eBay

The US-based eBay Inc. operates the world's largest Internet auction house. The company was founded on September 3, 1995 by Pierre Omidyar in San Jose (California ) under the name Auctionweb. In Europe, for example in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, the company offers its services.

Over the years, the range extended from a consumer - to-consumer marketplace with flea market -like character to a business-to -consumer platform, that is, there virgin is increasingly offered by commercial vendors, in contrast to the second-hand private providers.

• 2.1 Membership / use
• 2.2 Legal
• 2.3 rating system
• 2.4 Other services
• 2.5 Third-party Tools

• 4.1 charges
• 4.2 rating system
• 4.3 principles
• 4.4 security and quality management
• 4.5 trade restrictions under U.S. law
• 4.6 Limitations of seller

• 5.1 Features and Documentaries
• 5.2 Literature

Business

History

After the founding in 1995 in the USA eBay expanded greatly. 1997 Benchmark Capital invested 6.7 million dollars into the company, which has been the best investment in Silicon Valley history. Two years later, those shares were worth 5 billion U.S. dollars. In the summer of 1999, eBay bought the German auction house Alando for 43 million U.S. dollars from the three Samwer brothers. In 2001 the company bought the South Korean auction house Auction, 2002 Internet payment service PayPal and 2003, the auction page Eachnet for $ 180 million. In January 2004, eBay took over mobile.de (display market for vehicles in Germany ) for 121 million euros. In the same year the Indian platform Baazee.com (June, 50 million U.S. dollars), the Dutch online marketplace operators Marktplaats.nl came ( November, 225 million euros ) and the real estate portal Rent.com ( December, 415 million U.S. dollars) to do so. In March 2005, eBay created the specialized regional trading platform Kijiji Classifieds. In June, the company acquired the offer Shopping.com search engine for 620 million U.S. dollars in September 2005 Skype for $ 3 billion U.S. dollars. In April 2006, eBay took over the Swedish Internet auction portal Tradera.com. The purchase price was estimated at the equivalent of 48 million dollars.

On 22 August 2006 eBay launched the German online marketplace eBay Express with new services for commercial eBay seller who was off again on 23 April 2008.

In 2007, eBay has been recognized by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences at the 11th ceremony of the Webby Awards with a prize for the " life's work ". On 4 October, the company took over the auction settlement tool afterbuy and acquired in 2009, the South Korean dealer portal Gmarket.

On September 1, 2009, eBay announced that it will sell 65 percent of the shares of its subsidiary Internet phone Skype for $ 1.9 billion to an investor group. Shortly thereafter, threatened the two Skype founders with legal action against eBay, Skype and the investors. In November 2009, the participants agreed. The Skype founders have received 14 percent of Skype (the package was worth $ 385 million at the time ).

In December 2010, eBay bought the local shopping search engine Milo for 75 million U.S. dollars. Milo.com makes the inventory of stores in U.S. cities searchable, allowing its users to see the web in real time, whether they desire products are available at a store in their immediate environment. In the U.S. offer participating local dealer about this eBay -called local service to a delivery service within an hour. In the same month, eBay took over the Berlin shopping portal Brands4friends for around 150 million euros.

On 10 May 2011 eBay Skype handed for about 8.5 billion euros to Microsoft and the 2.4 billion -US-dollar acquisition of the e-commerce company GSI Commerce was completed on June 22.

Since October 2012 Website and services of the company are immersed in a new design, which was first re-designed and the eBay logo unchanged since the beginning of the course. While the logo colors were retained and the letters are still connected to each other, were obtained by using the Univers Extended a clearer typeface.

In October 2013, the Home of the company has been redesigned. In this case, eBay built so-called feeds into the page, which allow customers to follow manufacturers, distributors and product categories, and so will always get latest offers. This feature increased customer loyalty and frequency of the page visit. The revision is one of the innovations that John Donahoe has increased the market capitalization of eBay for more than $ 50 billion between 2009 and early 2014.

Facts and Figures

The highest turnover according to the company provider of Internet auctions is pending for approximately 276 million members worldwide have shopping online or sell goods. According to eBay, the trading volume in the fourth quarter of 2008 amounted to 13.646 billion U.S. dollars worldwide. The volume of trade in the whole year of 2011 was 68.633 billion U.S. dollars.

In 2008 there were approximately 516,000 worldwide, according to eBay eBay stores (about 294,000 U.S. registered eBay stores and 222,000 from other countries ).

