EBay 130495 226061059 2008-07-16T17:31:07Z 89.123.97.157 {{lowercase}} {{otheruses4|the online auction center|the [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] song|eBay (song)}} {{Infobox Dotcom company<!-- infobox source: http://www.hoovers.com/ebay/--ID__56307--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml --> | company_name = eBay Inc. | company_logo = [[Image:EBay Logo.svg|210px|eBay corporate logo]] | company_type = [[Public company|Public]] ({{NASDAQ|EBAY}}) | company_slogan = ''What ever it is, you can get it on eBay.'', and ''Shop victoriously!'' | foundation = [[San Jose, California]], [[United States|USA]] ([[September 3]], [[1995]]) | location_city = San Jose, California | location_country = United States | key_people = [[John Donahoe]], CEO<br /> [[Rajiv Dutta]], President of eBay Marketplaces<br /> [[Meg Whitman]], former CEO and board member<br /> [[Pierre Omidyar]], Founder and Chairman <br /> | num_employees = 15,500 (Q1 2008) | industry = [[Auction]]s | revenue = {{profit}}$7.67 billion [[United States dollar|USD]] (2007) | products = [[online auction business model|Online auction hosting]], [[Electronic commerce]], [[Shopping mall]]<br />[[PayPal]], [[Skype]], [[Gumtree]], [[Kijiji]] | url = [http://www.ebay.com/ www.ebay.com]<br />[[#International|List of domain names]] | screenshot = [[Image:EBay.png|220px]] | caption = The [[eBay]] homepage. | website_type = [[online auction business model|Online auction]] | language = [[#International|Multilingual]] | registration = Required to buy and sell | launch_date = [[September 3]], [[1995]] }} [[Image:Ebayheadquarters.jpg|thumb|right|260px|eBay headquarters in San Jose]] [[Image:Ebaynorthsanjose.jpg|thumb|right|260px|eBay North First Street satellite office campus (home to [[PayPal]])]] [[Image:EBay localization.png|thumb|right|260px|Countries for which eBay is localized.]] '''eBay Inc.''' is an [[United States|American]] [[Internet]] company that manages eBay.com, an [[online auction]] and shopping [[website]] in which people and businesses buy and sell goods and services worldwide. In addition to its original U.S. Web site, eBay has established [[#International|localized Web sites]] in thirty other countries. eBay Inc. also owns [[PayPal]], [[Skype]],<ref>{{cite web | last = Suciu | first = Peter | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Skype and PayPal – A Different Set of Rules | work = | publisher = All Business | date = 2008-04-18 | url = http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/communications-law-telephone-rates/8583888-1.html | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2008-04-23}}</ref> [[StubHub]], and other businesses. ==Origins and early history== The [[Online auction business model|online auction]] Web site was founded in [[San Jose, California]], on [[September 3]], [[1995]], by [[France|French]]-born [[Iran]]ian computer programmer [[Pierre Omidyar]] as AuctionWeb,<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/misc.forsale.non-computer/browse_frm/thread/f1c6253b150a7c4/400c831dc01877f2?lnk=st&q=auctionweb+omidyar&rnum=1&hl=en#400c831dc01877f2 misc.forsale.non-computer post about Auctionweb]</ref> part of a larger personal site that included, among other things, Omidyar's own tongue-in-cheek tribute to the [[Ebola]] virus.<ref name="cohen">{{cite book | title=The Perfect Store | first=Adam | last=Cohen | publishdate=2002 | id=ISBN 0-316-16493-3}}</ref> In 1997, the company received approximately $5 million in funding from the venture capital firm [[Benchmark Capital]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Stross | first = Randall | title = eBoys: The First Inside Account of Venture Capitalists at Work | publisher = Ballantine Books (May 29, 2001) | date = 2001-05-29 | pages = 28-29 | url = http://www.amazon.com/eBoys-Inside-Account-Venture-Capitalists/dp/0345428897/ | isbn = 978-0345428899}}</ref> The very first item sold on eBay was a broken [[laser pointer]] for $14.83. Astonished, Omidyar contacted the winning bidder to ask if he understood that the laser pointer was broken. In his responding email, the buyer explained: "I'm a [[wiktionary:collector|collector]] of broken laser pointers."<ref name="el_history">[http://ebay.about.com/od/ebaylifestyle/a/el_history.htm How did eBay start?], About.com. Retrieved on 2007-[[January 26|01-26]].</ref> The frequently-repeated story that eBay was founded to help Omidyar's fiancée trade [[PEZ]] Candy dispensers was fabricated by a public relations manager in 1997 to interest the media. This was revealed in Adam Cohen's 2002 book<ref name="cohen" /> and confirmed by eBay. Chris Agarpao was hired as eBay's first employee and [[Jeffrey Skoll]] was hired as the first president of the company in early 1996. In November 1996, eBay entered into its first third-party licensing deal, with a company called Electronic Travel Auction to use SmartMarket Technology to sell plane tickets and other travel products. The company officially changed the name of its service from AuctionWeb to eBay in September 1997. Originally, the site belonged to Echo Bay Technology Group, Omidyar's consulting firm. Omidyar had tried to register the domain name [http://www.echobay.com/ echobay.com] (the domain has recently been put up for sale) but found it already taken by the [[Echo Bay Mines Limited|Echo Bay Mines]], a gold mining company, so he shortened it to his second choice, ''eBay.com''.<ref>[http://www.happynews.com/living/online/history-ebay.htm The history of ebay<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> eBay went public on [[September 21]]<ref>[http://moneycentral.hoovers.com/global/msn/factsheet.xhtml?COID=56307 eBay Inc. - MSN Fact Sheet<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, 1998, and both Omidyar and Skoll became instant billionaires.<ref name="el_history"/> The company purchased [[PayPal]] on [[October 14]] [[2002]]. ==International== In addition to its original U.S. Web site, eBay has established localized Web sites in several other countries: {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Country/region ! Website ! Language ! Launch date |- | {{flag|Argentina}} | http://www.mercadolibre.com.ar/ | [[Spanish language|Spanish]] | [[2 august]] [[1999]] |- | {{flag|Australia}} | http://www.ebay.com.au/ | [[English language|English]] | {{dts2||October|1999}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/au/new/eBayFactSheetApr06.pdf |title=eBay Fact Sheet |date=[[2006-03-31]] |accessdate=2007-11-09 |format=PDF |work=eBay |publisher=eBay Inc.}}</ref> |- | {{flag|Austria}} | http://www.ebay.at/ | [[German language|German]] | {{dts2|18|December|2000}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://investor.ebay.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=29434 |title=eBay Launches Service for Austria |date=[[2000-12-18]] |accessdate=2007-11-09 |format= |work=eBay Inc. - Investor Relations |publisher=eBay Inc.}}</ref> |- | {{flag|Belgium}} | http://www.ebay.be/ | [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[French language|French]] | {{?}} |- | {{flag|Brazil}} | http://www.mercadolivre.com.br/ | [[Brazilian Portuguese|Portuguese]] | {{?}} |- | {{flag|Canada}} | http://www.ebay.ca/ | [[English language|English]], [[French language|French]] | {{dts2||April|2000}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pages.ebay.ca/aboutebay/thecompany/2004-04.html |title=Gary Briggs Appointed Vice President and Country Manager of eBay Canada |date=[[2004-04-28]] |accessdate=2007-11-09 |work=eBay Canada |publisher=eBay Inc.}}</ref> |- | {{flag|China}} | http://www.ebay.com.cn/ | [[Chinese language|Chinese]] | {{?}} |- | {{flag|France}} | http://www.ebay.fr/ | [[French language|French]] | {{dts2|5|October|2000}}<ref>[http://investor.ebay.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=26950 WORLD'S LARGEST ONLINE TRADING COMMUNITY LAUNCHES NEW WEB SITE IN FRANCE]</ref><ref>{{fr icon}} [http://www.01net.com/article/123419.html eBay France, lancement officiel du site d'enchères]</ref> |- | {{flag|Germany}} | http://www.ebay.de/ | [[German language|German]] | {{dts2||June|1999}} |- | {{flag|Hong Kong}} | http://www.ebay.com.hk/ | [[Chinese language|Chinese]], [[English language|English]] | {{dts2|21|December|2003}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://investor.ebay.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=124995 |title=eBay Launches Service For Hong Kong |date=[[2003-12-21]] |accessdate=2007-11-09 |format= |work=eBay Inc. - Investor Relations |publisher=eBay Inc.}}</ref> |- | {{flag|India}} | http://www.ebay.in/ | [[English language|English]] | {{dts2|25|March|2005}} |- | {{flag|Ireland}} | http://www.ebay.ie/ | [[English language|English]] | {{dts2|29|March|2001}}<ref name="ebay-pr-ie-nz-ch-2001-03-29">{{cite web |url=http://investor.ebay.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=35400 |title=eBay Launches Service For Ireland, New Zealand And Switzerland |accessdate=2007-11-09 |date=[[2001-03-29]] |format= |work=eBay Inc. - Investor Relations |publisher=eBay Inc.}}</ref> |- | {{flag|Israel}} | http://www.ebay.co.il/ | [[English language|English]] | {{?}} |- | {{flag|Italy}} | http://www.ebay.it/ | [[Italian language|Italian]] | {{dts2|15|January|2001}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://investor.ebay.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=30820 |title=eBay Launches in Italy |date=[[2001-01-15]] |accessdate=2007-11-09 |format= |work=eBay Inc. - Investor Relations |publisher=eBay Inc.}}</ref> |- | {{flag|Malaysia}} | http://www.ebay.com.my/ | [[English language|English]] | {{dts2|1|December|2004}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://investor.ebay.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=149589 |title=eBay Launches Service for Malaysia |date=[[2004-12-01]] |accessdate=2007-11-09 |format= |work=eBay Inc. - Investor Relations |publisher=eBay Inc.}}</ref> |- | {{flag|Mexico}} | http://www.mercadolibre.com.mx/ | [[Spanish language|Spanish]] | {{?}} |- | {{flag|Netherlands}} | http://www.ebay.nl/ | [[Dutch language|Dutch]] | {{?