Ten Things Your Reader Won’t Know About eBay

1. Fact or detail: Was originally called AuctionWeb
Source information: http://ebay.about.com/od/ebaylifestyle/a/el_history.htm

2. Fact or detail: First item was a test, not a real auction – and it sold.
Source information: http://ebay.about.com/od/ebaylifestyle/a/el_history.htm

3. Fact or detail: Myth it was first created to sell Pez dispensers
Source information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EBay

4. Fact or detail: a state cannot require sellers located outside the state to collect a sales tax, making deals more attractive to buyers.
Source information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EBay

5. Fact or detail: More than 50% of all items listed on eBay do not sell!
Source information: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-55-Most-Precious-Letters-You-Will-Ever-Use-on-eBay&id=992639

6. Fact or detail: at this writing some of the most popular products include video gaming systems and videogame accessories.
Source information: http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Are-the-Top-Selling-Items-on-eBay?&id=1222650

7. Fact or detail: Current numbers of members (buyers and sellers)
· 212 million Worldwide (Q3-2006)
· 128 million in the USA
· 84 million in the other countries
Source information: http://www.thebidfloor.com/ebay_statistics.htm

8. Fact or detail: 19 million: Number of items on the site at any given time, more than 300 times the number of stock-keeping units in a typical Wal-Mart.
Source information: http://www.thebidfloor.com/ebay_statistics.htm

9. Fact or detail: eBay went public on September 24, 1998 at an IPO split adjusted price of $0.75.
Source information: http://investor.ebay.com/faq.cfm

10. Fact or detail: As of December 31, 2006 there were approximately 13,200 employees. Our future success is substantially dependent on the performance of our executive and senior management and key technical personnel, and our continuing ability to find and retain highly qualified technical and managerial personnel.
Source information: http://investor.ebay.com/faq.cfm