The company is present in 38 countries with a country- specific website. There should trade with each other in more than 50,000 categories over 83 million active users.

The most expensive item that was sold on eBay worldwide, was a corporate jet for 4.9 million U.S. dollars.

Share

There are about 1.535 billion shares, of which 61.5 % are in free float. The market value of eBay was on August 23, 2012 at around 56 billion euros.

A low reported the stock in March 2009 with just over $ 10. In March 2010, the price reached a peak of 27.45 dollars, declined to July of the same year to U.S. $ 20 and has since risen to more than double. The largest shareholder is currently the founder Pierre Omidyar, with around 10 % equity share.

In the third quarter of 2012, eBay was able to increase earnings substantially. Compared to last year, it rose by 22 percent over the previous year to 597 million U.S. dollars. Revenue rose to 3.4 billion U.S. dollars in the third quarter by 15 percent.

EBay Germany

The German precursor of eBay was founded in Berlin under the name Alando by six entrepreneurs, including three brothers, 1999. Just six months later, the American company eBay bought the company for 43 million U.S. dollars. In mid-2000 the business in the Europarc Drei Linden was transferred to Kleinmachnow. Contractors of eBay members residing or domiciled in the EU is by eBay's terms and conditions of the Luxembourg eBay Europe S.à rl, outside the EU and the U.S., the Swiss eBay International AG with its headquarters in Bern. Managing Director at eBay Germany was from 1 March 2008 to about July 2009 Frerk -Malte Feller; Feller then moved to eBay Australia. He was succeeded by Stephan Zoll, previously managing director of eBay Advertising GmbH.

In Germany, eBay financed

• A so-called insertion fee, which since September 2008 between 0.01 euros and 4.80 euros per article is ( depending on the selected format and auction starting price - partly eliminated since February 2008, the Insertion Fee )
• As well as a commission of two to twelve percent, which is provided to the seller at a successful sale into account.

A significant proportion of the Group's revenue is generated (also known as affiliates) of the so-called eBay partners. These provide potential buyers on eBay and in return receive commissions (see links). In order to bring interested seller to eBay, sales agents were established (dealer on commission basis ). Most of these dealers are individual entrepreneurs, but there or there were also some larger companies nationwide ( Dropshop.de, Clevereasy.de, both set today ) or even Europe ( auktionsbote.de, adjusted according to site also ) work. Model for this business concept is Auction Drop from the USA. 2005/2006, many of these sales agents disappeared. Particularly active traders ( minimum charge 3000 euros / month or 300 sold items / month) given the status PowerSeller.

EBay Germany recorded in the first quarter of 2006, about 20 million members and was thus the leader in electronic commerce. More than half of the members shall be deemed inactive members who have no sales or purchases more for over twelve months. In May 2009, eBay announced in Germany over 14.5 million active members. Average constantly to be more than 30 million products on offer. Two thirds of this can be paid by PayPal, according to eBay. The proportion of items sold from commercial and private sellers should be approximately 50 percent.

The professional trader on eBay Germany (about 159,000 ) obtained from April 2008 to March 2009 a trading volume of 3.1 billion euros, 435 million euros of which were exports.

More than 64,000 people in Germany in 2005 earned a significant part of their livelihood by means of eBay.

According to case law, no auctions on eBay will be conducted in Germany, but there are (possibly after an auction -like bidding ) contracts of sale concluded. This has the consequence that many laws to protect consumers apply (eg regarding withdrawal periods and liability for loss of goods). In this respect, eBay is no auction house, but a mediator of sales.

Competitors

In most regions eBay de facto is unrivaled. As there are several auction houses consistently much smaller suppliers who specialize in each case to one country and, often, specific areas. Partial try this to attract customers through lower fees or other auction concepts (such as a dependent on the number of bids remaining duration ).

Such providers in Germany are for example hood.de and booklooker.

In Switzerland, Ricardo is the largest Internet - auction market place, which has also taken on the previous market leader in Austria OneTwoSold in September 2008 and was renamed ricardo.at; The end of 2010 was ricardo.at closed.

In Poland, Allegro is the market leader in China eBay was supplanted by Taobao.

As a trading platform mainly amazon.com is to name as a competitor. There prices are classically determined by the seller.

With the Latin American competitors MercadoLibre Argentina from eBay cooperates since 2001. Way eBay is in the countries where MercadoLibre is active, not present and vice versa. In addition, eBay has been involved since 2001 in MercadoLibre.