}} |- | {{flag|New Zealand}} | http://pages.ebay.com/nz | [[English language|English]] | {{dts2|29|March|2001}}<ref name="ebay-pr-ie-nz-ch-2001-03-29"/> |- | {{flag|Philippines}} | http://www.ebay.ph/ | [[English language|English]] | {{dts2|16|November|2004}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://investor.ebay.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=148474 |title=eBay Launches Service for the Philippines |date=[[2004-11-16]] |accessdate=2007-11-09 |format= |work=eBay Inc. - Investor Relations |publisher=eBay Inc.}}</ref> |- | {{flag|Poland}} | http://www.ebay.pl/ | [[Polish language|Polish]] | {{dts2|22|April|2005}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://investor.ebay.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=161003 |title=eBay Launches Service for Poland |date=[[2005-04-22]] |accessdate=2007-11-09 |format= |work=eBay Inc. - Investor Relations |publisher=eBay Inc.}}</ref> |- | {{flag|Singapore}} | http://www.ebay.com.sg/ | [[English language|English]] | {{dts2|24|October|2001}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://investor.ebay.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=62937 |title=eBay Launches Service for Singapore |date=[[2001-10-24]] |accessdate=2007-11-09 |format= |work=eBay Inc. - Investor Relations |publisher=eBay Inc.}}</ref> |- | {{flag|South Africa}} | http://www.ebay.co.za/ | [[English language|English]] | {{?}} |- | {{flag|South Korea}} | http://www.auction.co.kr/ | [[Korean language|Korean]] | {{dts2|15|February|2001}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://english.hani.co.kr/section-004000000/2001/004000000200101080924185.html |title=<nowiki>[Internet Auction]</nowiki> Auction "eBay will start Korean service next month" |date=[[2001-01-08]] |accessdate=2007-11-29 |format= |work= |publisher=Hangyore News (Yonhab News).}}</ref> |- | {{flag|Spain}} | http://www.ebay.es/ | [[Spanish language|Spanish]] | {{dts2|8|January|2002}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pages.ebay.es/portada/pdf/Dossier_eBay.pdf |title=eBay.es Dossier de Prensa |date=January 2001 |accessdate=2007-11-09 |format=PDF |work=eBay.es |publisher=eBay Inc.}}</ref> |- | {{flag|Sweden}} | http://www.tradera.com/ | [[Swedish language|Swedish]] | {{?}} |- | {{flag|Switzerland}} | http://www.ebay.ch/ | [[German language|German]] | {{dts2|29|March|2001}}<ref name="ebay-pr-ie-nz-ch-2001-03-29"/> |- | {{flag|Taiwan}} | http://www.ruten.com.tw/ | [[Taiwanese (linguistics)|Chinese]] | {{?}} |- | {{flag|Turkey}} | http://www.gittigidiyor.com/ | [[Turkish language|Turkish]] | {{dts2|3|May|2007}} |- | {{flag|United Arab Emirates}} | http://www.ebay.ae/ | [[English language|English]] | {{?}} |- | {{flag|United Kingdom}} | http://www.ebay.co.uk/ | [[English language|English]] | {{dts2||October|1999}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pages.ebay.co.uk/aboutebay/thecompany/companyoverview.html |title=eBay Worldwide |accessdate=2007-11-09 |format= |work=eBay.co.uk |publisher=eBay Inc.}}</ref> |- | {{flag|United States}} | http://www.ebay.com/ | [[English language|English]] | {{dts2|3|September|1995}} |- | {{flag|Uruguay}} | http://www.mercadolibre.com.uy/ | [[Spanish language|Spanish]] | {{?}} |- | {{flag|Venezuela}} | http://www.mercadolibre.com.ve/ | [[Spanish language|Spanish]] | {{?}} |- | {{flag|Vietnam}} | http://www.ebay.vn/ | [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]], [[English language|English]] | {{dts2|27|June|2007}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tuoitre.com.vn/Tianyon/Index.aspx?ChannelID=16&ArticleID=207697 |title=Nhịp sống số }}</ref> |} ==Items and services== Millions of [[collectible]]s, [[decor]], [[Home appliance|appliances]], [[computer]]s, [[furniture]], [[tool|equipment]], [[vehicle]]s, and other miscellaneous items are listed, bought, and sold daily. In 2005, eBay launched its Business & Industrial category, breaking into the industrial surplus business. Some items are rare and valuable, while many others are dusty gizmos that would have been discarded if not for the thousands of eager bidders worldwide. Anything can be sold as long as it is not illegal and does not violate the eBay Prohibited and Restricted Items policy.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/items-ov.html | title=Prohibited and Restricted Items - Overview | publisher=eBay | accessdate=2006-06-28}}</ref> Services and intangibles can be sold, too. Large international companies, such as [[IBM]], sell their newest products and offer services on eBay using competitive auctions and fixed-priced storefronts. Regional searches of the database make shipping slightly faster and cheaper. Separate eBay sites such as eBay US and eBay UK allow the users to trade using the local currency as an additional option to [[PayPal]]. Software developers can create applications that integrate with eBay through the eBay API by joining the eBay Developers Program.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://developer.ebay.com | title=eBay Developers Program | publisher=eBay | accessdate=2006-06-28}}</ref> As of June 2005, there were over 15,000 members in the eBay Developers Program, comprising a broad range of companies creating software applications to support eBay buyers and sellers as well as eBay Affiliates. Controversy has arisen over certain items put up for bid. For instance, in late 1999, a man offered one of his [[kidney]]s for auction on eBay, attempting to profit from the potentially lucrative (and, in the United States, illegal) market for [[organ transplant|transplantable human organs]]. On other occasions, people and even entire towns have been listed, often as a joke or to garner free publicity. In general, the company removes auctions that violate its [[Terms of Service|terms of service]] agreement within a short time after hearing of the auction from an outsider; the company's policy is to not pre-approve transactions. eBay is also an easy place for unscrupulous sellers to market [[counterfeit]] merchandise, which can be difficult for novice buyers to distinguish without careful study of the auction description. ===PayPal-only categories=== Beginning in August 2007, eBay required listing in "Video Games" and "Health & Beauty" to accept its payment system [[PayPal]] and sellers could only accept PayPal for payments in the category "Video Games: Consoles".<ref>[http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200708101038232.html August 10, 2007, 10:38AM BST post to eBay annoucement board by eBay's staff]</ref> Starting [[January 10]] [[2007]], eBay says sellers can only accept PayPal as payment for the categories "Computing > Software", "Consumer Electronics > MP3 Players", "Wholesale & Job Lots > Mobile & Home Phones", and "Business, Office & Industrial > Industrial Supply / MRO".<ref>[http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200712.shtml 21 December, 2007 12:10PM GMT General announcement by eBay]</ref> eBay announced that starting in March 2008, eBay had added to this requirement that all sellers with less than 100 feedbacks must offer PayPal and no [[merchant account]] may be used as an alternative.<ref>[http://web.ebay.co.uk/businesshub/index.php?page=safe_payments Announcement posted in a section on ebay called Changes in 2008]</ref><ref>[http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200802.shtml eBay February 2008 announcement board posted on 28 February, 2008 02:49PM GMT]</ref> This is in addition to the requirement that all sellers from the [[United Kingdom]] have to offer PayPal.<ref>[http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200803211515302.html eBay announcement 24 March, 2008 09:00AM GMT]</ref> Further, and as noted below, it is a requirement to offer Paypal on all listings in Australia and the UK. ===eBay Express=== [[Image:Ebay express.png|thumb]] April 2006, eBay opened its new eBay Express site, which is designed to work like a standard Internet shopping site to consumers with United States addresses [http://www.express.ebay.com/ (eBay Express)]. Selected eBay items are mirrored on eBay Express where buyers shop using a shopping cart to purchase from multiple sellers. The UK version was launched to eBay members in mid October 2006 but on [[29 January]] [[2008]] eBay announced their intention to close the site<ref>[http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200801.shtml#2008-01-28172536 January 2008<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. The German version was also opened in 2006 and closed in 2008 [http://www.ebayexpress.de/ (eBay Express Germany)]. ===eBay Specialty Sites=== In June 2006, eBay added an [http://www.ebaywiki.com/ eBay Community Wiki] and [http://blogs.ebay.com/ eBay Blogs] to its Community Content which also includes the Discussion Boards, Groups, Answer Center, Chat Rooms, and Reviews & Guides. eBay has a robust mobile offering, including [[Short message service|SMS]] alerts, a [[Wireless Application Protocol|WAP]] site, and [[Java Platform, Micro Edition|J2ME]] clients, available in certain markets. [http://bestof.ebay.com Best of eBay] is a new specialty site for finding the most-unusual items on the eBay site. Users can also vote on and nominate listings that they find. [http://pulse.ebay.com eBay Pulse] provides information about popular search terms, trends, and most-watched items. ==Auction types== eBay offers several types of auctions. * '''Auction-style listings''' allow the seller to offer one or more items for sale for a specified number of days. The seller can establish a reserve price. * '''Fixed Price format''' allows the seller to offer one or more items for sale at a ''Buy It Now'' price. Buyers who agree to pay that price win the auction immediately without submitting a bid. * '''[[Dutch auction|Dutch Auction]]s''' allow the seller to offer two or more identical items in the same auction. Bidders can bid for any number from one item up to the total number offered. ==Bidding== For auction-style listings, the first bid must be at least the amount of the minimum bid set by the seller. Regardless of the amount the first bidder actually bids, until a second bid is made, eBay will then display the auction's minimum bid as the current high bid. After the first bid is made, each subsequent bid must be equal to at least the current highest bid