choice)

  • Sold for a staggering $168 million, Gigayacht is the most expensive item auctioned off on eBay.
  • A third of buyers on eBay are 35- to 49-year-olds.
  • eBay’s annual revenue in 2020 was $10.3 billion.
  • Female retailers make only 80 cents for every dollar men earn for the comparative new products.
  • In 2020, the eBay app had more than 50 million downloads.
  • 60% of eBay listings have a mobile touchpoint.
  • Only 10% of eBay’s gross merchandise volume (GMV) is sold via the auction format.
  • An alleged identity thief defrauded countless eBay users to the tune of $2 million.

Historic eBay Facts

1. The first transaction on eBay was worth $14.83.

(TIME, eBay Inc.)

In 1995, founder Pierre Omidyar became the first auctioneer on the platform after putting his broken laser pointer on the block in order to test out his brainchild: AuctionWeb (the name would stick until September 1997).

Initially listed for one greenback, the $30 item had no takers for the first week. After seven uneventful days, a bidding war ensued. Ultimately, Mark Fraser took home the product for less than $15.

During the early days of the platform, buyers would send coins taped to index cards as payment. It’s one of the fun eBay facts that will surely make long-time users feel ancient and bewilder younger shoppers.

2. eBay is one year older than the youngest Millennial.

(eBay Inc.)

Omidyar wrote the code for AuctionWeb over the Labor Day weekend of ‘95 while the youngest representative of the Millennial generation wasn’t born until more than 15 months later.

In short, the legendary auction site is older than all Gen Zers—a feat matched or surpassed only by its fellow dot-com-era contemporaries, such as Amazon, Oracle, Adobe, and SanDisk.

3. Topping the list of best-selling items on eBay is Gigayacht, which changed owners for $168 million.

(FinancesOnline)

This top-of-the-line marine craft cost more than 34 times than Gulfstream II—the second-most expensive completed eBay listing in history.

In the beginning, Omidyar wasn’t convinced that a person would buy a car on his online platform. The visionary wasn’t only wrong; he also underestimated the propensity of billionaires for buying toys.

Designed by renowned naval architect Frank Mulder, Gigayacht was bought by Russian oil tycoon Roman Abramovich. The 405-feet-long craft is complete with deluxe amenities, including 10 VIP suites, a helipad, a jetstream swimming pool, and a retractable glazed elevator.

The crazy thing about this astronomical purchase was that Abramovich even bought it at a discount. He was able to snag the luxury yacht for his collection for $28.5 million less than what its manufacturers wanted for it.

4. The private Town of Bridgeville, California, was sold on eBay twice.

(The New York Times)

It’s not uncommon to find pieces of real estate for auction on eBay. What’s crazy is that entire towns occasionally get listed on the platform too.

The unincorporated community of Bridgeville, CA, has an interesting story. It went on the block in 2002, with a starting price of $750,000. A nameless entrepreneur bought it sight unseen for $1.77 million. However, the businessman backed out upon inspecting the old shacks of the town in person.

A different investor bought it before the year’s end. This new buyer decided the town would be too expensive to fix it up and resold it (again on eBay) for $1.25 four years later.

Corporate eBay Statistics

5. According to the latest data, 88% of eBay employees are either Caucasian or Asian (2019).

(Statista, Business Insider)

The third-biggest racial or ethnic group in the company around that time was the Latinos, at 7%. African-Americans comprised only 3% of the total workforce.

Although eBay may not be considered a paragon of ethnic diversity, the online auction powerhouse has made some progress in promoting an inclusive culture.

In 2014, 60% of its employees were Caucasian; in 2019, the figure dropped to 48%.

6. Globally, women made up 40% of eBay’s total number of employees according to the latest report from 2019.

(Statista)

The stat above means that 5,320 women worked for eBay at the time. While 40% is a significant portion of the workforce, it has not changed since 2017. That percentage is actually lower than it used to be in 2014 (42%), but since the company was still tied to PayPal at the time, their subsequent “divorce” may have affected the numbers somewhat.

