40+ eBay Statistics: Market Share, Growth, Userbase, and More

Founded 25 years ago, eBay was the first online marketplace, and it has continued to grow in popularity over the years. In fact, today, eBay is the second-largest online marketplace worldwide.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the way consumers live and shop has changed drastically, with 58% of shoppers saying they feel safer shopping online during the pandemic.

As a result, eBay saw significant changes in its sales in certain categories and locations.

This article will cover more than 40 of the most recent and interesting eBay statistics that you need to know this year — including the number of people who use eBay, its best-selling products, its biggest markets, and more.

Top eBay statistics for this year

Here’s a list of the most recent eBay statistics:

• More than 159 million active buyers worldwide (Source: Statista)
• 71% of purchases on ebay were shipped free in 2019 (Source: Fundera)
• eBay had $19.5 billion worth of sales in q3 of 2021 (Source: eBayinc)
• There are around 1.5 billion live listings on eBay (Source: eBayinc)
• eBay has two billion transactions per day (Source: Parade)
• eBay is the second-biggest online marketplace (Source: Statista)
• In the first quarter of 2021, eBay had over 20 million active sellers (Source: eBay’s 2021 Q1 Report)
• There are approximately 788,000 eBay stores (Source: Marketplace Pulse)
• In 2020, 31% of eBay sellers could be found in the U.S. (Source: Statista)

Total eBay users statistics

First, let’s break down some statistics about eBay users.

1. In April 2021, eBay had 1.7 billion monthly visitors

(Source: Statista)

Due to its staggering amount of monthly visitors, eBay is the second most visited online marketplace in the world, only coming in second after Amazon.

2. In the second quarter of 2021, eBay had 159 million global active buyers worldwide

(Source: Statista)

Active buyers refers to all buyer accounts that have successfully closed a transaction on eBay’s platforms within the previous 12 months. The number of active buyers decreased by 2 million since the same period of 2020.

3. The number of high-value buyers on eBay has grown by 6%

(Source: eBay)

High-value buyers refers to buyers who purchase from eBay at least six times per year and spend over $800 on the marketplace. Compared to 2019, the number has grown by 6% and continues to incline.

4. eBay’s users are scattered across 190 different markets

(Source: eBayinc)

eBay exists in markets in several countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Germany, Thailand, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and more.

5. The top 25% of buyers make up around 75% of eBay’s business

(Source: eBay)

This number is a testament that eBay’s vertical strategy is working since the company acquires a customer for the whole platform whenever they acquire a high-value customer for a single vertical.

eBay app vs. website statistics

Now, let’s break down some eBay app and website stats.

6. In 2020, there were more than 17.6 million downloads of the eBay app on both Android and IOS devices

(Source: Statista)

Out of the 60 countries analyzed, most of eBay’s app downloads came from the U.S., with the second most downloads coming from the U.K.

7. eBay’s website gets over 700 million visits per month

(Source: Similarweb)

In October 2021 alone, eBay received 783.33 million visits, with the average visit duration being 6 minutes and 42 seconds long.

8. eBay’s website bounce rate is 36.86%

(Source: Similarweb)

A bounce rate refers to website visitors who leave the site after only viewing one page. Since eBay has a bounce rate of 36.86%, this means that most of eBay’s visitors stay on the site to view two or more pages.

Mobile vs. desktop shopping statistics

Let’s break down a couple of statistics about mobile vs. desktop shopping on eBay.

9. In the 4th quarter of 2020, eBay had 307 million unique monthly visitors who came from mobile web traffic alone

(Source: Statista)

This means that eBay was one of the leading retailers worldwide under mobile users, coming in second after Amazon in traffic from mobile devices.

10. 77.52% of desktop visits to eBay’s website come from the U.S.

(Source: Similarweb)

The remaining 22.48% of people visiting eBay’s website via desktop devices are spread across 251 other countries, with Canada coming in second at a 1.54% visit rate. It’s clear that the U.S. dominates desktop searches.

eBay sales statistics

Let’s break down some eBay sales statistics.

11. In 2020, eBay generated $100 billion in GMV

(Source: eBay’s 2020 Annual Report)

Gross merchandise value (GMV) refers to the total value of products that eBay sells. Of the $100 billion in products that were sold, about 62% of it was generated outside the U.S.

