A colorful eBay: The rainbow of a successful multinational corporation

We are living in one united world because boundaries are timeless and fenceless. Continents and countries are still co-existing in the geographical maps but not within the current lifestyle. When we say e-commerce corporation, we connote many well-established and prestigious corporations like eBay. Success stories are gentle reminders for all of us to still believe in the beauty of our dreams. In 1995, Pierre Omidyar made a walk to remember in the field of e-commerce.

Omidyar reflected his vision in the colorful icon ‘eBay’. A beautiful mixture of red, blue, yellow, and green adds a magical glance at the corporation itself and denotes a rich philosophy beyond the shores of his native country. Success is not an easy one-way trip to a predestined location. It is rather a long journey that started from 1995 to date. eBay is a story to tell, a website to visit, a successful business to follow, a must-follow step to succeed and a big full stop to learn about.

At Ebastores, we are not far away from this amazing journey. We strive to be the best and make a walk to remember in Tunisia and worldwide. eBay denotes and connotes Ebastores in some way. We believe in receiving the magical sparkles of success stories. The name of our company received the call to include a few letters of “Eba” and make a new startup called “Ebastores”. Pierre Omidyar has inspired us to follow his journey to learn and dig beneath his archives to draft another success story in the Mediterranean shores and within the lands of Tunisia.

Discover the Red, Blue, yellow, and Green eBay Website!

We all love colors and get attracted to the delightful presentation of a particular product. I would like to give my humble observation of the eBay website. It looks delightful, simple, plain, and inviting in some ways. We believe in “there is beauty in simplicity”, eBay is an example to cite. If we dig deeper behind the philosophy of eBay’s website, we may understand the logical reasoning of our founding.

After having a look at the Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green icons, we could affirm that this amazing website has much to say about its improvement and development over the years from 1995 to date. According to the latest information, eBay is a multibillion-dollar network with operations in about 32 countries. Successfully, the company of the eBay website, an online auction, and shopping website invited both people and businesses to buy and sell a wide variety of goods and services. Furthermore, eBay is free for users and is chargeable for sellers. The charged fees are applicable for listing items after a limited number of free listings, and again when those items are sold by the eBay website.

At weekends, we feel a bit lazy after a hectic schedule during the busy weekdays. If you are thinking about staying at home and looking for an online shopping center, eBay is your best alternative to receiving your Wishlist at your doorsteps. In abide to list the categories of the eBay website, surprisingly, we find out that the list of the category is a bit lengthy.

I would even go further to say, is it a website or a shopping center? What Should I write or omit to mention in the category list?

Let me dedicate a few minutes and list the main key classifications. All categories include mainly: eBay motors, fashion, books/movies/music, electronics, collectibles-art, home and garden, sporting goods, toys and hobbies, health and beauty, and others. As mentioned earlier, it is a market or more accurately a perfect mall for a lazy Sunday, dear reader!

According to many verified customers, eBay seemed to be very alluring to them thanks to the services offered. You can find almost everything you can imagine on eBay and surprisingly enough at a better price (including shipping) than anywhere else. You can also purchase products from all over the world and be amazed by the fast delivery to your doorsteps. Many customers went further to say that they succeeded to sell and buy cars from eBay. Would it be possible? A lot of times just browsing through the eBay website you can get allured and find discover things that you have never seen or heard of. Without any further questions, you will end up quietly buying them.

Every one of us has raised some questions or queries, at Ebastores, we try to give you an accurate picture of how things are. We may have different viewpoints but still, we can handle all your choices and preferences.

A short history of eBay

1.When and by whom was eBay launched?

Instead of enjoying the sunny morning of California on Labor Day, Pierre Omidyar launched Auction Web. He started earlier writing the code for an online market service; on a historical day September the 4th, 1995, the site was operating on the internet.

Omidyar is the son of Iranian parents who immigrated to France. Later, the family shifted to America. Pierre earned his bachelor's degree in computer science from Tufts University. He also attended classes at the University of California, Berkeley.

Pierre’s career began in Claris, a spin-off from Apple Computer. His early achievements include co-founding Ink Development, which was later renamed eShop Inc. it was among the first startups in e-commerce.

Pierre’s major achievement, though, was realized in his later twenties. At the age of 28, the Auction Web was operating and offered significant promises. Soon the revenues from the new enterprise exceeded Pierre’s salary. He left General Magic and devoted his entire time and efforts to his website. Within one year of the launch, the value of merchandise reached $7.2 million.