When it comes to non-tech positions, however, the male-to-female ratio is nearly 1:1. According to eBay statistics from 2019, women filled 49% of non-tech roles.

7. 69% of eBay executives are men.

(eBay Inc.)

It’s bad enough that only 31% of women accounted for the gender makeup of eBay’s leadership in 2019. But this figure actually dipped by 1% from the year prior.

The tech segment of the company’s workforce was the only one that had an increase in the number of women over the past two years. By the start of 2020, almost a quarter of all tech positions were occupied by female professionals.

Stats About eBay Demographics

8. 31% of sellers on eBay live in the United States.

(Statista, Web Retailer)

At 29%, the Brits are the second-largest group of retailers on the platform. They’re followed by the Germans, at 15%.

Although there are more American traders on eBay, more of their counterparts across the pond belong to the top 1,000. The United Kingdom is home to 308 of the most prolific sellers, while 222 are based in China. The US, Germany, and Australia round out the top five with 203, 178, and 29, respectively.

9. By June 2020, 15% of US eBay merchants had been Californians.

(Statista)

According to the latest eBay selling statistics, the Floridians and New Yorkers come in next, each accounting for 8% of all eBay all sellers. Completing the top 10 are the Texans (6%), Pennsylvanians (5%), Illinoisans (4%), New Jerseyans (4%), Ohioans (4%), Michiganians (3%), and Georgians (3%).

10. eBay receives 1.22 billion monthly visits from the US, the UK, and Germany.

(Disfold)

These ecommerce markets—three of the biggest in the world and the largest in the West—are the lifeblood of the company. eBay ranks solid second in each country, bested across the board only by Amazon.

This is not surprising, based on the latest eBay shipping statistics, 71% of shoppers from these markets enjoy free delivery.

The company encourages sellers targeting American, British, and German buyers to adopt complimentary shipping on orders exceeding a certain dollar amount.

No two sellers are in the same situation. But eBay advises that such a strategy can pay off over time. According to eBay stats for sellers, the risk is worth taking for retailers who want to play the long game and establish a good reputation on the platform.

11. 78.42% of organic traffic to ebay.com comes from US internet users.

(Ahrefs, SimilarWeb)

Such a mammoth figure makes it seem that eBay isn’t that popular among non-Americans, which isn’t really true.

The company has lots of localized platforms, so users from abroad don’t necessarily have to visit ebay.com directly to buy and sell on eBay. Only those who want to purchase directly from US merchants browse through the main site.

Moreover, search (organic and otherwise) is just the second-biggest source of traffic for ebay.com. According to eBay visitor statistics for December 2020,  28.86% visitors access the via search, while 64.55% of visitors access the site directly.

If we combine all eBay traffic stats, including referrals, social media, email, and display advertising, ebay.com’s total monthly visits reach more than 1 billion.

12. In March 2018, 32% of eBay shoppers were aged between 34 and 50.

(Small Business Trends)

The second-largest group of buyers on eBay were consumers belonging to the next 15-year age bracket, making up 29% of the company’s total shopper base. In other words, 61% of buyers on the platform are at least 35 years old. Other related eBay stats show that younger millennials and older Gen-Zers represent 18% and 14%, respectively.

In all probability, nostalgia plays a role as to why many middle-aged consumers continue to shop with one of the trailblazers of ecommerce.

In hopes of introducing itself to more Gen-Zers and understanding their shopping habits better, eBay joined forces with Snupps in 2017. At the time, nearly three-quarters of the social organizing app’s user base was under 24.

Since Snupps has featured millions of fashion items, its partnership with eBay could help bump up “Shoes” in the hierarchy of top-selling product groups, which, according to 2018-2019 eBay sales statistics by category, accounted for just 2.8% of the company’s GMV.

13. According to the most recent available data (2017), 66.7% of eBay buyers were men.

(Digital Commerce 360)

Women are more likely to order items over the internet than men, so such a wide gender gap on eBay may come as a surprise. In fact, both Amazon and eBay were male dominated at the time.