12. In 2021, more than 293 disposable face masks were sold per listing per week

(Source: Statista)

In February 2021, almost a year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, disposable masks were the best-selling product on eBay by far.

13. An average of 76 phones and smartphones per listing were sold weekly in February 2021

(Source: Statista)

Phones and smartphones remain to be one of the best-selling categories on eBay, with this category continuing to grow each year.

14. The number of unpaid items on eBay reduced by almost 80% in the first quarter of 2021

(Source: eBay’s 2021 Q1 Report)

The dramatic decline in unpaid items is mainly due to eBay’s managed payments migration that resulted in a simplified checkout flow.

eBay free shipping statistics

Let’s break down a couple of statistics about free shipping on eBay.

15. 53% of online shoppers worldwide see free shipping as the leading reason for purchasing a product online

(Source: Statista)

Free shipping makes online buyers more likely to purchase a product, which is why eBay continuously encourages its buyers to offer free shipping. In turn, free shipping leads to more overall sales.

16. Orders that include free shipping average around 30% higher in value

(Source: Invespro)

Generally, consumers are willing to spend more money to reach the “free shipping” threshold, regardless of whether the shipping cost was high to begin with.

eBay seller statistics

Let’s break down some eBay seller statistics.

17. In the first quarter of 2021, eBay had over 20 million active sellers

(Source: eBay’s 2021 Q1 Report)

Due to the low cost of entry and inclusivity that eBay offers its sellers, more and more people are building businesses on eBay’s platform. The number of eBay sellers grew by 1 million from 2020 to the first quarter of 2021.

18. 403,000 sellers on eBay have Top Rated Seller status

(Source: Marketplace Pulse)

The “Top Rated Seller” status is awarded to sellers who meet specific tracking and sales criteria, as well as specified performance standards.

19. In 2020, 31% of eBay’s sellers could be found in the U.S.

(Source: Statista)

Even though eBay is a U.S.-registered company, its users and sellers are scattered across other major countries and many markets. Other popular seller locations included the U.K. with 29% and Germany with 15% of top sellers.

20. There are approximately 788,000 eBay stores

(Source: Marketplace Pulse)

eBay provides its sellers with certain tools that enable them to develop their own brand and maximize their sales. Flexibility, low shop fees, and eBay’s continuous support to its shop owners are three of the main reasons why sellers love this platform.

Amazon vs. eBay statistics

Let’s break down some statistics about eBay in comparison to Amazon.

21. Amazon has 19% higher year-on-year revenue growth than eBay

(Source: Statista)

In 2020, Amazon achieved 38% year-over-year net sales revenue growth, whereas eBay’s revenue growth was only 19%. One of the main factors that had a massive impact on eBay’s overall revenue development (even to this day) was Paypal’s split from eBay in 2015. This negatively affected eBay’s market share.

22. eBay is the most popular online marketplace among sellers in the U.S., with a 6.48 score on a 10-point scale

(Source: Statista)

A survey conducted in 2021 asked U.S. online sellers which online marketplace they prefer selling on.

The results were based on four main areas, including profitability, customer service, ease of use, and communication. Sellers ranked eBay as the best marketplace to sell on, with Amazon taking seventh place.

eBay advertising statistics

Let’s break down some eBay advertising statistics, including social media and search statistics.

23. 62.68% of eBay’s traffic came from direct search on a desktop in 2021

(Source: Similarweb)

Direct search, also known as direct traffic, occurs when a visitor arrives directly on a site without having clicked through via another source.

24. 45.88% of eBay referrals came from YouTube in June 2021

(Source: Statista)

YouTube was the social media platform that referred the most traffic to eBay — nearly half of all social media referrals to eBay came from this source.

25. 24.65% of eBay referrals came from Facebook in 2021

(Source: Statista)

Facebook, which is the leading social media platform worldwide, was responsible for referring nearly a quarter of traffic to eBay that comes from social media-type sources.

26. In the second quarter of 2021, promoted listings delivered close to $224 million in revenue

(Source: eBay Inc)

The promoted listings feature (which is a first-part advertising offering) has proven to be an extremely effective method for eBay. Revenue obtained from this feature has grown by $135 million from the second quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2021.

eBay used vs. new sales statistics

Let’s break down some statistics about used and new sales on eBay.

