eBay was founded in California on September 3, 1995, by Pierre Omidyar as a hobby to make extra money. One of the first items sold was a broken laser pointer.

Ebay was founded on January 1, 1996 by Pierre Omidyar and Jeff Skoll. The platform was created to provide a marketplace for people to auction goods and services.

In the second quarter of 1997, eBay achieved a milestone by selling its one millionth item, a Bird Bird Jack-in-the-Box.

During May 1997, the Beanie Babies craze continued to captivate the world. Ty Warner's line of stuffed animals gained immense popularity, with significant sales on eBay, making up a substantial portion of the platform's total volume.

In September 1997, AuctionWeb changed its name to eBay after Echo Bay Technology Group. The company received venture capital funding from Benchmark.

In February 1998, AuctionWeb is officially renamed eBay.

In March 1998, Meg Whitman was appointed president and CEO of eBay when the company had 30 employees, 500,000 users, and revenues of $4.7 million in the United States.

In September 1998, eBay had a successful Initial Public Offering (IPO) and listed shares on NASDAQ under the symbol EBAY. The shares were expected to trade for $18 but exceeded expectations by reaching $53.50 in just one day.

In December 1998, eBay established the eBay Foundation.

In June 1999, eBay experienced a site outage, prompting CEO Meg Whitman to rally engineers to fix the problem. The issue was resolved in less than 20 hours, showcasing the company's resilience and dedication to customer service.

In April 2000, eBay launched eBay Motors, an online automotive marketplace. The platform later achieved a milestone by selling its 2 millionth passenger vehicle in 2006.

In June 2000, eBay purchased Half.com for $312 million in stock.

In November 2000, eBay introduced the 'Buy it Now' option, allowing buyers to instantly purchase items, catering to their desire for immediate gratification. This feature was well-received by buyers, although some sellers preferred traditional auctions.

In June 2001, the oldest known pair of Levi’s was auctioned on eBay, selling for over $46,000 to Levi Strauss & Co., marking a significant moment in fashion history.

The first eBay Live! Conference took place in Anaheim, California, gathering sellers, buyers, journalists, developers, and eBay enthusiasts for educational sessions and networking opportunities.

eBay acquired PayPal in July, a significant move that impacted the online payment industry and solidified eBay's position as a major player in e-commerce.

eBay unveils Auction for America in September, allowing over 100,000 users to raise $10 million for the victims of September 11 and their families. The Giving Works program has supported over 30,000 charities.

In 2003, eBay acquired the popular online payment system PayPal, expanding its services and capabilities.

eBay launches the Dream Big, Save Big campaign to support small business buying on the platform.

An event where eBay emphasizes the collective power and impact of its community.

eBay's acquisition of Skype improved communication within the eBay ecosystem.

In February 2006, a Gigayacht became the most expensive item ever sold on eBay, highlighting the platform's ability to facilitate high-value transactions.

In April 2006, eBay launched eBay Express, a site with fixed prices and no bidding involved, featuring 10 million items listed upon its launch.

In January 2007, the eBay Green Team is established with 40 San Jose employees, leading to the growth of environmentally conscious initiatives and projects within the company.

On July 14, 2008, a Federal District Court judge ruled that eBay is not legally obligated to monitor users selling counterfeit items.

In 2009, eBay was recognized for its dedication to a discrimination-free workplace by receiving a perfect 100% rating from the Human Rights Campaign. This achievement has been maintained by the company every year since then.

In April 2009, eBay agreed to acquire a controlling stake in G-Market, a South Korean online retailer, for $413 million.

In May 2009, eBay launched the Selling Manager Applications program (SM Apps) allowing developers to integrate their applications into eBay.com.

In November 2009, eBay sold a 70% stake in Skype to a consortium, retaining a 30% minority ownership interest, before Microsoft acquired the entire company in May 2011.

In January 2010, Auctionbytes.com conducted a survey where sellers could rate eBay and other auction sites based on criteria like profitability, customer service, and ease of use. eBay was ranked 13th overall and rated poorly in customer service and communication.

In July 2010, eBay launched its platform on the iPad, allowing users to access the popular online marketplace through their tablets.

In September 2010, Delaware Judge William B. Chandler III ruled that Craigslist founders breached their fiduciary duty of loyalty towards eBay, restoring eBay's stake in the company.

