Talk:eBay

Arstechnica: eBay execs sent roaches and “bloody pig mask” to harass journalists, feds say

Not sure how or where to include this but is probably important, they were executives when this allegedly happened

• https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/06/ebay-execs-sent-cockroaches-and-bloody-pig-mask-to-harass-journalists-feds/
• https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jun/15/ebay-employees-stalking-charges-spiders-cockroaches-pig-mask
• https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/15/21291666/ebay-employees-arrested-journalist-harassment

Thanks

John Cummings (talk) 21:45, 15 June 2020 (UTC)

@John Cummings: I added it to EBay#2010s in the latest three edits. Feel free to add refs, improve, etc. Notrium (talk) 21:48, 15 June 2020 (UTC)

@Notrium:. It should be in the controversies section and it needs to be expanded TheMemeMonarch (talk) 01:47, 28 June 2020 (UTC)

@TheMemeMonarch: my view is that "Controversy and criticism" would be for cases of somebody outside Ebay (notably) criticizing Ebay. Are you aware of WP:CRITS? It seems to me we should actually get rid of the criticism section we currently have. Notrium (talk) 01:54, 28 June 2020 (UTC)

Expand it all you want, though. Notrium (talk) 01:55, 28 June 2020 (UTC)

It is shameful that while the "scandal" claims, correctly, the then CEO has not been criminally charged, his order to his subordinate to "take [the journalist] down" isn't mentioned! It's clearly notable and on record. I note (editorialize) that ebay executives engaged in domestic terrorism and actually went so far at to attempt to break-in to the journalist's house. The ex-CEO claims his communication has been taken out of context and he never told his staff to break the law. The problem with that is that it is not only his job to make sure he communicates clearly, but to follow-up to make sure it is understood and acted upon correctly. He is defendant in a civil suit brought by eBay's victims.174.130.71.156 (talk) 09:46, 30 September 2022 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Research Process and Methodology - FA22 - Sect 200 - Thu

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 22 September 2022 and 8 December 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Rt2510 (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Rt2510 (talk) 04:12, 4 December 2022 (UTC)

Disamb song

Maybe we should move it to See also or create In popular culture section instead. Evil Freethinker (talk) 16:24, 7 December 2023 (UTC)

"Criticisms"

Time to do some housekeeping, especially since Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Criticism of eBay is happening. First of all, we should not have a "Criticisms and controversy" section at all, per WP:CSECTION: sections such as "Criticisms and controversies" are generally inappropriate. Given that we have one, this one is full of questionable stuff, some of it now almost two decades old. For example, "Requirement to use PayPal". eBay hasn't owned PayPal for a decade now, and the "criticism" is 17 years stale. "Buy.com" as a controversy? That was 16 years ago; are people still pissed? "2010 survey criticizing eBay customer service". Obviously stale. "Overcharging fees": 13 years stale. "Low tax rate paid in the United Kingdom": how is this a controversy if eBay is adhering to UK law? Oh, there was a security breach a decade ago. "Sale of controversial items" shouldn't even be in there even if we do have this section. "Stalking scandal" deserves its own section; it's pretty unique. Oh, 14 years ago eBay did something silly and banned a silly board game and someone decided it was "pandering to political correctness"...

Let's nuke the whole section. --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆𝄐𝄇} 22:57, 13 June 2024 (UTC)

@Jpgordon You make some fair points, but I disagree with some of your analysis. First of all, "it happened decades ago" is not a reason in itself to remove anything. Wikipedia documents history. But it is a reason to distill some things down and move them into their appropriate historical context. Use of PayPal was a significant deal that shaped a lot of the business of both companies in their early days. Rate of tax paid is a controversy because, as sources show, it attracted criticism. The legality of their tax arrangements wasn't the issue, and tax avoidance by multinational companies remains an ongoing controversial topic. Security breaches of online businesses is always a big deal, so the article shouldn't be pretending it's never happened at eBay. Escape Orbit ^(Talk) 06:16, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Who said it should pretend anything? But that's a good example of things that should be rolled into the article in the appropriate place (perhaps in a discussion of eBay's technology?) rather than stuck into a list of "criticisms and controversies"; how is it a controversy that someone had a security breach? (And at this point, I wonder what companies haven't had security breaches?) Is eBay somehow special that it some people don't think it's paying enough taxes, or is that just a blanket statement that could be put in absolutely any multinational's article? Anything of interest here should be integrated into the article as a whole, as spelled out in WP:CSECTION. --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆𝄐𝄇} 02:26, 15 June 2024 (UTC)

OK, I did some major trimming here. --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆𝄐𝄇} 15:58, 27 October 2024 (UTC)

LLM usage

EBay has started using LLMs, this needs a section in the time line. It has impacted their customer service and they are offering this LLM service to vendors, so it's in many of the ads, too. 173.222.1.191 (talk) 04:10, 20 December 2024 (UTC)

Any reliable sources regarding such claims? A09|(talk) 10:52, 20 December 2024 (UTC)

Fees

Ebay UK has abolished "seller" fees and replaced them with "buyer protection" fees, probably to better compete with Vinted etc. cagliost (talk) 08:21, 20 March 2025 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 28 December 2025

The page itself is not fully considered secured by vandalism. Someone must do this act right now. MainRecline (talk) 20:01, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Improving sourcing in the History section

Hello! As part of my work for the communications firm Axicom, I have been asked by eBay to request updates to this article. If independent editors have any questions about my relationship with either company, I'm happy to answer those below or on my user Talk page.

