This is an old revision of this page, as edited by K.lee (talk | contribs) at 03:41, 22 February 2003 (controversy; I haven't really done justice, someone else should add). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 03:41, 22 February 2003 by K.lee (talk | contribs) (controversy; I haven't really done justice, someone else should add)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)eBay is a highly successful online auction website, at which people from all around the world buy and sell goods.
All manner of items are offered, many of which may have been discarded if it were not for a worldwide market which sees unusual items as collectible. Increasingly, international companies sell new goods at eBay; for example IBM sells some of its new computers this way.
eBay makes its money from fees charged to the seller, and from advertising. It does not handle the goods or cash paid for them at any time. Instead it relies upon the seller's good faith in posting the goods to the buyer, and upon the buyer's good conduct in paying the seller properly. In order to encourage good behaviour eBay displays feedback ratings from buyers and sellers about each other.
Because such a huge variety of items are being offered at any one time it is possible to view on eBay many common collectibles. For example, suppose one wished to view silver pennies or a silver denarius. An eBay search in either case, for "silver penny" or "silver denarius", will generate a list of a number of auctions for such items at any one time. Of course, if one is "just looking" one must maintain strong discipline, or one may suddenly own a small useless silver disk.
There has been some controversy over eBay's business practices, ranging from its privacy policy (eBay will turn over all the information it possesses about a userto any law enforcement official on demand, even without a subpoena) to the prevalence of fraud in its online auctions.
External Links
Further Reading
- The Perfect Store: Inside eBay, Adam Cohen, Little, Brown & Company, 2002, Hardcover, 336 pages, ISBN 0316150487.