With the service bitmit.net exists a platform offering which auctions with the distributed e -currency Bitcoin.

Business processes

The business idea of eBay is to provide an online platform for the sale of any goods. The company eBay itself occurs as a mediator of a sales contract between seller and buyer. The use of the platform costs the seller a fee for the buyer, it is, however, free of charge. At the same time eBay is constantly trying to expand the automated process and thus the binding of the seller: The announced payment of auctioned item on Ebay failed provisional, since it was found that for a banking license is required. Private sellers will have to wait with the system envisaged seven days on their money. Further three concepts are offered for sale:

Membership / usage

To buy or sell on eBay a commodity, you have to be formal member. This secured by a password membership, a profile is created in the database of eBay, which provides not only the data necessary for shipment Access more features. Thus, the respective owner there, see the status of his auctions or let another member a message. This "My eBay" said region thus serves eBay as customer loyalty. With the entering into force on March 12, 2014 amendments to the General Terms and Conditions ( GTC) for the use of the German eBay eBay services has transformed the membership in a user relationship; held by members now thus saith the Terms wording of users.

Terms of Use

EBay auctions are in Germany, according to a ruling by the Federal No auctions in the legal sense, but sales contracts, which are quite effective in ending. The seller therefore has to supply, if the auction - for whatever reason - ends prematurely. The only exception: He is entitled for the loss or destruction of the goods or of errors after the start of the auction withdraw his offer again. Consequence of the classification of the eBay auction as a contract of sale is also that the exclusion of § 312 para 4, item 5 of the Civil Code does not apply, and thus a right of withdrawal is not excluded.

Among the sellers, it is important to distinguish if they offer commercial or private goods. Professional resellers have - unlike private individuals - the buyers give a Cancellation and return policy. In addition, they do not respond effectively to the warranty; this is for used goods at least 12 months and in case of new 24 months. Professional resellers have also since 2009 (Fifth regulation amending the Ordinance ) required to take back packaging or to participate in a take-back system ( dual system). An exact limit for commercial vendors is still difficult, and in cases of dispute the courts decide differently. However, point out features such as more than 40 sales in a few months, or Powerseller status on commercial activities, as well as intensive advertising.

For cases in which the courts decided on industrial action:

• Sale of 39 items in 5 months, LG Berlin, Az 103 U 149/ 01
• Sale of more than 40 books in 6 weeks, OLG Frankfurt am Main, Az U ( Kart) 18/ 04
• Sales of clothing as new in different sizes, LG Hannover, Az 18 O 115/ 05
• Sale of 42 mint or similar products in 4 weeks, OLG Zweibrücken, Az 4 U 210/ 06
• Sale of 10 new brand products, LG Frankfurt am Main, Az 2/03 O 192/ 07
• 154 reviews from buyers and advertising " Sell all that is no longer needed in the household ," AG Bad Kissingen, reference 21 C 185 /04
• Average 26 buyer reviews a month (over several months) BGH 2008, 702 / OLG Hamm, Az I-4 U 204/10
• On the other hand, a collection resolution of 680 items offered would not necessarily commercial, OLG Hamburg, Az 5 W 22/11

Rating system

An auction platform on the Internet has basically the problem is that buyers and sellers have no personal contact and both groups are so vast. A seller who delivers defective goods, would without scoring system chances are repeated to find bona fide purchaser; the same applies to a customer who does not approve or pay for the goods purchased.

To reduce this problem, online auction houses such as eBay have introduced a rating system that allows both sides of every purchase, to evaluate the process. For eBay can do so by buyers is labeled " positive", "neutral " or " negative" are submitted by sellers since 22 May 2008, only "positive". The assessment can be provided with an additional comment. The total score ( obtained positive ratings minus received negative reviews throughout the duration of membership), together with a percentage ( calculated by the sum of the resulting positive and negative reviews within the last twelve months out of the total number of positive reviews ) shown after the user name.

Since May 2007 a ​​more nuanced assessment of the criteria item seller communication, shipping time and shipping and packing fees as described is also possible: For each of these criteria, a maximum of five stars are awarded to. The average values ​​are shown in detail in the member profile and can be - unlike the classic rating - also by the rated member not directly assigned to the evaluator.

The reviews, comments and within a specified period, the underlying deals are available to everyone. eBay members can use the comments submitted about them and the auctions in which they were involved, but also hide.

