Forget Google, Facebook, Amazon or even China’s Alibaba, eBay is older than them all and has now made it though two decades.
From its humble beginnings at the hands of a French-born Iranian-American computer programmer, it now has 25m sellers, 157m buyers and 800m listings.
It has also helped span hundreds of multi-million pound enterprises that only trade using eBay, opening entrepreneurs up to an easily-accessible global market at the click of a button.
To shed some more light on eBay, we looked at the weirder side of things and selected our favourite ten factoids.
(1) The first item sold though the online auction platform, in 1995, was a laser pointer pen
(2) It was originally called AuctionWeb when set up by Pierre Omidyar, and didn’t change until 1997
(3) Having IPO’d in September 1998, shares in eBay have risen by 84.5 times though both the dot.com bubble at the turn of the millennium and global recession of 2008
(4) It first came to the UK in 1999, when a CD from The Scorpions for £2.89 became the first item sold though eBay.co.uk
(5) In 2008 it was noted that sales on eBay.co.uk surpassed the GDP of 68 countries around thew world
Read more about eBay:
(6) The most expensive item to ever pass though eBay was a $168m yacht that was reportedly snapped up by Chelsea Football Club owner and Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich
(7) The auction site has even helped sell physical locations, including Thatch Cay in the Virgin Islands
(8) A handbag is sold in eBay’s mobile platform every 15 seconds, while shoes are bought every seven seconds in the UK alone
(9) Its Click & Collect scheme, run in partnership with retailer Argos, has seen 2.5m purchases passed though
(10) More than half the small online retailers on eBay’s UK marketplace are global, exporting to four or more different continents
By Hunter Ruthven
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
