20 eBay Statistics for Wonderful Shopping Spree in 2024

These eBay statistics will tell you what makes this platform so popular among users. eBay is a well-known online marketplace for purchasing and selling goods and services.

Since it was founded in 1995, it has grown to become one of the most prominent online marketplaces for merchants to market and sell their wares. It’s unquestionably an appealing and worthwhile ecommerce endeavor.

Keep reading to learn interesting facts about this popular e-commerce company.

Top 10 eBay Statistics for 2024

• In 2019, eBay had a global user base of 182 million people.
• The eBay app was downloaded over 50 million times in 2020.
• As of 2022, the average annual income of an eBay seller is roughly $42,000.
• In 2019, almost 71% of things were shipped for free.
• The highest number of visits comes from US accounts.
• In July 2022, eBay received 756.6 million visitors.
• 80% of the items posted in 2018 were classified as “New”.
• The first item on eBay was sold for $14.83.
• The most expensive item ever sold on eBay was $168 million.
• Most popular categories in 2021 were automotive, fashion, and jewelry.

Key eBay Stats and Facts

This part of the article covers key bases, including the number of eBay users, revenue, seller, buyers, and more.

Keep scrolling.

1. eBay’s revenue was $10.42 billion in 2021.

(Source: Statista)

It was up by over 17% compared to the previous year’s revenue worth $8.89 billion.

One of the company’s primary sources of revenue growth was their marketplace transaction fees via the ‘Managed Payments’ solution, a system for listing fees, transferring money directly to the seller, and receiving payment from buyers.

2. In 2019, eBay had a global user base of 182 million people.

(Source: Ebay / BigCommerce)

According to eBay statistics, these users account for 6.6% of the total e-commerce economy in the United States. Although this is only a small percentage compared to Amazon’s over 40% market share, it’s the second-largest in American ecommerce.

3. The eBay app was downloaded over 50 million times in 2020.

(Source: eBay / Statista)

It’s about the same time as 218 billion apps were downloaded worldwide. Additionally, most eBay app downloads came from consumers in the United States, with over 17.6 million downloads on Android and iOS devices.

It isn’t surprising — more than a quarter of the world’s population bought something online in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

4. As of 2022, the average annual income of an eBay seller is roughly $42,000.

(Source: Glassdoor)

Some individuals earn upwards of $70,000 each year, eBay statistics for 2022 show. Naturally, how much money you make is determined by various circumstances, including the amount of inventory you sell, the price of your products, and additional charges.

5. eBay had more than 20 million active sellers in 2020.

(Source: BusinessofApps)

The highest number of sellers was recorded in 2014 when 25 million people were selling on eBay. However, they’ve been steadily declining in recent years, reaching 19 million in 2021.

The following countries had a strong seller count in 2020:

• 31% of United States
• 29% United Kingdom
• 15% Germany

6.  eBay‘s rate for selling new items was 56.3% in 2018.

(Source: Oberlo)

More than half of used items on eBay get sold worldwide, as opposed to one-third of the new ones. However, the situation is somewhat different in the US, where new products are sold 56.3% of the time, compared to 39.8% for used items.

7. In 2019 almost 71% of items were shipped for free.

(Source: Oberlo)

eBay has followed Amazon’s lead and now offers free shipping on most items. As long as sellers can find ways to offset shipping expenses, this makes life easier for both buyers and sellers.

As eBay facts show, it is an additional incentive that helps attract more buyers.

8. Around 940,000 sellers used the “Promoted Listings” feature in 2019.

(Source: Bigcommerce / Bloomberg)

Promoted Listings are, simply, sponsored items displayed on eBay that increase product visibility and sales.

With its 250 million postings, Promoted Listings brought in $89 million in revenue, representing a 130% year-over-year increase in the second quarter of 2019.

eBay Users Statistics

If you’re interested in learning more about eBay regarding the buyer demographics, keep reading. In this section, you’ll find information on the number of people who frequent eBay and more interesting stats and facts.

9. The highest number of visits comes from US accounts.

(Source: SimilarWeb)

The United States accounted for 79.45% of all eBay visits over the last month, followed by Canada (1.53%), Mexico (1.05%), and the United Kingdom (0.96%).

