eBay

The company operates a two‑sided marketplace where it aggregates supply from individual sellers, small merchants and larger retailers, and matches this with global buyer demand through search, categorisation and recommendation. It creates value by lowering discovery and transaction frictions for second‑hand, collectible and new goods, and by offering tools for sellers to manage inventory, pricing, research and cross‑border trade.

Revenue is generated mainly through seller‑paid economic participation in the marketplace: variable transaction fees for completed sales, subscriptions for enhanced storefronts and selling benefits, value‑added analytics and research, and paid on‑site promotion of listings. Managed payments allows it to internalise payment processing and simplify financial flows for sellers. Buyers gain broad selection and purchasing protection, while sellers gain access to global demand and commerce infrastructure without building their own e‑commerce stack.

eBay is a United States–based global online marketplace connecting individual consumers and businesses that buy and sell goods via auction-style and fixed‑price listings, with specialised verticals such as vehicles and parts. It provides catalogue, search and discovery, payments, seller tools, and programmes such as authenticity checks for higher‑value categories.

eBay generates revenue primarily from transaction-based fees on completed sales, subscriptions for professional storefronts, retail‑media advertising sold to merchants on the platform, and payments‑related income. Its direct paying customers are sellers and merchants of all sizes, while buyers use the platform largely without direct platform fees.