displayed plus one bidding increment. The bidding increment is established by eBay based on the size of the current highest displayed bid. For example, when the current highest bid is less than or equal to $0.99, the bidding increment is $0.05; when the current highest bid is at least $1.00 but less than or equal to $4.99, the bidding increment is $0.25. Regardless of the amount each subsequent bidder bids, eBay will display the lesser of the bidder's actual bid and the amount equal to the previous highest bidder's actual bid plus one bidding increment. For example, suppose the current second-highest bid is $2.05 and the highest bid is $2.40. eBay will display the highest bid as $2.30, which equals the second-highest bid ($2.05) plus the bidding increment ($0.25). In this case, eBay will require the next bid to be at least $2.55, which equals the highest displayed bid ($2.30) plus one bidding increment ($0.25). The next bid will display as the actual amount bid or $2.65, whichever is less. The figure of $2.65 in this case comes from the then-second-highest actual bid of $2.40 plus the bidding increment of $0.25. The winning bidder pays the bid that eBay displays, not the amount actually bid. Following this example, if the next bidder is the final bidder, and bids $2.55, the winner pays $2.55, even though it is less than the second-highest bid ($2.40) plus one bidding increment ($0.25). However, if the next bidder is the final bidder and bids an arbitrarily large amount, for example $10.00 or even more, the winner pays $2.65, which equals the second-highest bid plus one bidding increment. For Dutch Auctions, which are auctions of two or more identical items sold in one auction, each bidder enters both a bid and the number of items desired. Until the total number of items desired by all bidders equals the total number of items offered, bidders can bid any amount greater than or equal to the minimum bid. Once the total numbers of items desired by all bidders is greater than or equal to the total number offered, each bidder is required to bid one full bidding increment above the currently-displayed winning bid. All winning bidders pay the same lowest winning bid. eBay has established detailed rules about bidding, retraction of bids, shill bidding (collusion to drive up the price), and other aspects of bidding. These rules can be viewed on the help pages. In 2007, eBay began using detailed seller ratings with four different categories. When leaving feedback, buyers are asked to rate the seller in each of these categories with a score of one to five stars, with five being the highest rating and one the lowest. Unlike the overall feedback rating, these ratings are anonymous; neither sellers nor other users learn how individual buyers rated the seller. The listings of sellers with a rating of 4.3 or below in any of the four rating categories appear lower in search results. Power Sellers are required to have scores in each category above 4.5. <ref>[http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200802.shtml February 2008<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200801.shtml January 2008<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/services/forum/new.html Upcoming Changes to Feedback<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/overview/index.html Fees 2008 Overview<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200801.shtml January 2008<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ==Profit and transactions== {{Original research|section|date=November 2007}} eBay generates revenue from a number of fees. The eBay fee system is quite complex; there are fees to list a product and fees when the product sells, plus several optional fees, all based on various factors and scales. The U.S.-based eBay.com takes $0.20 to $80 per listing and 5.25% or less of the final price (as of 2007). The Mexican eBay "mercado libre" takes 1% (price of the article × number of articles to be sold), and 4.99% of the final price if there is a successful trade. The [[United Kingdom|UK]] based ebay.co.uk [http://pages.ebay.co.uk/aboutebay/contact.html (ebay.co.uk offices)] takes from [[Pound sterling|GBP]] £0.15 to a maximum rate of [[Pound sterling|GBP]] £3 per £100 for an ordinary listing and from 0.75% to 5.25% of the final price. In addition, eBay now owns the [[PayPal]] payment system which has fees of its own. Under current U.S. law, a state cannot require sellers located outside the state to collect a [[sales tax]], making deals more attractive to buyers. Although state laws require purchasers to pay sales tax to their own states on out-of-state purchases, most non-professional sellers ignore this requirement. However, most sellers that operate as a full time business do follow state tax regulations on their eBay transactions.{{Fact|date=July 2007}} However for the tax called [[Value added tax]] ([[VAT]]), eBay requires sellers to include the VAT fees in their listing price and not as an add-on and thus eBay profits by collecting fees based on what governments tax for VAT.<ref>[http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200801.shtml eBay January 2008 announcement board. Posted on 30 January, 2008 06:20PM GMT]</ref> The company's current business strategy includes increasing revenue by increasing [[international]] trade within the eBay system.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} eBay has already expanded to over [[#International|two dozen countries]] including China and India. The only places where expansion failed were Taiwan and Japan, where [[Yahoo!]] had a head start, and New Zealand where [[TradeMe]], owned by the [[Fairfax Media|Fairfax]] media group is the dominant online auction website. A more recent strategy involves the company increasingly leveraging the relationship between the Ebay auction site and Paypal: the impact of driving buyers and sellers to use Paypal means not only does Ebay turn buyers into clients (as a pure auction venue its clients used to be predominantly sellers) but for each new Paypal registration it achieves via the Ebay auction site it also earns offsite revenue when the resulting Paypal account is used in non-Ebay transactions. In its Q1 2008 results total payment volume via Paypal increased 17% but off the Ebay auction site it was up 61%.<ref>[http://seekingalpha.com/article/72603-ebay-q1-2008-earnings-call-transcript Q1 eBay earnings call April 16th 2008]</ref> ==Acquisitions== {{main|List of acquisitions by eBay}} ==Controversy and criticisms== eBay has its share of controversy, ranging from its [[Data privacy|privacy]] policy (eBay typically turns over user information to law enforcement without a [[subpoena]]){{Fact|date=February 2007}} to well-publicised seller [[fraud]]. eBay claims that their data shows that less than .01% of all transactions result in a confirmed case of fraud. However, eBay states that their stated fraud statistic both undercounts and overcounts fraud.<ref> [http://pages.ebay.com/event/robc/ Chat with Rob Chesnut, Vice President of eBay's Trust & Safety Department]</ref> ===Fraud=== One mechanism eBay uses to combat [[fraud]] is its feedback system. Before eBay's January 29th, 2008, policy-change announcement, at the end of every transaction, both the buyer and seller had the option of rating each other. Both parties had the ability to rate each other and the experience as a "positive", "negative", or "neutral" rating and leave a comment no longer than 80 characters. As of incoming CEO's John Donahoe's announcement however, the option for sellers to leave anything other than positive feedback to buyers was removed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pages.ebay.com/services/forum/new.html |title= ebay.com, Home > Community > Feedback Forum > Upcoming Changes to Feedback}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7228460.stm |title= BBC, 5-Feb-2008, eBay to ban negative seller views}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl?/comments/2008/1/1201611437.html |title= blog.auctionbytes.com, 29-Jan-2008, Upcoming Changes to Feedback on eBay}}</ref> Weaknesses of the feedback system include:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smallbizresource.com/document.asp?doc_id=112917 |title=eBay Feedback: Fatally Flawed?}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sfbayguardian.com/printable_entry.php?entry_id=2720 |title=San Francisco Bay Guardian - Bias on eBay}}</ref> * Small and large transactions carry the same weight in the feedback summary. It is therefore easy for a dishonest user to initially build up a deceptive positive rating by buying or selling a number of very low value items, such as [[e-book]]s, recipes, etc., then subsequently switching to fraud. eBay has since restricted digitally-delivered items to classified listings, which do not involve feedback. * Users and generators of feedback may have different ideas about what it means. eBay offers virtually no guidelines. * Feedback and responses to feedback are allotted only 80 characters each. This can prevent users from being able to fully list valid complaints. * Although eBay protects sellers from getting a negative feedback from a deadbeat buyer when the deadbeat buyer/bidder did not respond to Unpaid Item dispute, they do not offer the same protection for a buyer who gets a deadbeat seller. eBay acknowledges weaknesses in its feedback system on its own policy pages, noting several of the above points.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/feedback-ov.html |title=eBay.com Feedback Policies - Overview}}</ref> When a user feels that a seller or buyer has been dishonest, a dispute can be filed with eBay. An eBay account (whether seller, buyer or both) may be suspended if there are too many complaints against the account holder. Originally, feedback could be left for a seller or buyer whether or not it involved a transaction and could be left multiple times by the same person. While one upside is that it allowed people to offset feedback in case of fortune reversals (as feedback can never be edited or retracted once it is left) and has even allowed people to leave feedback for a seller or buyer simply for answering a question, the downside of this more than offset it as it allowed people to flame others or try to ruin credibility (as every feedback also counted towards one's rating, no matter what). Eventually, one could only leave feedback if they won an auction, and only one feedback message could be left per transaction. eBay allows Mystery Box and Mystery Envelope auctions; however, these are almost all fraudulent auctions because the seller can manipulate the box contents to make sure it is never a good deal for the buyer.