The rest of the world accounts for 16.63% of eBay’s traffic.

10. 25 to 34-year-olds make up 27.03% of eBay user demographics.

(Source: SimilarWeb)

The 18-24 age group makes up 17.70% of the user demographics, while those in the 65+ age category use eBay the least (only 7.83%).

11. In July 2022, eBay hit 756.6 million visits.

(Source: SimilarWeb)

According to statistics, the average visit lasts six minutes and 37 seconds, with 6.75 pages per visit.

eBay is now ranked 44th in the world’s “most frequented website” list. However, the site ranks 14th in the United States. So, if you want to start an online business, this one could be worth considering.

eBay Selling Statistics

Continue reading to learn more about the most expensive item sold on eBay, how many times eBay was downloaded, and many more.

12. California, USA, was home to 15% of all eBay sellers in June 2020.

(Source: Statista)

California had the highest percentage of vendors out of all US states, accounting for 15% of all merchants.

Florida and New York came in second and third, each accounting for 8% of all eBay sellers in the United States.

Georgia scored lowest on the list, with only 3% of eBay sellers.

13. In 2018, 80% of the items posted were classified as “New”.

(Source: Oberlo)

Despite its origins as a marketplace for buying and selling secondhand goods, major brands and merchants are now competing with individual eBay sellers by selling their products directly to consumers.

14. 61% of eBay sales percentage are made through a mobile device.

(Source: Edesk/ ExpandedRamblings)

 49% of people shop online using their cellphones, and eBay is no exception.

As mentioned above, the mobile app had approximately 514 million downloads in 2020, even though the platform only has 147 million active users this year.

15. “Electronics & Accessories” accounted for 17% of all eBay sales in 2018.

(Source: TrendsEdisonTech)

The most popular items sold between 2018 and 2019 were in the ”Electronics & Accessories” category. “Clothing and Accessories” category is nearly as profitable (14%).

During December and March, there’s a significant sales bump in the “Toys & Games” category.

16. The first item sold on eBay was for $14.83.

(Source: DidYouknowFacts)

The founder Pierre Omidyar listed his broken laser pointer for sale back when the site was first launched in 1995. It was bought by Mark Fraser who then officially became the first buyer on eBay.

Fraser, an electronics geek, was looking for a broken laser pointer that he could fix for fun.

17. According to eBay trends from early 2000, a Californian town was listed twice on eBay.

(Source: NBCNews)

Bridgeville, California, has been listed twice on eBay. In 2002, it was nearly sold for $1.77 million, but the buyer pulled out at the last minute.

It was one of the most bizarre items sold on eBay, next to a grilled cheese sandwich with an image of the Virgin Mary on it sold for $28,000, and a supposedly haunted walking cane worth $65,000.

18. The most expensive item ever sold on eBay cost $168 million.

(Source: TwistedSifter)

The 405-foot superyacht designed by Frank Mulder was sold on the online marketplace, making it the most expensive item ever sold. It was purchased by a Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

The boat included a salon, a cinema room, a gym, an office, a retractable boarding lift, a helicopter garage, and a swimming pool.

19. Top eBay selling trends for 2021 were automotive, fashion, and jewelry.

(Source: eBay)

There’s a lot to choose from on eBay. However, the following are the top-selling items in 2021:

• Automobile accessories and parts
• Clothing, footwear, and accessories for men
• Watches, watch components, tools, and instruction manuals
• Small kitchen gadgets
• Medical, lab, and dental supplies, equipment, devices, and tools; WW2 military goods
• Action figures and bicycles, as well as bicycle components and parts.

20. According to the data from 2017, men made up 66.7% of eBay buyers.

(Source: DigitalCommerce360)

Women are more likely than men to shop online, and the gender split on eBay may surprise you; according to eBay demographics, female buyers account for only 33.3% of all buyers.

Amazon statistics show that men mainly dominate the buyer section on Amazon as well.

To Wrap Up

To Millennials and Gen Z, eBay may seem outdated. And even though the online marketplace appears to be losing favor, statistics have proved that clients continue to use it.

And while online shopping is still gaining momentum, we can be sure eBay’s going to be around for a long time.