eBay is The World's Online Marketplace. Founded in 1995, eBay created a powerful platform for the sale of goods and services by a passionate community of individuals and businesses. On any given day, there are millions of items across thousands of categories for sale on eBay, as well as on Half.com, eBay's site dedicated to fixed price trading. eBay enables trade on a local, national and international basis with customized sites in markets around the world. .
eBay is leading the way in Internet auctions. The Internet brings together a larger number of both buyers and sellers and has opened the way for individuals to trade on a global scale. eBay has taken a number of steps to increase confidence and reduce risks. Buyers and sellers are rated by the other party, and these ratings are available to prospective buyers and sellers. Goods are insured by eBay up to a maximum value against non-delivery and they also offer an arbitration service. Payments are usually made direct between buyer and seller but eBay has helped the process by linking up with on-line payment systems such as PayPal. Both parties registered with PayPal each give their credit card or bank account details. Payment is then done through PayPal who keep the account details confidential. Sellers receiving money can keep their PayPal account in credit and use the account to pay for goods that they later buy.
eBay charges sellers a listing fee plus commission on all successful sales. Additional fees are payable for value added services such as reserve prices, bold text on the listing page, being placed at the top of the category listing, being mentioned on the home page, insertion in a pictorial gallery, appearing in the featured gallery, and multiple category listing.
eBay provides a number of monitoring and communication services. All bids are e-mailed to both sellers and bidders and likewise to the winning bidder and the seller at the end of the auctions.