<ref>Scams And Scoundrels Book ISBN-13: 978-0-9774760-2-2</ref> Mystery Envelope auctions offer cash prizes of an undisclosed amount to auction winners. The auction winner usually receives from 10% to 30% of the money he/she paid for the auction back in 'winnings'.<ref>Scams And Scoundrels Book ISBN-13: 978-0-9774760-2-2 Chapter 8</ref> Mystery Envelope auctions are considered by many to be illegal lotteries.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} This was also the case with auctions for "repackaging" of [[collectible card game]] cards (such as [[Magic: The Gathering]] or [[Pokemon]]) with the promise that one of the repackages has an expensive rare card.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} Professional scammers target new members to take advantage of their unfamiliarity with how eBay or PayPal work.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.paypal-scam.com.com/ |title=PayPal-Scam.com}}</ref> New members can be easily tricked into thinking there is a special Web site they should make payments through (which is in fact a fake site setup by a scammer) or they may be tricked more easily into using a fake escrow company. Many complaints have been made about eBay's system of dealing with fraud, leading to its being featured on the British consumer rights television program ''[[Watchdog (TV series)|Watchdog]]''. It is also regularly featured in ''[[Daily Mirror|The Daily Mirror]]'''s Consumer Awareness page. The complaints are generally that eBay sometimes fails to respond when a claim is made. Since eBay makes its money on commissions from listings and sales, it may not be in eBay's interest to take action against large sellers. {{Fact|date=March 2007}} Frauds that can be committed by sellers include: * receiving payment and not shipping merchandise; * shipping items other than those described; * giving a deliberately misleading description; * knowingly and deliberately shipping faulty merchandise; * selling [[counterfeit]] or [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]] merchandise; * knowingly selling stolen goods; * inflating total bid amounts by bidding on their own auction with "[[shill]]" account(s), either the seller under an alternate account or another person in collusion with the seller (Shill bidding is prohibited by eBay and, in at least one high-profile case involving [[Kenneth Walton]] and his accomplices [[Kenneth Fetterman]] and Scott Beach has been prosecuted by the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] as criminal fraud.); * misrepresenting the cost of shipping; and * shipping at a slower service than that paid for.<ref>"[http://www.dansdata.com/ebayscam.htm The safe eBay Scam!]", Daniel Rutter, retrieved 3rd December 2007.</ref> Frauds committed by buyers include: * [[PayPal]] fraud, namely filing false shipping damage claim with the shipping company and with PayPal; * [[credit card]] fraud, in the form of both stolen credit cards and fraudulent chargebacks; * receiving merchandise and claiming otherwise; * returning items other than received; and * the buyer sending a forged payment-service e-mail that states that the buyer has made a payment to the seller's account (an unsuspecting seller may ship the item before realizing that the e-mail was forged). Fraud is combated by: * third-party businesses, such as CheckMEND, compiling lists of stolen goods from local authorities and businesses so eBay consumers can check to see whether the goods they are buying are stolen; and * third-party software that could potentially eliminate eBay account hijacking by alerting users if they are being tricked into going to a bogus, or "spoof", Web site (see [[phishing#Anti-phishing|anti-phishing]]). ===Ebay requires sellers to use Paypal=== In some countries, eBay requires sellers to use their Paypal service to facilitate payment, which has led to consumer backlash <ref>[http://www.antiquestradegazette.com/news/6762.aspx Trade backlash at eBay's PayPal-only policy]</ref> with the view that Paypal is the only choice that makes sense and so should be the only choice available.<ref>[http://apcmag.com/ebay_prochoice_but_only_when_it_leads_to_a_profit.htm eBay: pro-choice, but only when it suits]</ref> ====Australia==== In April 2008 eBay announced an introduction of a 'Paypal only' policy in Australia.<ref>{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = PayPal mandatory, says eBay Australia | work = News Limited | publisher = Australian IT | date = 2008-04-10 | url = http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,23515926-15306,00.html | format = html| doi = | accessdate = 2008-04-23 }}</ref> The new policy would have meant that sellers will only be able to offer Paypal or cash payment on pick-up as payment methods. eBay claims that Paypal is the most secure method of payment. eBay Australia's Trust & Safety Director Alastair MacGibbon said at the time; <blockquote> "eBay is no longer willing to stand aside and allow payment methods on the site that are proven to be less safe for consumers. "We're not allowing people to offer unsafe choices, just like in this democracy you can't go out and buy heroin on the streets."<ref>[http://apcmag.com/ebay_boss_not_offering_paypal_is_like_buying_heroin.htm eBay boss: "not offering PayPal is like buying heroin"]</ref></blockquote> Under the Australian ''Trade Practices Act 1974'', it is unlawful for a company to require the use of a third party's products or services in order for a person to deal with the company, known as [[Third Line Forcing]].<ref>[http://legislation.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/ActCompilation1.nsf/0/52F720BED6E14719CA2572BF0017EBCB/$file/TradePrac1974Vol1_WD02.pdf Trade Practices Act PDF]</ref> eBay submitted a notification under the Act,<ref>[http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/823668/fromItemId/776499 ACCC Ebay Notice]</ref> which provides automatic exemption from this provision unless the notification is subsequently revoked by the [[Australian Competition and Consumer Commission]]. As part of its assessment of the notification, the Commission called for submissions from interested parties.<ref>[http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,23550638-5014108,00.html ACCC puts eBay's PayPal plans under scrutiny NEWS.com.au<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. This attracted a number of concerns from eBay members, members of the business community and the [[Reserve Bank of Australia]].<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/09/2240239.htm RBA wary of eBay's PayPal push]</ref> The ACCC completed an initial draft proposal to revoke eBay's notification, stating that it believed consumers were in a better position to judge risk on individual transactions than eBay's management and has ruled the plan anti-competitive<ref>[http://gocebit.com.au/?q=news/accc-stymies-ebay-paypal-plan ACCC stymies eBay PayPal plan]</ref>. However, before a final decision could be announced on [[July 3]] [[2008]], eBay announced that it had withdrawn the notification to the ACCC and shelved its 'Paypal only' plans. <ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/ebay-backs-down-on-paypal-changes/2008/07/03/1214950928313.html eBay backs down on PayPal changes]</ref><ref>[http://www.thesheet.com/nl05_news_selected.php?act=2&stream=1&selkey=6845&hlc=2&hlw= Suppression of bank payments festers for eBay]</ref> ====United Kingdom==== A similar policy was also introduced in the [[United Kingdom]], though in stages. The first stage, which was adopted on [[March 25]] [[2008]], was aimed at sellers with feedback scores under 100 and in certain high risk categories. However, the requirement was extended to all sellers from [[June 3]] [[2008]].<ref>[http://web.ebay.co.uk/businesshub/index.php?page=safe_payments eBay.co.uk - Business Centre - Changes to Payment Methods<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ===Other controversial practices of users=== * Sellers of inexpensive items may benefit from inflating the shipping cost while lowering the starting price for their auctions,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bepress.com/bejeap/advances/vol6/iss2/art3 | title=...Plus Shipping and Handling: Revenue (Non) Equivalence in Field Experiments on eBay | publisher=Berkeley Electronic Press | accessdate=2006-06-26}}</ref> because some buyers overlook the shipping cost when calculating the amount they are willing to spend. Since eBay charges their fees based on final sales price without including shipping, this allows sellers to reduce the amount they pay eBay in fees (and also allows buyers to reduce or avoid import fees and sales taxes). This is called "fee avoidance", and is prohibited by eBay policy,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-circumventing.html | title=Circumventing Fees | publisher=eBay | accessdate=2006-06-11}}</ref> as are excessive shipping and handling charges.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-shipping.html | title=Excessive Shipping & Handling | publisher=eBay | accessdate=2006-06-11}}</ref> A danger to the buyer in such cases is that in the event of defective merchandise, the seller may claim to have met his refund obligations by returning only the minimal purchase price and not the shipping costs. * Sellers sometimes charge fees for use of PayPal as well to cover the fees that PayPal charges them. Although this is officially banned by eBay and PayPal and is against some local laws as well as violating merchant agreements with [[Visa (company)|Visa]], [[MasterCard]], and [[Discover Card|Discover]] (except in the UK), eBay does sometimes police for this and will suspend auctions where the seller requests an additional fee for taking [[PayPal]]. This could lead inexperienced users to pay these illegal and unenforceable fees. ===Stealing eBay accounts=== According to Ofer Elzam from Aladdin Knowledge Systems Ltd., there is a [[botnet]] which steals eBay accounts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9034138 |title=Custom-built botnet steals eBay accounts.