In retail, the status quo doesn’t normally change drastically, so eBay likely attracts more male buyers to this day. However, women make up a large majority of buyers on Etsy, where eight in 10 shoppers are women.

14. Women earn 80 cents to men’s dollar when selling new products.

(The Conversation, Bloomberg)

Although the auction site doesn’t explicitly state the gender of its users, it’s still possible to discover it. This seems to have resulted in women being paid less than men for the same products. However, statistics about eBay shopping reveal that women are in a slightly better position when selling used items, but they still only earn 97 cents for every dollar a male seller makes.

Said findings were based on the insights researchers had gleaned from data from about 1.1 million auctions completed over a three-year period.

The study also found out that women had tended to pay more than men when shopping. Like the relatively expensive for-women products sold at brick-and-mortar stores, the perceived most searched eBay items by the fairer sex were apparently a bit overpriced too.

Mobile-Related eBay Statistics

15. The eBay app had more than 50 million downloads in 2020.

(eBay Inc.)

The eBay app is 12 years old; it was built just in time for the Apple Store rollout in July 2008. But the application nearly didn’t get developed.

In 2009, when Steve Yankovich (the current eBay Vice President of Innovation and New Ventures) jumped on board, only one person was working on the app. The members of the Mobile team were either reassigned to other departments or shown the door in late 2008. The higher-ups didn’t consider mobile a part of the core business, so it wasn’t taken seriously.

Thankfully, Yankovich was able to change the then-prevailing opinion on the app. Considering that the impact mobile has had on eBay ecommerce statistics over the last decade, the company would have missed the bus on mobile if he didn’t enter the scene.

Yankovich was largely responsible for eBay’s “mobile-first” strategy. Among many things, the addition of new iPhone features has been a major impetus behind the philosophy’s evolution. At one point, his team experimented on creating dedicated eBay apps for various industry verticals.

16. Mobile eBay sales in the third quarter of 2020 amounted to $15.8 billion.

(eBay Inc., Statista)

It represents more than 60% of the company’s overall GMV in the same period. However, examining the latest Amazon vs eBay statistics is clear evidence that the latter needs to do much better to shatter the former’s aura of invincibility in the industry.

17. By 2019, over 50% of eBay transactions had involved a mobile component.

(eBay Inc.)

In other words, more than half of all buyers on the platform viewed goods on a mobile device before making a purchase. Some of them still complete the sale on a desktop or laptop. But the ecommerce journey usually begins with a smartphone or a tablet these days.

There’s a definite need to market with smaller screens in mind. To help sellers generate higher eBay revenue figures, the company advises using legible fonts, writing in bullets, keeping the background white, steer clearing of horizontal scrolling, and uploading closeup photos.

18. Six out of 10 items sold on eBay now have a mobile touchpoint.

(Oberlo)

‘Mobile shopping’ is now just shopping. The company has been making every effort to encourage its sellers to make their listings as friendly to mobile devices as possible in order to achieve success (and, of course, help boost eBay’s annual revenue) in the multiscreen world.

The launch of eBay 4.0 in 2015 was a game-changer for retailers. The awesome features of this iteration of the mobile app rendered digital commerce more simplified, customized, and personalized for merchants.

In June 2020, eBay rolled out Dark Mode for iOS users and Dark Theme for Android ones. True to itself, the company became one of the first ecommerce sites to launch such a much-desired feature to reduce eye strain and help improve overall health.

Marked eBay Trends

In the first quarter of 2021, eBay generated $2,732 million. That is 44% up compared with the same period last year ($1,900 million).

19. eBay’s US retail ecommerce sales share has been in decline.

(Pattern, eSellerCafe)

eMarketer’s 2020 report revealed that Walmart is now the second-biggest player in the space, a place eBay had held for a long time. The former grabbed a 5.3% slice of the pie while the latter was only able to keep 4.7%.

In 2018, eBay recorded a 6.6% market share, and it fell to 6.1% 12 months later. Losing almost two percent was all it took for the company to slide to the third spot and be in Walmart’s rearview mirror for the first time.