Auction Web, like the name suggests, offers a wide variety of goods and connects people from around the world via a simple trading service. The website provided an alternative for traditional trading methods and auctions. The endeavor was time-consuming and costly. However, Pierre’s genius offered a virtual platform where sellers can showcase their products and buyers place their bids.

Funny enough, the first item sold on the Auction Web was a broken laser pointer! Awareness of people’s intricate needs and surprising demands led to growth in the number and variety of products. The platform offered chances to advertise a multitude of goods, though in later years the website issued a list of prohibited products such as tobacco, drugs, and firearms.

In 1997, the Auction Web was to be renamed Echo Bay. The name was inspired by a recreational area near Lake Mead, Nevada. Yet, the name was already registered to a Canadian mining company. Pierre simply dropped the ‘cho’ and his startup became to be called eBay. In 1999, he won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The next year, he was awarded the Golden Plate of the American Academy of Achievement. Pierre was the embodiment of the true successful American dream seeker.

After the success of eBay, Pierre Omidyar launched the online news service, Honolulu Civil Beat in 2010. In 2014 he started First Look Media; an investigative news outlet prompted by the Snowden leaks. He also founded the “Ulupono Initiative”, an investment firm aiming at the sustainable development of Hawaii. Pierre sought to give back to the community through the establishment of the Omidyar Network, currently presided over by him and his wife.

2.Development: year after year, eBay climbs the ladder of success with confidant steps.

The startup began to expand with the arrival of Jeffery Skoll and the appointment of Meg Whitman, respectively in 1996 and 1998. Whitman drafted a strategy for eBay and drew a vision that states: “eBay is a company that’s in the business of connecting people, not selling them things.”

One frequently cited genesis story bestowed a humane shade over the startup. Public relations manager, Mary Lou Song, advertised eBay as the website launched to assist Omidyar’s fiancé in collecting Pez candy dispensers. The story turned out to be a mere myth; however, it drew the attention of the public and especially toy collectors. It was one of the early marketing strategies that helped eBay gaining recognition.

They quickly moved beyond auctioning and upgraded to a range of upscale markets. Partnering with famous brands such as Disney, GM, and Sun, and managing public offerings, eBay swiftly moved to the ranks of multibillion-dollar enterprises.

One of the most appreciated features of eBay is its virtual community of sellers and buyers. Both parties have the right to grade and give feedback about transactions, goods, and services. In recent years sellers were prohibited access to this service.

In 2002, eBay bought PayPal, the online paying service. Yet, the company split up in 2014; though 6 percent are still owned by eBay. With the option of Buy it now added in 2000 which offers items at fixed prices and eBay stores in 2001, the company expanded its range of users, both buyers, and sellers, and doubled also its revenues.

In 2003, eBay was ranked 8th on Fortune’s list of fast-growing companies, thus gaining global acknowledgment. In the following years, the now giant eBay startup began to acquire other e-commerce websites.

In 2004, Rent.com, a prominent housing service in the US, was purchased by eBay. StubHub, the world’s biggest online marketplace for tickets, was acquired by eBay in 2005. A 30% stake of Skype was also appropriated while selling the company to a group of investors. Gumtree was also acquired earlier the same year. In March, eBay created Kijiji, Swahili terminology for a village, to be a leading platform in connecting users to their neighbors in the search of similar goods across a host of countries.

In 2008 and 2009, eBay was one of the top 100 best companies to work for, listed by Fortune. The company was highly respected for its support of environmental causes. Besides, the working environment suited thousands of employees globally.

While going mobile through a mobile phone app, eBay was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation award in September 2008.

In 2010, Millo.com, a local shopping web-based search platform, was acquired by eBay hence promoting local products on a global scale. One year later, they acquired GSI Commerce, which became eBay Enterprise. The service provides marketing and technology solutions to brands and different businesses.

In the following year, eBay continues to acquire several e-commerce websites and leading outlets in the business along with online payment tools. Magento, Zong, Braintree, Corrigon, and Giosis are among the numerous retail services acquired by eBay.

This year, 2020, eBay celebrates its 25th anniversary with global success and a diversified community of users that helped to shape the face of the company.

eBay is a new online world to discover!

Reading about eBay is very alluring to explore more about an online store. We are amazed to know that this online Mall functions in many countries all over the world. Coming from the land of wonders, eBay is an American multinational e-commerce corporation located in San Jose, California; a story of a young successful platform to be omnipresent in 32 countries overseas.