}}</ref> The attacks use such techniques as compromising genuine websites with [[SQL injection]], inserting [[IFrame]] code which redirects visitors to other sites which host a Trojan. Trojan-infected computers are used to provide a brute search for login/password pairs, using XML-formatted code to communicate with eBay servers directly. ===Forgeries=== It is estimated that about a quarter of all ancient coins and about two-thirds of all antiquities sold on eBay are modern forgeries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rg.ancients.info/guide/counterfeits.html |title=Counterfeit Coin Detection |accessdate=2008-01-21}}</ref> In March 2008, [[Professional Coin Grading Service]] issued an alert noting counterfeit PCGS slabs and various United States and Chinese coins originating from [[China]] being sold on eBay.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pcgs.com/articles/article_view.chtml?artid=5286&universeid=313 |title= COUNTERFEIT PCGS HOLDERS |accessdate=2008-04-13}}</ref> In court papers introduced by attorney for Tiffany & Co., it was claimed that researchers for Tiffany had determined that over 70% of the Tiffany silver jewelry offered for sale on eBay were fake.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/technology/27ebay.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Tiffany and eBay in Fight Over Fakes] by [[Katie Hafner]], The New York Times, November 27, 2007.</ref> Tiffany & Co. filed a lawsuit against eBay in 2004. The lawsuit claimed that eBay profitted from the sales of [[counterfeit]] Tiffany items that infringed on its [[trademark]]. On July 14, 2008, Judge Richard Sullivan of the [[Federal District Court]] in [[Manhattan]] ruled that eBay does not have a legal responsibility to monitor users selling counterfeit items. <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/technology/15ebay.html?hp | title="Court Clears eBay in Sale of Counterfeit Items" | author=Stone, Brad | publisher=New York Times | date=2008-07-14| accessdate=2008-07-14}}</ref> ===Intellectual property in auctions=== Holders of [[intellectual property]] rights, have claimed that eBay profits from the infringement of intellectual property rights. eBay responded by creating the Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) program, which provides to rightsholders auction takedowns and private information on eBay users on demand, but has likewise been criticized. * In September 2005, eBay's privacy practices relating to its VeRO program came under scrutiny when [[WNDU-TV]] reported that the [[Embroidery Software Protection Coalition]] was accusing United States buyers, identified by eBay, of [[copyright infringement]], and demanding monetary settlements. eBay's privacy policy warns that eBay may disclose personal information on the request of any VeRO rightsholder investigating illegal activity,<ref>{{cite web|title=eBay Privacy Policy|url=http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/privacy-policy.html|accessdate=2007-01-10}}</ref> although according to a [[University of Notre Dame]] law professor, there is no legal basis, in the United States, for copyright infringement claims against buyers.<ref>{{cite news|title=Contact 16: Embroidery software buyer under investigation|publisher=[[WNDU-TV]]|date=[[2005-09-07]]}}</ref> * Some manufacturers have abused eBay's VeRo program, through which copyright and trademark owners can quickly protect their rights, by seeking to prevent all sales of their products on eBay.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} * In November 2006, a U.K. High Court ruled that a VeRO rightsholder's takedown request to eBay constituted a legal threat under [[design patent]] law. Since groundless legal threats under design patent law are unlawful, the ruling holds that groundless VeRO takedown requests based on design patents are also unlawful. Further, the text of the ruling appears critical of the VeRO program in general: "It is entirely wrong for owners of intellectual property rights to attempt to assert them without litigation, or without the threat of litigation, in reply."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.out-law.com/page-7472|title=Design right threat fails to stop eBay sales|date=[[2006-11-14]]}}</ref> * On June 4, 2008, a court in Troyes, France awarded Hermes damages of $30,000 as a result of the sale of two counterfeit Hermes bags on eBay in 2006. The court also ordered eBay to run a statement reporting the court case on the home page of eBay's French Web site for three months.{{fact|date=July 2008}} * On June 29, 2008, a court in Paris, France awarded damages of 40 million euros ($ 63 million) to luxury goods group [[LVMH]] over eBay auctions of counterfeit bags, perfumes and other items. The plaintiffs further alleged that auctions of legitimate perfumes were also illegal, because, they claim, only authorized resellers are permitted to sell them, and authorized resellers are not permitted to sell on eBay. The court agreed, entering a permanent injunction against eBay auctions of LVMH perfumes, whether counterfeit or not.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7481241.stm BBC NEWS, Court fines eBay over fake goods]</ref> After the appeals court declined to stay that injunction,<ref>[http://legalpad.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/07/11/ebay-denied-stay-in-lvmh-case/ eBay denied stay in LVMH case]</ref> eBay announced that French users would be barred from buying or selling LVMH perfumes and cosmetics on any of eBay's sites.<ref>[http://actualites.ebay.fr/showitem&id=396 Suite de la décision de justice rendue le 30 juin dernier] {{fr icon}}</ref> * In July 2008, a United States court decided a trademark infringement lawsuit by jeweler [[Tiffany & Co.]] in eBay's favor: "... It is the trademark owner's burden to police its mark, and companies like eBay cannot be held liable for trademark infringement based solely on their generalized knowledge that trademark infringement might be occurring on their websites." eBay advertises and profits from the sale of Tiffany products through its site, while Tiffany claims that no third-party resellers are authorized to sell Tiffany jewelry. Despite eBay's efforts to find and cancel illegal listings, many "Tiffany" listings are judged by buyers or by Tiffany to be counterfeit. The judgment specifies that eBay's advertising of the availability of Tiffany products on its site is a protected fair use of Tiffany's trademark, that eBay sufficiently protects buyers by canceling auctions reported to the VeRO program as believed to be infringing, and that eBay is not obligated to suspend sellers reported to VeRO without further evidence of infringement.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-06-22-tiffany-ebay_x.htm | title=Tiffany sues eBay, says fake items sold on Web site | publisher=USA Today | date=2004-03-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/story/0,20797,19230520-5003418,00.html | title=Sure you bagged a bargain? | publisher=News Limited | work=Courier Mail | date=2006-05-24}}</ref><ref>Tiffany v. eBay, [http://beckermanlegal.com/Documents/tiffany_ebay_080714Decision.pdf Opinion after Bench Trial] (Southern District N.Y. 2008).</ref> ===Romanian hacker "Vladuz" & website security=== Beginning sometime in early 2007, a hacker reportedly in Romania going by the screen name "Vladuz" repeatedly breached eBay's security. As of April 17th, 2008, eBay and Romanian authorities have claimed to have caught "Vladuz".<ref>[http://blog.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl?/comments/2008/4/1208488535.html eBay Brags Hacker 'Vladuz' Arrested<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/23/AR2008042303624.html Justice Dept. Sees Surge In Global Crime Networks - washingtonpost.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.securitypronews.com/news/securitynews/spn-45-20080421eBayHasItsRomanianHacker.html eBay Has Its Romanian Hacker<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?StoryID=44602 News and Press release service TransWorldNews<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ===Bid Sniping=== {{main|Auction sniping}} ===Other eBay controversies=== Other notable controversies involving eBay include: * In May 2000, eBay seller [[Kenneth Walton]] auctioned an oil painting on eBay for $135,805, due to speculation that it might be the work of California modernist [[Richard Diebenkorn]]. Walton pretended to know nothing about art and claimed to be surprised by the price the painting fetched, and the auction attracted international media attention. In several investigative reports by ''[[The New York Times]]'', it was revealed that Walton was in fact an experienced eBay art dealer with several unhappy customers, and that he had colluded with two other eBay sellers to bid up each other's auctions. ''The Times'' described this as a "shill bidding ring".<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F03E6DD153FF934A35755C0A9669C8B63 "F.B.I. Opens Investigation Of EBay Bids"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[June 7]], [[2000]]. Accessed [[April 6]], [[2008]].