However, the drop in eBay market share wasn’t even close to what Amazon had to endure.

While still miles ahead of the pack with a share of 38.7%, Jeff Bezos and Co. can’t be happy about bidding farewell to a 10.4% of their lead in just three years.

Although more goods are now transacted online on Walmart, the Bentonville-headquartered grocery behemoth has yet to surpass eBay in the GMV department ($49 billion vs. $90 billion, 2019).

20. eBay’s revenue from international sales climbed by 13% from Q1 2006 to Q1 2020.

(Marketplace Pulse)

When considering the revenue generated from both Marketplace and Classifieds platforms, the statistics on eBay say that the percentage of revenue non-US customers add to the company’s coffers is 65%.

The company has been expanding its global footprint over the years. It has at least 23 localized marketplaces in strategic regions outside the US, such as Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Thanks to the pervasive mobile adoption and internet penetration in many countries across the world, eBay has been able to tap numerous developed and emerging markets to maximize their profits.

While the US will remain the goose that lays the golden eggs for the company, its extensive global presence and rising eBay sales statistics by country, make it one of the most vibrant cross-border digital marketplaces today—and plausibly in the years ahead.

21. Auctions had been responsible for just 9% of eBay’s GMV in Q2 2020-down from 70% in 2007.

(eBay Inc., EcommerceBytes)

The company’s auction business has suffered since the powers that be have focused on driving up fixed-price listings of high-volume sellers, especially retail chains and big brands.

While the auction format continues its downward trend, the management doesn’t seem to be concerned about the rather anemic eBay auction statistics.

In 2014, former CEO John Donahoe admitted that “zero growth” for the auction segment was his goal, a comment he made following several quarters of flat figures.

The platform’s auction format is still an option for buyers and sellers, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see fewer and fewer users using it down the road.

22. eBay’s revenue in 2020 was $10.3 billion.

(eBay Inc.)

When it comes to eBay’s GMV, the total value of all eBay sales in 2020  was $100 billion. That represents a 17% increase compared to 2019. 

Trade has picked up when the quantity of fixed-price items on the platform started to go up. The company’s emphasis on improved mobile shopping experience has likewise contributed to its impressive GMV growth. Also the 2020 pandemic has forced people to switch to online shopping which represents a major factor in all ecommerce financial results.

23. The demand for brand-new webcams skyrocketed by more than 1,000%.

(EcommerceBytes)

The sudden need for telecommuting and other flexible work arrangements in the light of the COVID-19 outbreak has boosted the sale of webcams.

Pre-owned remote-work essentials have also been some of the most searched for items on eBay lately. An April 2020 report revealed that the interest in used webcams had climbed 673% from this time last year.

Sales of power adapters and laptop docking stations jumped by 128%. Also, 139% more mobile hotspots and 79% more wireless routers were sold.

Many consumers may continue to invest in such goods, for remote work could be the new normal.

Its long-term benefits are no longer just imagined. Businesses can now assess its feasibility and viability in order to better cope with the level of disruption they’ve been experiencing during the pandemic in case the same global event occurs in the future.

24. Used puzzles had seen an 813% surge in sales on eBay in the time of COVID-19.

(EcommerceBytes)

Killing time is the likeliest motivation behind the dramatic rise in demand for these brain teasers. The latest eBay product sales statistics reveal that the sale of Lego building toys has increased by 86% during this period too.

Lots of people are also trying to stay fit at home amid the spread of coronavirus. Since life is somewhat at a standstill due to the coronavirus scare, strength-training products and pieces of cardio equipment registered 694% and 181% higher year-over-year eBay annual sales numbers, respectively.

25. eBay users bought 111% more pre-owned virtual reality headsets of late.

(EcommerceBytes)

VR technology has come a long way since its inception, but it still remains rather niche. However, online marketplaces have been helping bring it to the mainstream recently. Maybe more people have been suffering from cabin fever caused by the lockdown, so some have decided to explore new forms of entertainment.