Many of us have heard about a new world based on online stores. Amazon and eBay are the pioneers within the e-commerce world. Many retailers and new e-commerce stores can easily target all nationalities from the eBay platform. How is that? You may wonder, would it be that easy to ship and target any new customers in a different continent? The answer is for sure a big Yes! eBay is your new Mall to offer and sell your products worldwide. Selling products through an effective marketplace is very promising for many international retailers. Keep reading and you will be amazed to discover the luxurious benefits, eBay offers to you!

Ebay website: one of the top successful online marketplaces.

What is eBay? What does it do? And how can I use it? If you are still asking these questions and a load more, then you must have been missing a lot! It is either you are not following the latest updates or you are ignoring the comforts of modernity!

EBay, a phenomenal creation for world use since the nineties is one initiative to facilitate people’s lives. EBay is now a multibillion-dollar e-commerce website. EBay, starting as Auction Web, has been known for holding auctions and providing room for consumer-to-consumer exchange and seller-to-buyer negotiations.

EBay might symbolize the ultimate essence of capitalism; how much is an item worth in the eyes of the buyer! Auctions are known for their competitive nature; they present an opportunity to millions of shoppers around the world to place their bids on a variety of items. These items are usually second-hand objects, but you can also find new products.

Auctions are the perfect place to search for rare items, collectibles, and discontinued and or unusual products. EBay offers heaven to collectors and an endless supply of highly-sought goods. Sometimes you might be amazed what people would look for and buy even for high prices. As a matter of fact, the first item sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer!

EBay is the a place to go to whatever you are searching for. With several countries having headquarters for the website, it is easily accessible. The good news is that not only local products are accessible, but also international items are featured globally because eBay has a sophisticated global delivery service.

Ebay: is it a traffic-generator, user-friendly website?

Up and running since 1995; eBay has been developing its website characteristics to fit all users and be easily accessible.

Using eBay depends solely on creating an account. With simple steps, you would find yourself among the global community of eBay in a blink of an eye. The official website dedicates certain pages to guide the public through their journey in eBay; details on how to create an account, how to navigate the site, and how to place bids or sell items are sufficiently explained. In case you still cannot figure out how the website operates or you merely got confused about something, you can always reach for the Customer Support service via email.

EBay shops are conglomerates of large quantities of items. Each shop specializes in a set of items with fixed prices. The Advanced Search link, located at the top of eBay pages can get you to the myriad of shops available. If you are looking for a specific shop, try searching by name or with keywords and you will instantly be directed to your destination.

These shops might be owned by individual sellers or by famous brands. Calvin Klein and Garnier are among the top brands owning shops on eBay. EBay shops are all about branding yourself, if you are not already a brand, and driving traffic towards your personal customized page. Different regulations determine the proper way of creating a shop on eBay, how much exactly does it cost, and the free listings and discounts sellers enjoy.

EBay is the perfect place to showcase your products neatly because eBay is among the topmost rated e-commerce websites and it enjoys global recognition. Thanks to the unique opportunities it offers, eBay is popular among the young and the old alike. Therefore, instead of spending huge budgets on marketing strategies and advertisements, you can cheaply feature your products on eBay which works to drive traffic towards the site.

How to sell on eBay? How does eBay generate profits?

EBay is an online marketplace. The website does not sell items itself; it offers the platform for sellers and brands to advertise and sell their products globally. The obvious question to ask here is how eBay generates profits? As much trivial it looks it is the core of the whole deal.

EBay charges fees for sellers. Percentages of these fees vary according to the products listed and even according to the sellers themselves. For sellers with basic or premium stores, the website charges 8.15% on motors parts and most items in the Accessories category; 7.15% for musical instruments; 4% on computers, tablets, printers, etc; and 1.5% on industrial products such as heavy types of equipment.

For those who do not have an eBay store, the website charges 12% on books, DVDs, and most music-related items; 10% on most items that do not exceed $800; and 2% on the majority of industrial pieces of equipment. There are more details concerning the fees that can be minutely explained to you once you decide to sell on eBay.

However, not all sellers on eBay are equal. The rating system put for the use of customers might affect the status of sellers. If you are a seller you need to be among the top positively rated. To this end, you need to be reliable and trustworthy. You must guarantee the quality of your products and ensure the safety and speed of your shipping services.

Top-rated sellers get a 10% off their final value fees. More interestingly, to keep the competitive spirit and encourage people to always offer more, eBay adds a 5% to the fees once a seller drops below their performance standards.