</ref> Walton and his cohorts were banned from eBay and subsequently pleaded guilty to fraud after a threat by the federal government of the first ever prosecution for [[shill#Shills in auctions|shill bidding]] on eBay. * On [[May 28]] [[2003]], a [[United States district court|U.S. District Court]] jury found eBay guilty of willful patent infringement and ordered the company to pay $35 million in damages. The [[plaintiff]] was [[MercExchange]], which had accused eBay in 2000 of infringing on three patents (one of which is used in eBay's "Buy It Now" feature for fixed-price sales, 30 percent of eBay's business and growing). The decision was appealed to the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit]] (CAFC). The CAFC affirmed the judgment of willful infringement, and reversed the lower court and granted a permanent [[injunction]]. eBay appealed the permanent injunction to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]], which on [[May 15]], [[2006]] found an injunction is not required nor automatic in this or any patent case where guilt has been established. The case was sent back to the Virginia district court for consideration of the injunction and a trial on another MercExchange patent the inventor claims covers the remaining 70 percent of eBay's business model (see ''[[eBay Inc. v. MercExchange, L.L.C.]] ''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://supremecourtus.gov/opinions/05pdf/05-130.pdf | title=EBAY INC. ET AL. v. MERCEXCHANGE, L. L. C. | publisher=US Supreme Court | accessdate=2006-06-17 | format=PDF}}</ref>). This case has been particularly controversial since the patents involved are considered to be [[business method patent]]s (see ''[[Software patent debate]]''). * On [[July 28]] [[2003]], eBay and its subsidiary PayPal agreed to pay a $10 million fine to settle allegations that they aided illegal offshore and online [[gambling]]. According to the settlement, between mid-2000 and November 2002, PayPal transmitted money in violation of various U.S. federal and state online gambling laws.<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-07-25-paypal-gambling_x.htm USATODAY.com - PayPal to pay $10 million to settle online gambling charge<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> eBay's announcement of its acquisition of PayPal in early July said that PayPal would begin the process of exiting this market, and was already doing so when the ruling occurred.<ref>[http://news.com.com/2100-1017-941964.html eBay picks up PayPal for $1.5 billion - CNET News.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> These offenses occurred prior to eBay's purchase of PayPal. * In late 2006, eBay effected a policy change which showed less information about bidders once auctions reached a certain value. This policy has been criticized for making [[shill#shills in auctions|shill bidding]] much harder to detect, to the potential disadvantage of buyers and significant advantage to unethical sellers who may artificially inflate the price of an auction. An investigation by The Sunday Times in January 2007 uncovered substantial evidence of shill bidding on eBay.<ref>[http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/01/ebay_shilling.html http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/01/ebay_shilling.html]</ref> * April 2007 lawsuit in California over monopoly practices.<ref>http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/26/ebay_lawsuits/</ref> * An August 2007 class-action lawsuit in which attorney John Fabry stated, "eBay has been deceiving millions of consumers over the years by claiming their auctions start when submitted, when in reality they do not begin for at least several hours, and up to 24 hours. However, the clock starts running on your selected auction time even though eBay hasn't posted it yet." <ref>[http://www.itnews.com.au/News/59641,ebay-deceiving-millions-of-users.aspx EBay 'deceiving millions of users' - Internet - iTnews Australia<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> * On [[January 29]], [[2008]], a series of new policy changes were announced including an increase in the final value fee and a decrease in the listing fee (when averaged out, the fees actually cost sellers more).<ref>[http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y08/m01/i29/s05 eBay Lowers Insertion Fees, Raises Commission Fees<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Among the more controversial moves was the announcement that sellers would soon only be able to leave positive feedback for buyers, and would no longer have the ability to provide negative or neutral ratings regardless of the experience.<ref>[http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/sellers-give-negative-feedback-on-ebay-changes/?ref=technology Sellers Give Negative Feedback on eBay Changes - Bits - Technology - New York Times Blog<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The policies also give greater benefits to higher volume sellers. eBay now explicitly gives higher volume "Powersellers" a 5% to 15% discount on the final value fees. These sellers can also receive better terms on shipping costs and preferential positioning in search results.<ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/overview/ Fees 2008 Overview<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> * On [[February 18]], [[2008]], sellers and buyers who felt the new fees and feedback structure were unfair commenced a one-week [[eBay Boycott of 2008|strike]] against eBay. * In April 2008, eBay announced it was suing [[Craigslist]] to "safeguard its four-year financial investment". eBay claimed that in January 2008, [[Craigslist]] executives took actions that "unfairly diluted eBay's economic interest by more than 10%".<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7362221.stm BBC NEWS Business | EBay sues Craigslist ad website<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In response, [[Craigslist]] filed a countersuit against eBay in May 2008 "to remedy the substantial and ongoing harm to fair competition" that Craigslist claims is constituted by eBay's actions as Craigslist shareholders.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2008-05-13|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7399720.stm|title=Craigslist strikes back at eBay|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=2008-05-13}}</ref> ==Prohibited or restricted Items== In its earliest days, eBay was essentially unregulated. However, as the site grew, it became necessary to restrict or forbid auctions for various items. Note that some of the restrictions relate to eBay.com (the US site), while other restrictions apply to specific European sites (such as Nazi paraphernalia). Regional laws and regulations may apply to the seller or the buyer. Among the hundred or so banned or restricted categories: * [[Tobacco]] (tobacco-related items and collectibles are accepted.)<ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/tobacco.html http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/tobacco.html]</ref> * [[alcoholic beverage|Alcohol]] (alcohol-related collectibles, including sealed containers, as well as some wine sales by licensed sellers are allowed)<ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/alcohol.html http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/alcohol.html]</ref> * [[Prohibition (drugs)|Drugs]] and drug paraphernalia<ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/drugs-drug-paraphernalia.html http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/drugs-drug-paraphernalia.html]</ref> * [[Nazism|Nazi]] paraphernalia<ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/offensive.html http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/offensive.html]</ref> * [[Bootleg recording]]s<ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/bootlegs.html http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/bootlegs.html]</ref> * [[Firearm]]s and [[ammunition]],<ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/firearms-weapons-knives.html http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/firearms-weapons-knives.html]</ref> including any parts that could be used to assemble a firearm as well as (as of July 30, 2007) any firearm part that is required for the firing of a gun, including bullet tips, brass casings and shells, barrels, slides, cylinders, magazines, firing pins, trigger assemblies, etc. [[Crossbow]]s and various types of knives are also forbidden * Used [[undergarment|underwear]] (see [[Panty fetishism]]) and dirty used clothing<ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/used-clothing.html http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/used-clothing.html]</ref> * Teachers' editions of [[textbook]]s including homeschool teacher's editions.<ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/teachersedition.html http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/teachersedition.html]</ref><ref>[http://worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51702 http://worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51702]</ref> * Human parts and remains (with an exception for skeletons and skulls for scientific study, provided they are not [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] in origin)<ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/remains.html http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/remains.html]</ref> * Live animals (with certain exceptions)<ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/wildlife.html http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/wildlife.html]</ref> * Certain copyrighted works or trademarked items.<ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/programs-vero-ov.html http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/programs-vero-ov.html]</ref> * Lock-picking tools, accessories, and practice locks fall into the category of burglar tools.{{Dubious|date=May 2008}} * Lottery tickets, sweepstakes tickets, or any other gambling items. * Military hardware such as working weapons or explosives. * Virtual items from [[massively multiplayer online game]]s, restrictions which vary by country<ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/downloadable.html http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/downloadable.html]</ref><ref>[http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070130-8731.html http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070130-8731.html]</ref> * Many other items are either wholly prohibited or restricted in some manner.<ref>[http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/ia/prohibited_and_restricted_items.html http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/ia/prohibited_and_restricted_items.html]</ref> * Non-physical items no longer can be sold through eBay. They can only be advertised through classified ads on eBay and do not get feedback.