27. 87% of eBay’s U.S. sellers sold pre-owned goods in 2020

(Source: eBay’s 2021 Q1 Report)

In a survey conducted by eBay, most of its U.S. sellers said that they sold pre-owned goods. Almost 3/4 of these sellers began selling used goods for additional income.

28. 81% of eBay users in the U.K. bought pre-owned goods in 2020

(Source: Statista)

eBay customers who participated in this survey, which ran from Oct. 12 to Nov. 9, 2020, were asked whether they had purchased used goods in the previous 12 months. Most U.K. respondents answered yes. Canada came in second, with 68% of respondents also answering yes.

29. The number of new luxury watch listings increased by 22% in 1 year

(Source: eBay’s 2021 Q1 Report)

Luxury watches remain to be one of the core categories on eBay. The number of luxury watches listed on this marketplace has grown from 16% in the fourth quarter of 2020 to 38% in the first quarter of 2021.

30. The GMV of trading cards in the U.S. was $1 billion during the first quarter of 2021

(Source: eBay’s 2021 Q1 Report)

The sale of trading cards, both used and new, continues to grow on eBay, and active buyers in this category have doubled from 2020–2021.

31. A pair of sneakers is sold on eBay every 4 seconds

(Source: eBay)

Because of sneakers' high sales rates, the number of sneakers valued above $100 that are listed on the platform triples in digits each year.

eBay international selling statistics

Let’s break down several eBay statistics by country, including eBay statistics from the U.K.

32. There are around 1.5 billion live listings on eBay

(Source: eBayinc)

These listings include listings from sellers around the world with items spread across hundreds of categories, both pre-owned and new.

33. eBay generated 52% of its revenue from its international operations in 2021

(Source: eBayinc)

This means that most of eBay’s revenue came from its international operations (i.e., international sellers and buyers) in 2021.

34. eBay’s net revenue increased by 19% from 2019–2020

(Source: eBay’s Annual Report 2020)

eBay’s net revenue reached $10.3 billion in 2020. The company believes that this increase was driven by more online shopping due to the global restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

35. eBay’s revenue increases around 14% year-on-year

(Source: Statista)

The marketplace’s revenue continues to grow at a steady pace, with the most revenue coming from transactions and only a tiny portion coming from marketing and other services.

36. In 2021, eBay has a market cap of $47.30 billion

(Source: Companies Market Cap)

This makes eBay the world’s 436th most valuable company based on market capitalization. eBay’s market cap was $39.15 billion in 2011, which means that it’s grown by more than $8 billion since then.

37. An additional 1 million Australians now shop with eBay each month because of the global pandemic

(Source: eBayinc)

Since the global pandemic changed the way people live, work, and shop, Australians have started relying heavily on online shopping. As a result, more people that form part of the Baby Boomers generation (60+ years old) are shopping online than ever before.

38. In 2020, eBay generated over $4.1 billion in annual revenue in the U.S. alone

(Source: Statista)

The remaining revenue came from the U.K. ($1.7 billion), South Korea ($1.4 billion), Germany ($1.1 billion), and the rest of the world ($1.95 billion).

39. In 2020, online shoppers in the U.K. visiting eBay spent about 10 minutes on the marketplace per visit

(Source: Statista)

Online eBay shoppers in the U.K. and France spent the most time on the marketplace, whereas shoppers in Portugal spent the least time on the marketplace at an average of just over two minutes.

eBay reviews statistics

Let’s break down a couple of eBay reviews statistics.

40. eBay’s top seller has over 15 million positive reviews on their shop

(Source: Marketplace Pulse)

eBay’s top seller “musicmagpie” received close to 120,000 reviews in October 2021. Following this seller, the top ten sellers all received between 20,000 and 100,000 positive reviews on their shops in one month.

41. In the 4th quarter of 2021, eBay’s app had a 4.6-star rating with over 4 million reviews

(Source: Google Play Store)

Most ratings for eBay are five stars, with reviewers saying that the app is extremely user-friendly, and they haven’t run into any problems over the years that they’ve been using the application.

(Source: Google Play Store)

Conclusion

You’ve seen 40+ of the most recent and interesting eBay stats, and now it’s time for you to put these statistics to use.

Whether you’re planning on launching your own eBay store, or you’re merely looking to expand your own and others’ knowledge of this marketplace and eCommerce in general, you can count on these stats.

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