The average rating for each seller has different effects on its offers. eBay reserves the right to require seller with many negative reviews about using the hotel's own payment service PayPal. Below-average valuations can also lead to the restriction of the allowed trading volume. Offers from sellers with an average of very positive reviews, however, are preferred in various ways; so their offerings are shown sometimes in front of the search results from the competition, further eBay provides so-called sellers and top rated discounts on the sales commission.

In case of dispute, or if such insults were made, the cancellation of the peer review comments on eBay may be requested. Furthermore, it is possible to comment on the statements made by the other side comment again. Reviews on eBay were the argument of reputational damage already cause of litigation.

Other services

In addition to the actual auction eBay provides services relating to the settlement of purchase,. Payment can be processed through the online payment system PayPal, which runs a subsidiary of eBay and is set to, for example, when sales to certain countries binding. For the delivery of the goods advertising links are maintained to different shipping companies on the internet pages. Alternative offers of potential competitors, such as Google Wallet or Bitcoin, are not admitted.

EBay Express was founded by eBay Shop. Unlike eBay itself there were no auctions, but it was only virgin of approved commercial vendors sold. All the goods were "Buy It Now " sold, so that bidding is attributable to an item. As a customer you had, as in other online shops also a virtual shopping cart. This could be filled with different items from different vendors and pay all at once. Furthermore, all bids were secured by an unlimited buyer protection offered by eBay subsidiary PayPal. In 2008, the "Express" service has been set, justified by eBay with a " feedback from our buyers and sellers ." Since October 2011, there is the immediate sale of electrical appliances and cell phones.

With each use of the eBay credit card (MasterCard) eBay Bonus points are accumulated (for a Euro four points, one point has a value of 0.5 cents). Once 2000 eBay bonus points are collected, the credit card holder will receive an automatic e -mail a 10- euro - PayPal voucher. Assuming a PayPal account, this coupon can be redeemed next purchase on eBay. Commerzbank AG is the editor of the eBay credit card and contractors for the credit card services. eBay is the contractual partner for the bonus point program.

End of February 2012 eBay announced the conversion of the payment system for Germany and Austria. So buyers should ( originally scheduled for launch late summer 2012) in the near future pay items directly to eBay, while sellers will receive a payout of eBay only after they have confirmed the shipment in the system. Different payment terms are provided depending on sales history. The processing of payment transactions via a belonging to eBay Group payment service provider, based in Luxembourg. With the introduction of a change in the eBay fee structure is provided, which is partly expressed in the increase of sales commission, while in return, are to be lost ancillary fees on payments (PayPal). eBay hopes that this change will increase buyer satisfaction through greater reliability of the seller with the shipping and the description of the item. Due to different interpretations of the law came in June 2012 to clashes with the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, as opposed to eBay PayPal does not have the appropriate license as a payment service. Then, the launch was postponed to 2013.

In July 2013, the test phase of the new sub- platform eBay Hire launched for the first time in the UK. About this platform to local services easy and convenient for end-users on the Internet are reached, the operation is very simple. In our form give consumers a what services they need, and a little later the customer will receive either an offer by e -mail or a phone call from the respective service providers.

Third-party Tools

Around Ebay supplier of specialized tools have set up to buy, sell and analysis of auctions. One of the first German programs to automatically manage offers and Bietvorgängen is the 2001 developed by Joachim Schlesmann Biet -o -Matic, now distributed as free open source software for Microsoft Windows. Schlesmann came several times with Ebay Germany in litigation, because the program is supposed to disturb the operation of the auction, especially when it automatically offer a few seconds before the end of an auction. In the United States and other countries such sniper programs (of English. Sniper = sniper ) from Ebay be tolerated.

Comprehensive statistics services for Ebay operations are another market; as can be, for example, the prices achieved for a particular product, depending on day and time of the auction ending determine. Also, the customer can find the product types and thus market niches, for which there is demand, but hardly offers.

Trivia

Time and again on eBay curious auction listings. The company itself takes a distanced position on such auctions and illegal auctions are usually deleted before the set duration of eBay. Great media interest find such auctions when they pick up a current affairs or receive particularly high bids. Became known, inter alia, in the spring of 2005, a VW Golf IV, formerly the future Pope Benedict XVI. had heard and was sold for almost 190,000 euros.

The first article that was ever sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer for $ 14.83. Astonished, Omidyar contacted the founder of the highest bidder, to ask him if he understood that the laser pointer was broken. In his email, the buyer explained that he was a collector of broken laser pointers.