Whatever the cause, eBay sales statistics show an increase in sales of virtual reality systems could indicate that the tech has captured the imagination of ordinary film buffs and non-gamers who might not have made the purchase under different circumstances.

26. Sales of secondhand painting equipment supplies on the platform has risen by 194%.

(EcommerceBytes, Retail Times)

Since the coronavirus pandemic has no end in sight, many people have stockpiled supplies for their art and DIY projects. Weeks of lockdown have freed up many of our schedules and have given us more time to tackle postponed painting endeavors.

These top-selling items on eBay are considered non-essential goods by the government amid the unprecedented health and economic crisis.

Despite widespread closures of brick-and-mortar stores, the new online shopping boom has rewarded perceptive retailers who have seized the opportunity to stay afloat (or even make bank) while playing by the rules.

27. Orders for used golf training aids have gone up by 119%.

(EcommerceBytes, Forbes)

Unlike other sports in the US, golf seems to be surging in popularity during the pandemic. With limited outdoor activities available due to social distancing measures, outdoorsy and active Americans must have found golf courses perfect for their needs.

The popularity of off-course variations of the sport among tens of millions of golfers in the US has also helped strengthen the demand for golf training gear.

Worrying eBay Fraud Statistics

28. 18% of ecommerce fraud during the coronavirus lockdown in the UK took place on eBay.

(SC Media UK)

Researchers found out that more than 16,300 Brits had fallen victim to online shopping and auction scams. The country’s national reporting organization for cybercrime and fraud said that the public has already lost £16 million since retail shops were forced to close due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Coincidentally, a recent survey revealed that 76% of British consumers feel that shopping online puts them at a greater risk of fraud. If left unaddressed satisfactorily, it could drive down future eBay usage statistics steadily.

29. An eBay seller lost almost £54,000 after getting scammed by 11,327 times over a 17-month period.

(This is Money, Tamebay)

Richard Crisp, owner of Home Essentials in Peterborough, England, didn’t realize hackers got a hold of his eBay account until nearly a year and a half after the first fraudulent incident he had fallen victim to.

The fraudsters made bogus PayPal accounts that were one character different from Crisp’s legitimate one and linked them to Home Essentials’ eBay account. Then, the hackers slightly modified a tiny fraction of Crisp’s listings (particularly low-value items with high sell-through rates) regularly in order to hijack a few eBay transactions per day and successfully steal some sales from the business without drawing attention.

30. A Hoosier allegedly ran an elaborate fraudulent scheme with made-up eBay and PayPal accounts, amassing $2 million in the process.

(News Anyway, IndyStar)

Tuong Quoc Ho, a 32-year-old resident of Carmel, is believed to have obtained private details of hundreds of individuals from different countries and then used the sensitive information to create phony other identification papers, like driver’s licenses, to set up fake accounts.

The prosecution explains that the alleged identity thief bought goods on eBay using stolen credit cards from 2013 to August 2019 and resold the merchandise.

Ho is likewise accused of having at least 500 PayPal accounts tied to a bank account under his name. If the accusations against him are true, one may wonder how many users are legitimate out of eBay’s official number of sellers.

If found guilty of 28 counts of numerous crimes, including aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, and money laundering, the suspect could face up to 20 years of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a fine of a quarter-million dollars.

31. 15 arrested members of an international crime ring that used eBay to sell fictitious big-ticket items have pleaded guilty.

(Nextgov, BalkanInsight)

The cyber-fraud gang executed a multi-million-dollar sophisticated scheme using fake ads and online auctions of non-existent vehicles, targeting eBay’s great number of users in the States.

The defendants (many of them are from Romania) pretended to be members of the military who wanted to sell their cars prior to deployment.

They were persuasive enough to convince buyers to pay before delivery. Once the funds were sent, they issued invoices to appear reputable sellers. The cash was then quickly injected into crypto exchanges for money laundering, allowing their other associates to take over.

Law enforcement’s job isn’t over until the last menace from this cyber-crime syndicate is identified and brought to justice. But such a positive development merits some celebration.