Another category of fees is labeled Insertion fee. There is a number of items permitted to be listed on eBay for each seller free of any costs. However, if you exceed this number, you will have to pay an insertion fee. It differs between items and sellers, reaching up to 0.35%. yet, the good news is that for certain categories, eBay will refund you the insertion fee if your auction succeeds.

Some of the other important fees include shipping fees and transactions through PayPal or credit cards fees. The bottom line is that you need to put everything into consideration and stay updated on all new deals and regulations on eBay to know exactly how much it is going to cost you to sell on their platform.

EBay deals: another marketing strategy

Like all e-commerce websites, eBay offers sponsored products and encouraging digital marketing strategies for sellers. However, if you do not wish to involve yourself with sponsoring issues, there exist other ways. EBay Deals is an option promoting faster transactions and highlights products to reach a wider audience. Those deals are daily and weekly opportunities. Products showcased on the Deals page are heavily discounted and usually are free shipped.

It might be difficult to qualify for the eBay deals; only sellers with high volumes gain access to this service. Wondering what does it take to feature in this platform? EBay gives you the answer, and here is a simple explanation. Sellers to be featured on the eBay Deals page is handpicked and invited by a board of selection. One thing to keep in mind is that the company focuses mainly on enterprise-level sellers. Some of the criteria you need to meet include:

• Sell daily on eBay. You need to be able to provide large quantities of the desired product. EBay chooses sellers based on their business transactions during the last 12 months.

• Enjoy a good reputation by gaining positive feedback from buyers.

• Keep your account in good standing by paying your fees regularly and on time.

• Advertise highly desired products at good prices. Most products showcased on Deals are generally seasonal trending necessities.

These deals remain on the page for the whole day or week, according to whether they are daily or weekly deals. They are also featured on the home page. Generally, eBay’s Top-Rated Seller program calculates the leading sellers and awards them a place on the Deals page. The program focuses primarily on ratings, sales, and order defect rates. Make sure you meet the desired standards. Apple iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S10 are among the dominant products on Deals. Adidas, Lenovo, and Microsoft are among the companies most featured on the Deals platform.

eBay discounts: with a myriad of options, eBay spoils its clients

eBay offers a marketplace for a variety of products, either used or new. People searching for good quality goods or simply cannot afford expensive luxuries, can find their desired purchases on the auction’s web pages. One way to save money is to buy second-hand products at low prices.

However, considering that the quest of finding what you are looking for in this specific market can be tiresome and sometimes impossible, you can still find your target product in the new goods section. Even new products can be showcased for affordable prices for the average person. eBay Deals generally offers excellent lifetime deals. Products featured in this section are heavily discounted and usually free-shipped. Either way, you would gain favorable choices.

eBay offers huge discounts on a wide range of its products. Discounts are generally decided by sellers, yet there are a few ways through which eBay pleases its clients.

Coupons are discounts offered on certain items on eBay. Users of the e-commerce website might be randomly chosen to receive coupons as part of promotions or by Customer Service. Only one coupon can be used per purchase. To enjoy the offer, you must have a valid eBay account and a PayPal account; the seller too must be using PayPal. Coupons cannot be used on other websites owned by eBay. They also have an expiration date, usually within 24 hours, but further time frames might be found.

eBay Bucks Rewards Program offers 1% back on certain eligible items. PayPal must be the mode of payment used. Purchasing products with a unique qualifying logo can earn you bucks. When earning five or more dollars you receive a certificate that you can use to buy more items from eBay.com solely.

eBay MasterCard Credit card offers extra points on purchases worth $1000 or more. Each category has a certain number of points. For example, purchasing gas earns you 2 points, while only 1 point is allocated for different items. Moreover, 3 points can be granted per $1 spent in any way on the website. When you accumulate 1500 points you are gifted a $10 credit. One fantastic feature of MasterCard is that it offers reimbursement in case of the price drops within 60 days of purchase.

Best Price Guarantee is an eBay service providing buyers the opportunity to get cashed back. If the buyer can find a better price at one of the competing websites within 48 hours, eBay will give him 110% of the difference. Competing sites are Amazon, BestBuy, Home Depot, Jet Sears, Target, Walmart, and Wayfair.

Using the eBay app might generate more discounts for you. A few offers are only displayed on the phone app. That being said, with eBay there is always more to disclose and more opportunities to seize. During special occasions, like eBay’s anniversaries, significant discounts and rewards are put at the users’ disposal.

eBay UK

eBay is a multinational e-commerce company. The enterprise runs websites and sells various items in a significant number of countries. Its reputation reaches people as far away as underdeveloped countries and remote places on all continents. One of its important branches is eBay UK.