<ref>[http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200803241300132.html eBay announcement March 24, 2008 01:00PM PST/PT]</ref> ==Unusual sale items== <!-- PLEASE NOTE -- all additions to here must be documented as unusual -- and not just by their eBay item listings, since anyone can put up something odd just to get listed here (see [[WP:CITE]] and [[WP:V]]. --> * In February 2004, a scrapped [[F/A-18 Hornet]] fighter jet was listed on eBay by Mike Landa, of Landa and Associates, with a starting bid of $1,000,000. He was the legal owner of the plane after purchasing it from a scrap yard and also offered to have the plane restored for flying condition for a Buy It Now price of $9,000,000. Landa also told potential buyers that maintenance of the plane would cost roughly $40,000 a month for just 2 to 3 hours of flying time. The FBI told Landa that he can only sell the plane to an American citizen residing in the United States and that the plane must not leave US airspace. The auction ended without a sale because nobody could come up with the money.<ref>Landa also told potential bidders and buyers that maintenance of the plane would cost $40,000 a month for just 2 to 3 hours flying time.</ref><ref>[http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-02/17/content_306823.htm U.S. navy jet fighter F18 is for sale on eBay<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> * In January 2006, a British man named Leigh Knight, sold an unwanted Brussels sprout left over from his Christmas dinner for £1550 in aid of cancer research.<ref>[http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2006/1/6/215526.html Charity sprout craze sweeps the nation as £1,550 bid on eBay<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://thenibs.blogspot.com/2006/01/unwanted-brussel-sprout-on-sale-for.html The NIBS: Unwanted brussel sprout on sale for charity<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> * In May 2006, a Chinese businessman named Zhang Cheng bought a former Czech Air Force [[MIG-21]] fighter jet from a seller in the United States for $24,730. It is not known whether the Chinese government will allow the plane to be delivered.<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/04/30/1146335603625.html Chinese man buys fighter jet on eBay - Breaking - Technology - theage.com.au<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> * In June 2005, the wife of [[Tim Shaw (DJ)|Tim Shaw]], a British radio DJ on [[Kerrang! 105.2]], sold Tim's [[Lotus Esprit]] sports car with a Buy It Now price of 50 pence after she heard him flirting with model [[Jodie Marsh]] on air. The car was sold within 5 minutes, and it was requested that the buyer pick it up the same day.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/showbiz/articles/19429823?source=Metro | title=£25,000 revenge of DJ's wife | publisher=This Is London | date=2005-06-21}}</ref> * In May 2005, a [[Volkswagen Golf]] that had previously been registered to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (who had been made [[Pope Benedict XVI]]) was sold on eBay's German site for €188,938.88 ($277,171.12 USD). The winning bid was made by the [[GoldenPalace.com]] online [[casino]], known for their outrageous eBay purchases.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.goldenpalaceevents.com/ebay_archives/popemobile02.html | title=Golf IV von Josef Kardinal Ratzinger | publisher=Golden Palace | accessdate=2006-06-28}}</ref> * A seaworthy 16,000-ton aircraft carrier, formerly the British [[HMS Vengeance (R71)|HMS Vengeance]], was listed early in 2004. The auction was removed when eBay determined that the vessel qualified as ordnance, even though all weapons systems had been removed.<ref>{{cite web | last-Tweedie | first=Neil | date=2004-01-10| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1451338/For-internet-sale-aircraft-carrier%2C-only-three-owners.html | title= For internet sale: aircraft carrier, only three owners | publisher=Telegraph.co.uk | accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref> * Water that was said to have been left in a cup [[Elvis Presley]] once drank from was sold for $455. The few tablespoons came from a plastic cup Presley sipped at a concert in [[North Carolina]] in 1977.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4134407.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4134407.stm]</ref> * A Coventry University student got £1.20 for a single cornflake.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk./1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/4137877.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk./1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/4137877.stm]</ref> * A man from [[Brisbane]], [[Australia]], attempted to sell [[New Zealand]] at a starting price of $.01[[Australian dollar|AUD]]. The price had risen to $3,000 before eBay closed the auction.<ref>[http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411365/712869 http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411365/712869]</ref> * An Australian newspaper reported in December 2004 that a single piece of the [[Kellogg Company|Kellogg's]] breakfast cereal Nutri-Grain sold on eBay for AUD$1,035 because it happened to bear a slight resemblance to the character [[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial|E.T.]] from the [[Steven Spielberg]] movie. Apparently the seller went on to make even more money in relation to the sale for his appearance on a nationally televised current affairs program.<ref> {{cite web |url = http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22881260-5001021,00.html |title = Nutri-Grain that looks like ET}}</ref> * One of the [[tunnel boring machine]]s involved in the construction of the [[Channel Tunnel]] was auctioned on eBay in 2004.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3599191.stm | title=Eurotunnel drill bids reach £5m | publisher=BBC |date=2004-04-05}}</ref> * A group of four men from Australia auctioned themselves to spend the weekend with the promise of "beers, snacks, good conversation and a hell of a lot of laughs" for AU$1,300<ref> {{cite web |url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/blokey-weekend-bids-reach-2450/2006/01/27/1138319426355.html |title = Blokes pull in the bids on eBay |author = Hearn, Louisa |date = 2006-01-17}}</ref> * [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] sold a retired [[Monorail]] Red (Mark IV Monorail) for $20,000<ref>[http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/CPMarkIV.html http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/CPMarkIV.html]</ref> * The German Language Association sold the German language to call attention for the growing influence of Pidgin-English in modern German.<ref> {{Cite web |url = http://www.wdr.de/themen/kultur/1/versteigerung_deutsche_sprache/index.jhtml |title = 10 Millionen Euro für die deutsche Sprache {{De icon}}}}</ref> * In late November 2005, the original [[Hollywood Sign]] was sold on eBay for $450,400.<ref> {{cite web |url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/07/entertainment/main1103557.shtml |title = Hollywood Sign Sold For $450K}}</ref><ref> {{cite web |url = http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/17/news/newsmakers/hollywood_sign/ |title = Buy a piece of HOLLYWOOD}}</ref> * In January 2007, a cooked but uneaten [[Brussel Sprout]] was sold on eBay, finishing at over £15,000 ($29,000)<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://www.finextra.com/community/fullblog.aspx?id=167 |title = eBay offers Nick Leeson's trading jacket}}</ref> . * In February 2007, after [[Britney Spears]] shaved all of her hair off in a Los Angeles salon, it was listed on eBay for $1million USD before it was taken down.<ref> {{Cite web |url = http://hollywood.outsidethebeltway.com/2007/02/britney-spears-shaved-hair-on-sale-on-ebay/ |title = Britney Spears' Shaved Hair on Sale on Ebay!}}</ref> * [[Bridgeville, California]] (pop. 25) was the first town to be sold on eBay in 2002, and has been up for sale 3 times since.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4875206.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4875206.stm]</ref> * Boston Red Sox left fielder [[Manny Ramírez]] attempted to sell his neighbor's JENN-AIR Gas Grill on eBay. The auction started at $3,000 and the price escalated to an astounding $99,999,999, the maximum amount allowed by eBay. The auction was later closed by eBay because of the promise of an autographed baseball going to the winner as well as the grill; it is a violation of eBay policy to include items other than those advertised.<ref> {{cite web |url = http://www.topix.net/content/cbs/1113319673096549042127422966730442627778 |title = Manny Ramirez's Grill Auction Taken Off eBay}}</ref> * In April 2005, American entrepreneur Matt Rouse sold the right to choose a new middle name for him. After receiving an $8,000 "Buy It Now" bid, the Utah courts refused to allow the name change. He currently still has his original middle name "Jean".<ref> {{cite web |url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/05/national/main685791.shtml | title = Matthew Sells The Middle}}</ref> * In 2004, a partially-eaten, 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich said to bear the image of the [[Virgin Mary]] sold on eBay for $28,000.<ref> {{cite web |url = http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WolfFiles/story?id=307227&page=1 | title = ABC News: Hungry for Miracles?}}</ref> * In January 2008, four [[golf]] balls were auctioned on eBay after being surgically removed from the [[Morelia spilota variegata|carpet python]] which had inadvertently swallowed them whilst raiding eggs in a chicken enclosure. The story attracted considerable international attention and the balls eventually sold for more AUD$1,400. The python recovered and was released.<ref> {{cite web |url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/unusual-tales/snakes-golf-balls-fetch-1400/2008/01/11/1199988566831.html |title = Snake's golf balls fetch $1400}}</ref> * In May 2008, Paul Osborn of UK puts his wife Sharon for sale in eBay alleging that she had an affair with a coworker.