With that disclosure out of the way, I'll pose my first request. I noticed that a few passages in the 2010s and 2020s parts of the History section are substantiated solely by press releases. As I understand it, Wikipedia prefers secondary sources over primary ones, so I've put together some fresh citations that I hope will shore up these passages:

• In October 2012, eBay launched an international shipping partnership with Pitney Bowes whereby a seller of an item to be shipped internationally can send the item to a Pitney Bowes facility in their home country, which then forwards it to the international buyer, taking care of all international shipping requirements.
• In January 2015, eBay acquired Vivanuncios, a classified advertising website in Mexico.
• In May 2022, eBay acquired a stake in Funko and became the preferred secondary marketplace for Funko.
• In August 2022, the company acquired the myFitment group of companies, specializing in online sales of automotive and powersports parts and accessories.

References

Not all of these new sources are top-tier, but they're the best ones I could find. I'll now step back and let independent editors review. Thanks! JN at Axicom (talk) 23:11, 9 January 2026 (UTC)

Already done PK650 (talk) 04:07, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

Adding sentence to the article introduction

Hello again, I'm back with another short request. I was wondering if it would be possible to add a sentence about the size and character of eBay's seller ecosystem to the article's introduction. The section already contains information about how many buyers are on the platform and how much money moves through it in a given year, so I thought a brief sentence about sellers might serve as useful additional context.

Here's my proposed addition. It's the introduction precisely as-is with one new sentence about sellers, which I've highlighted, and a paragraph break that I think makes the section a touch more readable:

Extended content

eBay Inc. (/ˈiːbeɪ/ EE-bay, stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. Sales occur either via online auctions or "buy it now" instant sales, and the company charges commissions to sellers upon sales. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in September 1995.

As of 2021, eBay's marketplace features approximately 17 million sellers including individuals and small businesses. In 2023, eBay has 132 million yearly active buyers worldwide and handled $73 billion in transactions, 48% of which were in the United States. The company had a take rate (revenue as a percentage of volume) of 13.81%. The company is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market and is a component of the S&P 500 and formerly the Nasdaq-100.

eBay can be used by individuals, companies and governments to purchase and sell almost any legal, non-controversial item. Buyers and sellers may rate and review each other after each transaction, resulting in a reputation system. The eBay service is accessible via websites and mobile apps. Software developers can create applications that integrate with eBay through the eBay API. Merchants can also earn commissions from affiliate marketing programs by eBay.

References

I hope that independent editors find my proposed addition helpful. Thanks, JN at Axicom (talk) 17:07, 31 January 2026 (UTC)

• Is there a more recent count of sellers? Is there one not based on an eBay press release? Also, I don't see the relevance of the Reuters article, other than it mentions individuals and small businesses, which the next paragraph leads with already. Another hint -- avoid marketing speak completely. I know it's hard! "eBay's marketplace features approx. 17 million sellers" -- no, it doesn't feature all those sellers. Just the facts. As of so and so date, eBay has 17 million sellers. Or something like that. --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆𝄐𝄇} 21:28, 31 January 2026 (UTC)

  Hey, User:jpgordon! I appreciate the feedback. First, I'll provide context on a couple of editorial decisions I made. You're the non-COI editor, so please make your own determination, but perhaps it'll help if I explain myself a little bit.

  The Inc. Magazine piece is the best secondary source I could find that has a firm number (17 million, as of 2021) for the size of the seller ecosystem. There are other outlets—for example, this digital marketing blog— that say eBay has about 18.3 million sellers circa now, but those don't strike me as credible sources, even if the number is probably more or less correct.

  The Reuters article is there to substantiate the claim about the composition of the ecosystem (i.e. it's made up of individuals and small businesses). I mentioned "small businesses" specifically because I believe they're a meaningfully distinct seller category, as opposed to the more generic "companies" mentioned in the following paragraph.

  With all that said, here's a lightly revised version of the sentence:

  As of 2021, eBay's marketplace has approximately 17 million sellers including individuals and small businesses.

  Let me know what you think. Thanks again, JN at Axicom (talk) 17:52, 4 February 2026 (UTC)

  But it's individuals, small businesses, and also medium and large businesses -- all of which we say in the next paragraph. "eBay can be used by individuals, companies and governments to purchase and sell..." Always best to keep the opening paragraph tight and concise. --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆𝄐𝄇} 01:24, 5 February 2026 (UTC)

  User:jpgordon: I see your point. Would you be okay with just including the 2021 seller figure? Something like this:

  As of 2021, eBay's marketplace has approximately 17 million sellers

  Thanks for being patient with me here. I appreciate your explanations. JN at Axicom (talk) 00:10, 6 February 2026 (UTC)