In June 2011, eBay acquired GSI Commerce for $2.4 billion, later renaming it eBay Enterprise.

In May 2012, RentPath acquired Rent.com from eBay for approximately $415 million.

The company expands its mobile capabilities by acquiring Zong, a prominent mobile carrier billing-based payments platform.

In October 2012, eBay launched an international shipping partnership with Pitney Bowes, allowing sellers to send items to a Pitney Bowes facility for international shipping to buyers.

In November 2012, eBay was accused by the United States Department of Justice in the High-Tech Employee Antitrust Litigation for entering into non-solicitation agreements with other technology companies.

On May 21, 2014, eBay disclosed a security breach compromising user data like usernames and addresses. The Syrian Electronic Army claimed responsibility for the attack, leading to password resets for users.

On September 30, 2014, eBay announced the spinoff of PayPal into a separate publicly traded company, fulfilling a demand made by activist hedge fund magnate Carl Icahn.

In January 2015, eBay acquired Vivanuncios, a classified advertising website in Mexico.

In June 2015, eBay sold its stake in Craigslist, ending the litigation between the two companies.

In July 2015, eBay completed the spin-off of PayPal, making it a separate entity. This strategic decision allowed eBay to concentrate on its core business while enabling PayPal to pursue its own innovative strategies.

In September 2015, eBay celebrated its 20th anniversary. It marked two decades since the founding of the popular online marketplace.

In November 2015, eBay Inc. finalized the sale of eBay Enterprise to a group of businesses for $925 million. This transaction marked a significant event in eBay's corporate history.

A devastating fire occurred at the Ghost Ship Warehouse in Oakland, California, resulting in a tragic loss of lives. The incident led to a fundraising collaboration between eBay and Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry to support the Oakland Fire Relief Fund.

In February 2017, eBay acquired Giosis, a significant move that impacted the e-commerce industry. This acquisition likely aimed to strengthen eBay's market presence and offerings.

eBay launched a new homepage in March 2017, utilizing structured data to provide personalized shopping experiences. The redesigned homepage aims to help customers easily discover items that match their style and interests, enhancing their shopping journey.

In July 2017, eBay acquired a stake in Flipkart and launched a program for sellers to sell globally in partnership with Flipkart.

In August 2017, eBay shut down Half.com.

eBay launched the Authenticate program to ensure the authenticity of luxury bags sold on the platform, with plans to expand to other luxury categories.

On January 31, 2018, eBay announced the replacement of PayPal with Adyen as its primary payments provider.

On July 31, 2019, eBay acquired a 5.59% stake in Paytm Mall.

On April 13, 2020, it was announced that Jamie Iannone would become the CEO of eBay on April 27.

The custom date range on the Orders page was defaulting to 5/17/2021 - 6/18/2021, which was unusual. Users had to manually set their own custom date range for accurate results.

The 'send refund' option disappears from the actions drop-down on orders placed on or after December 1, 2021. This option remains available for one year from the order date.

eBay has rolled out a new feature where users can now access up to 2 years of order history on the Orders page. Some users have already started seeing this change, while others are still waiting for the update to be enabled.

Users are expressing excitement and satisfaction with eBay's decision to provide a longer history on the Orders page. This change is seen as a major improvement and a positive step towards meeting customer needs.

eBay has now implemented the feature to select a custom date range for displaying order history on the seller hub orders page, allowing access to data for the past 2 years. This update was highly anticipated and appreciated by users.

As technology advances and competition in the e-commerce industry grows, eBay faces the challenge of staying relevant by adapting to changing consumer needs. Innovation and flexibility are crucial for eBay to maintain its position in the digital landscape.

Discover strategies to enhance your listings on eBay and expand your earning potential globally by leveraging the platform's reach.

Stay informed about the 1099-K update and guidelines for selling personal property on eBay to ensure compliance with tax regulations.

eBay's consignment services now encompass a wider range of luxury handbag brands, offering sellers more opportunities for consignment.

Discover various ways to actively participate and engage with the eBay seller community to build connections and grow your network.

Stay updated on the latest features and enhancements introduced in the eBay Mobile App for a seamless selling experience.

Enhance your eBay selling experience with effective product research tools available on the eBay Mobile App.

Prepare your eBay Store for the spring season with a comprehensive cleaning checklist provided by eBay.

Printify introduces Print On Demand service for easy inventory management, catering to the needs of online sellers.

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