eBay Inc. is a multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California. It was founded in September 1995 by Pierre Omidyar as AuctionWeb, and later renamed to eBay in 1997. The company operates an online marketplace where individuals and businesses can buy and sell goods and services worldwide. eBay has since become one of the world's largest online marketplaces, with over 185 million active buyers across 190 markets.
eBay provides a platform for buyers and sellers to connect and conduct transactions. Sellers can list items for sale and choose from a variety of listing formats, including auction-style listings and fixed-price listings. Buyers can browse and search for items, make purchases, and leave feedback for sellers based on their experience. eBay's marketplace covers a wide range of categories, including electronics, fashion, home and garden, collectibles, and more.
In addition to its core marketplace business, eBay also operates several other businesses, including StubHub, a platform for buying and selling tickets to live events, and eBay Classifieds Group, a collection of local classifieds sites that operates in 12 countries. eBay has also made strategic acquisitions over the years, including the online payment platform PayPal in 2002, which was later spun off into a separate company in 2015.
eBay has had a significant impact on the e-commerce industry, pioneering the concept of online auctions and creating a global platform for buying and selling goods. The company has faced challenges over the years, including increased competition from other e-commerce players, as well as issues with counterfeit goods and fraudulent sellers. However, eBay has continued to innovate and evolve, introducing new features such as Guaranteed Delivery and Authenticity Guarantee to provide a more secure and reliable shopping experience for buyers.