32. Based on 2019 fraudulent eBay user statistics, a Pennsylvanian exploited a software bug 1,100 times in order to rip retailers off and become $320,000 richer.

(The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Chad Broudy pled guilty for two counts of wire fraud he had committed in 2018. He capitalized on a glitch that allowed him to redeem eBay gift cards many times over and buy over 3,000 items for practically nothing.

In the end, he was sentenced to one day in jail, four months of house arrest, three years of supervised release, and 200 hours of community service after making $319,739 worth of restitution to the eBay sellers he defrauded.

33. A retailer from Ohio used 498 accounts to steal nearly $380,000 on the platform, according to unscrupulous eBay users statistics from last year.

(USAO-WDPA)

Atticus Sliter-Matias put non-existent electronic devices on the market and sent buyers empty packages via the United States Postal Service. He used the proceeds from the sale of bogus goods to invest in gold or silver bullion and coinage.

He was ordered to serve three years and six months in prison and be placed on supervised release for three years afterward. The federal court also demanded him to pay the losses of his victims to the last cent.

34. Two British brothers and one female accomplice made at least £106,000 by tricking users into facilitating fake online auctions on their behalf, 2019 eBay seller statistics note.

(WiredGov)

Jarvin and Calvin Ainsworth left for the Philippines to evade the UK authorities. In Asia, the two laundered their ill-gotten wealth in casinos and enjoyed luxury holidays while their victims were harassed by duped buyers.

Calvin, the younger of the two, admitted to 35 counts of fraud by false representation, earning him a sentence of five years and seven months of incarceration.

The older one was placed behind bars for three years and four months for pleading guilty to three counts of money laundering and possession of a taser, an offense he committed when he was apprehended at the Manchester Airport.

Their accomplice, Jared’s partner Ameena Hussain, was also sentenced to jail but was ordered to finish 150 hours of unpaid community service first.

35. A Louisianian swindled almost $2 million out of a large number of eBay users through fraudulent coin sales.

(The News-Star)

The 66-year-old man named Randall Keith Byrd posed as a retailer of gold bars and coins and collected payment from hundreds of unwitting buyers without sending any merchandise during a five-week scamming spree.

The culprit gave his customers incorrect shipping and tracking details to avoid suspicion and buy him time to cover his dirty deeds.

Ultimately, Byrd was caught. He admitted to one count of wire fraud. He was sent to federal prison for four years and was subjected to three years of supervised release. The West Monroe con artist was likewise demanded to pay $1,371,081 in restitution.

Wrap-Up

eBay is a force to be reckoned with in the global ecommerce space. It only looks small because it’s walking next to a giant that swears by its self-fulfilling prophecy.

The pie will keep getting bigger as more people in the world use a smartphone and shop online. And Amazon’s slice has been shrinking. It would be a Herculean task to catch the market leader up—but not an impossible one.

If there’s an online marketplace that could snatch most of Amazon’s ecommerce sales, it’s the one with a long-standing digital presence in key markets across the globe.

With the right vision and proper foresight, we could see much better eBay statistics in the future and witness another business miracle that would change the balance of power in retail for a long time.

FAQs

Q: Is eBay Still Popular in 2021?

Amazon may now be synonymous with online shopping. But eBay remains one of the most popular digital marketplaces in the world.

In December 2020, in terms of monthly search traffic, ebay.com had ranked 10th among the most visited sites in the US. Worldwide, eBay had claimed the 26th spot.

As one of the last remnants of the dotcom era, eBay owes its longevity to its strong desire to change its flea-market image and redefine its identity in order to stay relevant and profitable.

Q: How Big Is eBay?

eBay is in the top five biggest online marketplaces on the planet. In terms of GMV, the company is next to Amazon in the US and also behind Taobao, Tmall, and Jingdong globally.

In 2020, eBay made over $10.3 billion. This figure consisted of all of the revenues it generated from its main and localized web platforms and mobile apps, StubHub, and Classifieds.