<ref> {{cite web |url = http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23702440-13762,00.html |title = Jealous husband puts wife on eBay}}</ref> * In June 2008, Ian Usher put up his "entire life" on auction. The auction includes his house in [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], belongings, introduction to his friends and a trial at his job.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7467857.stm |title = Bidding begins on 'entire life' }}</ref> When bidding closed, his "life" sold for [[United States dollars|$384,000]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-odd-australia-life-for-sale,0,7890092.story | title="Man auctions life, but disappointed at bid price" | publisher=Associated Press | date=2008-06-30 | accessdate=2008-06-30}}</ref> <!-- if you want to add items here, please include URLs for an article about the item. eBay listings themselves are insufficient, as we need [[WP:RS]] that the article is "unusual". --> ==Charity auctions== {{Unreferencedsection|date=February 2008}} Using [[MissionFish]] as an arbiter, eBay allows sellers to donate a portion of their auction proceeds to a charity of the seller's choice. The programme is called eBay Giving Works [http://www.ebaygivingworks.com/]in the US, and eBay for Charity [http://pages.ebay.co.uk/community/charity/index.html]in the UK. Some high-profile charity auctions have been advertised on the eBay home page, and have raised large amounts of money in a short time. For example, a furniture manufacturer raised over $35,000 for [[Ronald McDonald House Charities|Ronald McDonald House]] by auctioning off beds that had been signed by celebrities.{{Fact|date=July 2007}} To date, the highest successful bid for a single item for charity was a letter sent to the owner of [[Clear Channel Communications|Clear Channel]] by [[United States]] [[US Senator|Senator]] [[Harry Reid]] and forty other [[Democratic Party of the United States|Democratic]] [[US Senator|senators]] to have a talk with [[conservative]] talk show host [[Rush Limbaugh]].{{Fact|date=March 2008}} The winning bid was $2,100,100, with 100% of the proceeds going to the [[Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation]], benefiting the education of children of men and women who have died serving in the armed forces. The winning bid was matched by Limbaugh in his largest charity donation to date. ==Customer support== eBay offers various online help features, including a library of self-help resources, e-mail contact forms and "Live Help," which lets users chat with customer service representatives via [[instant messaging]]. Although this is not available to users on international sites such as eBay.co.uk, members of international eBay Web sites are welcome to utilize eBay.com's Live Help service. eBay does offer some phone support to its customers although this is limited to sellers of the rank "Bronze PowerSeller" and above, the company's term for members who sell at least an average of $1,000 worth of goods per month on the site, as well as to eBay Store owners. ==Environmental record== On May 8th, 2008, eBay announced the opening of its newest building on the company's North Campus in San Jose, which is the first structure in the city to be built from the ground up to [[LEED]] Gold Standards.<ref>[http://www.csrwire.com/News/11984.html eBay Inc. Opens New "Green" Building and Unveils Largest Commercial Solar Installation in San Jose<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The building, the first the company has built new in its 13-year existence, utilizes a solar panel array comprised of 3,248 solar panels, spanning {{convert|60000|sqft|m2}}, and providing 650 kilowatts of power to eBay's campus.<ref>http://origin.mercurynews.com/healthandscience/ci_9191170?nclick_check=1</ref><ref>[http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-08-2008/0004809169&EDATE= SolarCity Helps eBay Campus, Employees Switch to Clean Power With Largest Commercial Solar Installation in San Jose<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> All told the array can supply the company with 15-18 percent of its total energy requirements, reducing the amount of [[greenhouse gases]] that would be produced to create that energy by other means.<ref>http://origin.mercurynews.com/healthandscience/ci_9191170?nclick_check=1</ref> [[SolarCity]], the company responsible for designing the array, estimates that the solar panels installed on eBay's campus will prevent 37 million pounds of [[carbon dioxide]] from being released into the environment as a result of replaced power production over the next three decades.<ref>[http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-08-2008/0004809169&EDATE= SolarCity Helps eBay Campus, Employees Switch to Clean Power With Largest Commercial Solar Installation in San Jose<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Creating an equivalent impact to remove the same amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere would require planting {{convert|322|acre|km2}} of trees.<ref>[http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-08-2008/0004809169&EDATE= SolarCity Helps eBay Campus, Employees Switch to Clean Power With Largest Commercial Solar Installation in San Jose<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The design of the building also incorporates other elements to reduce its impact on the environment. The building is equipped with a lighting system that detects natural ambient light sources and automatically dims artificial lighting to save 39 percent of the power usually required to light an office building.<ref>[http://www.csrwire.com/News/11984.html eBay Inc. Opens New "Green" Building and Unveils Largest Commercial Solar Installation in San Jose<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> eBay's newest building also reduces demand on local water supplies by incorporating an eco-friendly irrigation system, low-flow shower heads, and low-flow faucets.<ref>[http://www.csrwire.com/News/11984.html eBay Inc. Opens New "Green" Building and Unveils Largest Commercial Solar Installation in San Jose<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Even during construction, more than 75 percent of the waste from construction was recycled.<ref>[http://www.csrwire.com/News/11984.html eBay Inc. Opens New "Green" Building and Unveils Largest Commercial Solar Installation in San Jose<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> eBay also runs buses between San Francisco and the San Jose campus to reduce the number of commuting employees.<ref>[http://www.csrwire.com/News/11984.html eBay Inc. Opens New "Green" Building and Unveils Largest Commercial Solar Installation in San Jose<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ==See also== * [[Electronic commerce]] ==Notes and references== {{Reflist|2}} ==Further reading== * {{cite book |author=Cihlar, Christopher|year=2006| title=The Grilled Cheese Madonna and 99 Other of the Weirdest, Wackiest, Most Famous eBay Auctions Ever|publisher = Random House|id=ISBN 0-7679-2374-X}} * {{cite book|author=Cohen, Adam|year=2002|title=The Perfect Store: Inside eBay|publisher=Little, Brown & Company|id=ISBN 0-316-15048-7}} * {{cite book|author=Collier, Marsha|year=2004|title=eBay For Dummies|publisher=John Wiley|id=ISBN 0-7645-5654-1}} * {{cite book |author=Hillis, Ken and Michael Petit with Nathan Epley|year=2006|title=Everyday eBay: Culture, Collecting and Desire|publisher=Routledge|id=ISBN 0-415-97436-4}} * {{cite book|title=The PayPal Wars: Battles with eBay, the Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth|author=Jackson, Eric M.|year=2004|publisher=World Ahead Publishing|id=ISBN 0-9746701-0-3}} * {{cite book|author=Kent, Peter & Finlayson, Jill|year=2005|title=Fundraising on eBay|publisher=McGraw-Hill|id=ISBN 0-07-226248-6}} * {{cite book|author=Klink, Edward & Klink, Stephen|year=2005|title=Dawn of the eBay Deadbeats: True Tales of Treachery, Lies, and Fraud from the Dark Recesses of the World's Largest Online Auction Marketplace|publisher=Mooncusser Media|id=ISBN 0-9768372-1-8}} * {{cite book|author=Nissanoff, Daniel|year=2006|title=FutureShop: How the New Auction Culture Will Revolutionize the Way We Buy, Sell and Get the Things We Really Want|publisher=The Penguin Press|id=ISBN 1-59420-077-7 }} * {{cite book|author=Spencer, Christopher Matthew|year=2006|title=The eBay Entrepreneur|publisher=Kaplan Publishing|id=ISBN 1-4195-8328-X}} * {{cite book|author=Walton, Kenneth|year=2006|title=FAKE: Forgery, Lies, & eBay|publisher=Simon Spotlight Entertainment|id=ISBN 1-4169-0711-4}} * {{cite book|author=Ford, Michael|year=2007|title=Scams & Scoundrels: Protect yourself from the dark side of eBay|publisher=Elite Minds Inc|id=ISBN 978-0-9774760-2-2}} * {{cite book|author=Ford, Michael|year=2007|title=Dont Bid On It: Until I Tell You How eBay Really Works|publisher=Elite Minds Inc|id=ISBN 978-0-9774760-1-5}} ==External links== * [http://www.ebay.com/ eBay.com] * [http://www.ebaymotors.com eBay Motors] * [http://pages.ebay.com/help/?ssPageName=home:f:f:US eBay Support] * [http://www.cogmap.com/chart/ebay eBay Organization Chart] {{IT giants}} {{NASDAQ-100}} {{Webby Awards|year=1999|cat=Commerce|type=Winner}} [[Category:Companies established in 1995]] [[Category:Internet properties established in 1995]] [[Category:Companies based in San Jose, California]] [[Category:Companies listed on NASDAQ]] [[Category:eBay|eBay]] [[Category:Internet companies of the United States]] [[Category:Online auction websites]] [[Category:Online retail companies of the United States]] [[Category:Virtual communities]] [[Category:Global internet community]] [[Category:Mobile software]] [[Category:Commerce websites]] [[ar:إيباي]] [[bs:EBay]] [[bg:EBay]] [[ca:EBay]] [[cs:EBay]] [[da:EBay]] [[de:EBay]] [[es:EBay]] [[eo:EBay]] [[fa:ای‌بی]] [[fr:EBay]] [[gl:EBay]] [[ko:이베이]] [[hr:EBay]] [[id:EBay]] [[it:EBay]] [[he:EBay]] [[kk:EBay]] [[lt:Ebay]] [[hu:EBay]] [[ml:ഈബേ]] [[ms:EBay]] [[nl:EBay]] [[ja:EBay]] [[no:EBay]] [[uz:EBay]] [[pl:EBay]] [[pt:EBay]] [[ro:EBay]] [[ru:EBay]] [[sco:EBay]] [[sq:EBay]] [[simple:EBay]] [[sk:EBay]] [[sr:EBay]] [[fi:EBay]] [[sv:EBay]] [[tl:Ebay]] [[th:อีเบย์]] [[vi:EBay]] [[tr:EBay]] [[uk:EBay]] [[yi:איבעי]] [[zh:EBay]]