Richmond-on-Thames Campus harbors two buildings for eBay UK and Gumtree. This branch emerged in 1999, just after four years of the original startup’s launch. The first item sold on eBay UK was a CD of ‘You and I’ by the German rock band Scorpions.

The UK branch issued the Supplier Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. All sellers are required to adhere to the provisions of this charter. Suppliers are expected to encourage unforced labor and free employment as opposed to forced slavery. All businesses involving child abuse are boycotted. This statement makes part of eBay’s action against slavery and human trafficking.

Statistics reveal that the British are the most enthusiastic people in using eBay. Over 19 million Brit visits the site and uses it regularly.

eBay, the brainchild of an ambitious entrepreneur, is a success story inspiring thousands of people around the globe. Started as a mere attempt to offer a virtual marketplace for auctions and second-hand items, eBay now competes with international prominent e-commerce websites over conquering global markets. With small steps, eBay reached significant heights.

Philanthropic work, community-based approaches, and public relations:

EBay was named in 2014 as one of the world’s most ethical companies by the Ethisphere Institute. To earn such honor, the enterprise has done great work and contributed to environmental and social causes, in addition to promoting a healthy and friendly work environment.

In 2004, eBay launched the Dream Big, Save Big campaign. The initiative aimed at supporting small businesses using eBay to advertise and sell their products. In January 2006, the company joined the United Nations Global Compact, a corporate initiative bringing together companies who believe in the ability of a business to push for social and environmental change as well as the ethical responsibility of business owners towards society.

Since July 2007, several employees came together to form the eBay Green Team. Committed to sustainable development and environmental causes, this team has been launching community initiatives, volunteer-based activities, and more. One of their recent breakthroughs is the eBay bag designed to be reused over and over again. EBay Instant Sale is an electronics recycling program to reduce e-waste.

Since 2009, eBay has been accredited with a 100 percent rating from the Human Rights Campaign for its just and friendly work environment. Discrimination has never been recorded. The same year witnessed the birth of WIN, the Women’s Initiative Network. WIN offers growth opportunities for women in the company to ascend and blossom.

March 2011 witnessed the birth of the Opportunity Project, a program supporting emerging entrepreneurial startups in underdeveloped areas.

EBay raised $102 million for charitable causes; an important record for charity promoters. This was achieved thanks to the virtual community created by eBay to connect sellers and buyers to the potential causes they wish to donate for and volunteer. More virtual auctions were held with revenues directed towards charity causes.

EBay charity works platform offers many ways through which users can contribute to philanthropic causes via donations, buying from sellers committed to charity, and a range of other possibilities. eBay is one of the few global companies leading the way in volunteerism and helping impoverished communities. eBay indeed has made significant leaps both on the business scale and on the charity level.

Generally speaking, eBay does indeed enjoy glamorous public relations thanks to its great efforts in paying back to the communities, helping young entrepreneurs, and committing to important causes. Through its long history spanning over two decades, eBay has faced one major public backlash. In 2019, the Stalking Scandal went viral. eBay was accused of harassing two e-commerce bloggers, Ina and David Steiner. The bloggers wrote commentaries about eBay on their website eCommerce Bytes. Different sources revealed that in June 2020, “the U.S. Department of Justice charged six former eBay employees and contractors with conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses; a seventh former employee was charged in July.”

eBay, The online land of wonders!

We all love to hear about inspiring stories. Starting from nothing to be everything in a World of timeless and limitless space is a huge success. The logo of eBay is simple, yet inspiring, telling the colorful philosophy of the young Pierre Omidyar.

Being inspirational could not be an easy rosy path for Omidyar. Today, a 25 years old e-commerce marketplace succeeded to be omnipresent in more than 35 countries worldwide.

eBay is considered to be a golden opportunity for many people all over the world. Many retailers succeeded to sell their products worldwide thanks to eBay. It offers luxurious benefits for them to ship their products despite the fences. Omidyar's success is well versed in eBay to inspire us Ebastores team and follow his steps.

Many Americans believe that eBay is one of the best online marketplaces to purchase and sell used and new products. Besides, eBay is a symbol of trust and authenticity to buy anything they want. Loyal customers prefer to stay at home and order everything they need without stepping out of their comfort zones.

eBay is best to be associated with the land of wonders in the e-Commerce world. You may wonder: Am I dreaming or not? Our shortest answer would be: No, it is unquestionably a magical recipe to gather your courage and draft another success story like Omidyar or you had better visit the eBay site to discover what we are talking about!