The company’s annual net revenue increased over the past five years. In 2015, eBay and PayPal split up. Since PayPal was a major source of revenue for the company, the profits dipped slightly.

Although the company has bounced back since its separation from the payment giant, ruling the global ecommerce race is probably a pipe dream for eBay at this point.

Q: How Many Employees Does eBay Have?

In 2021, eBay provides jobs to 14,100 people. Its corporate family used to be much bigger, though.

From 2014 to 2015, its company tree shed two-thirds of its leaves. Again, this was the period when eBay and PayPal parted ways and became separate entities. Also, the former sold its Enterprise division during this time. Both events led to the layoff of about 2,400 individuals.

The last time the company was less than 15,000 strong was in 2006. It was a historic year for eBay, for it was when Gigayacht was sold.

Q: How Many People Still Use eBay?

In 2020, eBay attracted 185 million active buyers across the world, which is a 7% increase compared to 2019. The company’s robust mobile app is keeping it alive and relevant. A September 2019 study revealed that the reach of eBay’s main shopping app had been 33.28%, a figure that was eclipsed only by Amazon and Walmart.

In other words, the company’s app had resided in the devices of a third of the American mobile-user population. Its number may pale in comparison to that of Jeff Bezos’s tech conglomerate, but, still, it’s not so shabby.

Q: How Many Sellers Are on eBay?

The eBay community had 19 million sellers in 2020. Over the last five years, worldofbooks08, musicmagpie, and medimops have been the most prolific sellers on the platform.

Cross-border trade is the bread and butter of over a quarter of eBay’s top 1,000 sellers. International selling grew steadily in the mid-2010s, but it has been on a downward trajectory since 2018.

Around 85% of the remaining 275 cross-border traders on eBay are based in either China or Hong Kong.

Although the number of Chinese businesses selling to the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia dropped by 35% from 2018 to 2020 (276 vs. 179), the number of those trading with Europe climbed by 38% (40 vs. 55).

Q: How Many Items Are for Sale on eBay?

In February 2021, eBay had 1.7 billion live listings. And, in Q1 2020, 1.2 million sellers took advantage of the Promoted Listings advertising scheme to catapult 310 million postings above the fold.

Between February 2018 and January 2019, “Electronics & Accessories” accounted for 16.4% of all products sold on the platform. The other top-selling categories on eBay were “Clothing & Accessories” (13.8%), “Automotive” (10.5%), “Health & Beauty” (8.8%), and “Sports & Outdoors” (7%).

Unlike Amazon that continued to sell more pieces of literature than any products on its platform, eBay’s “Books” category represented just 4.3% of its overall sales.

Q: What Percentage of Listings Sell on eBay?

There’s no definitive source of information about the exact number of listings that sell (and don’t sell) on eBay. After all, the only party that could possibly do the counting in good faith is unlikely to do so.

However, many factors do determine how many serious buyers an item may have and how long it will probably stay on the market.

Among the items that go on the eBay auction block, those under the “Cell Phone and Accessories” category usually generate the most offers on average. According to eBay statistics about sales, the ones under “Books” attract the fewest bidders.

Furthermore, products belonging to “Tickets” tend to sell for the highest amount of cash, and those under “DVDs and Movies” are at the other end of the spectrum.

When it comes to sell-through rates, “Gift Cards and Coupons” and “Specialty Services” are worlds apart. 

Hypothetically, if you want to sell on eBay and turn a considerable amount of profit more quickly, you’d put a mobile device, a commemorative coin, or a concert ticket up for sale instead of a shirt, pottery jar, or a paperback.

Q: What Percent of Items Sold on eBay Are New and Unused?

By 2020, 80% of items sold on eBay are brand-new. 

Although the company is no longer the digital resale shop that it was initially known to be, the eBay sales percentage figures above suggest that it hasn’t alienated its original breed of users yet.

Sources:

We will be happy to hear your thoughts

Leave a reply

Savemycent.com
Logo
Compare items
  • Total (0)
Compare
0