The frequently repeated story that eBay was Omidyar founded to facilitate his fiancée trade Pez dispensers, was invented in 1997 by a public relations manager.

The British band Chumbawamba processed for the typical consumer and they critique of capitalism in the Single On Ebay (Album Un, 2004).

Criticism

An often- heard criticism is that eBay has continued to increase the fees and sales commissions for sellers since the foundation tends, thus exploiting its dominant monopoly. Currently (February 2014) is the sales commission in Germany at 10% of the sale price, a maximum of 199 euros.

Rating system

The rating system to inform about the reliability of an eBay user. Users point out that the publication of the review could create more transparency only after the counter Review. Since May 2007 a ​​more sophisticated Seller Rating is possible to meet this requirement in part (see main section " Rating System").

In June 2007, cases were known in which the negative assessments of eBay sellers put out after the seller had claimed her eBay Access had been spied on. In fact, the sellers were fraudsters who were able to damage bona fide customers, so that at the end of a loss of 130,000 € was born.

Sellers can not give more negative reviews since mid-2008 and complain that they are without the possibility of counter-appraisal delivered fraudulent buyers.

Principle

Again and again in the critique are the many principles for selling and setting of articles that are designed transparent by eBay for the customer. So it is up to date, for example, only allows you to set the iPhone from Apple if the eBay 's own payment service PayPal is offered as payment method. The same restriction applies also offers special Militaria - headings and in general all offers from sellers who do not meet the established quality criteria of eBay. eBay refers in this context to the security for the buyer.

Furthermore, noted the magazine Stern in 2006 that eBay is sluggish and not react or fraud messages to sellers, such as in plagiarism of sound recordings and the like.

Security and quality management

Again and again and safety deficiencies of the eBay software to light that are fixed partially hesitant.

Trade restrictions under U.S. law

When trading goods from Cuba is considered under U.S. law that eBay Germany - as well as eBay Austria eBay Switzerland and - as a subsidiary of a U.S. company "has the same trade restrictions subject as the parent company ." Inference from eBay: " Therefore, it is only those Cuban item on eBay may not be offered, which, informative 'or' licensed ' or which have come before the entry into force of the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba on July 8, 1963 on the market. " So it is for example not possible to offer Cuban cigars on eBay.

According to experts, this is contrary to handle, which is also used for the eBay subsidiary PayPal, however, contrary to Regulation ( EC) No 2271/96, the so-called EU Blocking Regulation. This prohibits European companies, including European subsidiaries of non-European parent companies explicitly, the U.S. sanctions regime against Cuba and several other countries to follow.

Restrictions for sellers

From October 2009 to February 2010 were sellers for their products in specific product categories (eg books) require no shipping costs. eBay justified this requirement so that shipping costs, many customers were holding by buying online. Moreover, there was in the past often cause for anger among customers, if traders tried to take additional money through unreasonably high shipping and handling costs. The new regime should provide for more " transparency and fairness ". This came on the part of the seller to criticism, because especially for private traders were eBay auctions in the affected categories less lucrative, if not more - at low-value goods - a loss. But many buyers feared higher costs, since now the previously common practice to reduce the shipping fees when buying multiple items from one seller was no longer possible. The private seller had only the choice of the products free of charge with 1 € initial price offer with the danger of getting stuck on a part of the shipping charges, or a higher starting price to choose to at least the shipping costs in advance to secure what is associated with higher listing fees.

The obligation to offer free shipping in certain categories, was replaced on February 8, 2010 by fixed shipping caps. These limits are based in Germany at the price of shipping companies such as DHL and German Post AG.

In order to largely prevent fraudulent offers, restrictions for sellers were introduced. This may mean, for example, that only a total value of up to 3000 euros a month can be set either a maximum of 75 items or. If there are several negative reviews or because of buyer complaints traders can also - be blocked - at least temporarily.

From autumn 2013, new guidelines for product photography apply to both online retailers as well as for private individuals. There must be at least one picture with a width of 500 pixels. Photos from the catalog or from the manufacturer may no longer be used as the main photos for used items (except books, movies, music, video games ). Generally images may no border, no graphics and no marketing text. Watermark logo are no longer allowed, but only as a discreet text for the identification and assignment of property.

In the media

Features and Documentaries

• Wars and have. eBay - or: How wild is the exchange of goods? Radio feature by Walter felt, Production: WDR / NDR / SWR 2004.