A current popular culture item is the popularity of eBay. EBay was founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar. EBay was started as a way for individual people to buy and sell items on their own. It has now grown into a widely accepted place to do business.
With the popularity of eBay, other companies went into partnerships with eBay, such as GM, Disney, and Sun. Other businesses have now opened up “storefronts” on the eBay web site to sell new items, such as IBM. There are also “storefronts” that are owned by individuals who would be considered power sellers. EBay employs over 15,000 people. They also have web sites that are operated globally. EBay also owns half.com, kijiji.com, PayPal, ProStores, Rent.com, and Shopping.com.
Anything can be sold on eBay. When it first started, items that were sold were mainly collectibles. Now people list anything from cars, to houses, to clothing. There are some restrictions on items that can be placed for sale. Items that are illegal cannot be sold and they also restrict items that are illegal to be bought or sold in other countries.
EBay makes their money by charging different fees during the process of the item being sold. When a seller lists their item for sale, they are charged a listing fee. They can also pay additional fees to have a larger add placed and add additional pictures. Once the item has been sold, eBay is paid a percentage of final sale price. EBay also offers the ability to use PayPal to allow a buyer to pay for their item. PayPal offers safeguards to both the buyer and the seller.
With the advent of eBay, it is now easier for someone to make extra money on their own without leaving their house. They can sell items that they would normally sell at a garage sale. And it allows on stop shopping for buyers to go to one place to comparison shop for their items. I have used eBay both as a seller and as a buyer and it is a fantastic web site. EBay tries to protect both the buyers and sellers with various policies it has implemented over the years.
More information about eBay can be found at http://www.ebay.com.
I have never tried Ebay before. I have stayed away from sites like these, since I have heard mostly negative comments about returning merchandise and pesky pap pal accounts.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I may take another look at Ebay. Your positive outlook of Ebay's services seems encouraging. I do like the idea of buyers having different purchasing options rather than dealing with the higher prices at brick and mortar retailers!
Good Blog!
Doug Huff
Hi, Jennifer. Nice blog.
ReplyDelete