  I wonder if we can find similar data to parallel the scope of the data presented for buyers? That is, "In 2021, eBay had 17 million sellers, N% of which were in the United States?" Consolidating the number-of-sellers and number-of-buyers information would be pretty tidy. Isn't that sort of information available in eBay's annual reports? --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆𝄐𝄇} 01:37, 6 February 2026 (UTC)

  User:Jpgordon: Unfortunately, I'm not sure that data is available. Or at least it's not publicly reported. I think the best reliable source I can provide is that 2021 seller figure. JN at Axicom (talk) 23:56, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

  Yeah, the 2021 10-K seems to be the most recent accounting of the number of sellers, and it doesn't have a breakdown by region. --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆𝄐𝄇} 00:47, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

  User:Jpgordon: Yeah, these 10-Ks, outside of some essential details, can be a bit inconsistent in terms of what kind of information they contain. So are you okay adding that one brief sentence? Thank you, again, for your help. I really appreciate it! JN at Axicom (talk) 01:01, 14 February 2026 (UTC)

  I've put in the 17 million number, and the actual source your reference was citing. --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆𝄐𝄇} 05:52, 14 February 2026 (UTC)

  User:Jpgordon: appreciate the help with this, thank you! JN at Axicom (talk) 00:11, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

References

Adding content to 2020s subsection

Hey there, I would like to ask editors to consider adding to the 2020s subsection of the History. I've composed a draft, which includes new passages about notable acquisitions the company has made over the past few years, as well as some company developments that have received coverage in reliable sources. I invite independent editors to review my draft by clicking the dropdown below. All highlighted content is new; all unhighlighted content is exactly as it appears on the page right now.

Extended content

2020s

In April 2020, Jamie Iannone became the CEO of eBay. In June 2020, Fred D. Anderson and Thomas J. Tierney resigned from the board of directors of the company; both had been directors since 2003. In July 2020, eBay sold its classifieds business to Adevinta for $2.5 billion in cash and 540 million shares of Adevinta. To gain regulatory approval, Gumtree was further divested. eBay sold its shares in Adevinta in 2023, when that company was acquired by private equity firms.

In September 2020, Pierre Omidyar resigned from the board of directors, after resigning as chairman in 2015. In November 2021, eBay sold its South Korean business to Emart for $3 billion.

In 2020, eBay announced that it was launching a service that would guarantee the authenticity of luxury sneakers sold on its platform. This authenticity guarantee expanded over the next several years to include other high-end goods such as watches, handbags, jewelry, and apparel. EBay also launched its Up & Running Grants program in 2020. The program provides 50 small business owners each year with a $10,000 grant to improve their companies.

In May 2022, eBay acquired a stake in Funko and became the preferred secondary marketplace for Funko. In June 2022, the company acquired KnownOrigin, a marketplace for non-fungible tokens. Ebay acquired MyFitment in August 2022. The company used MyFitment's technology to develop Fitment Plus, a tool that eBay Motors sellers can use to improve the accuracy of fitment and compatibility data in their motor parts and accessories listings. In October 2022, the company acquired TCGPlayer, a marketplace for collectible card games, for approximately $295 million.

In 2022, eBay launched a venture capital arm called eBay Ventures. This part of the company invests in start-up companies that develop marketplace technologies. Its first investment was placed in the Norwegian social marketplace Tise.

In February 2023, eBay acquired 3PM Shield, a company that uses artificial intelligence to identify potentially fraudulent goods and sellers. In July 2023, eBay acquired Certilogo, a provider of AI-powered digital IDs and authentication for apparel and fashion goods. Ebay used Certilogo's technology in the creation of its "resell on eBay" feature, launched in May 2024. The feature allows users to scan the QR code on a product's label in order to certify its authenticity and quickly create a listing for the product.

In January 2024, the company announced plans to lay off 9% of its workforce after hiring outpaced growth projections.

In January 2025, eBay announced that it was acquiring Caramel, a company that digitally manages the final steps of vehicle sale such as financing, insurance, and ownership transfer. EBay used Caramel's technology to develop a more secure process for buying and selling automotives via ebay Motors. In September 2025, eBay acquired Tise, a social marketplace for secondhand fashion and homeware. Also in 2025, eBay was ranked 63rd on Fortune's Most Innovative Companies list.

References

My hope is that this draft is up to snuff, but if it's not, please leave me a comment below and I will try to adjust the content so that it better fits community standards. Thanks! JN at Axicom (talk) 21:13, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

Reply 20-MAY-2026

  Clarification requested  

• EBay's authenticity guarantee needs additional information. Specifically how, and in what way, the individual customer who makes use of this service receives their renumeration if that authenticty is determined not to be the case after the purchased item is paid for. Any other peculiarties or requirements of the authenticity guarantee program ought to be delineated.
• To merit inclusion in the article, the individual companies and or services that EBay launches, acquires, or otherwise collaborates with should be independently notable in Wikipedia. To that end, kindly provide the WikiLinks for the companies and services mentioned in the requested text.
• When ready to proceed with the requested information, kindly change the {{Edit COI}} template's answer parameter to read from |ans=y to |ans=n.

Thank you! Regards,  Spintendo  09:50, 20 May 2026 (UTC)