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eBay Inc. Reveals the 10 U.S. Markets Selling the Most on eBay

Fort Lauderdale, Dallas and Orange County Among Markets for Sellers, as 42 Percent of U.S. Shoppers Turn to Sites Like eBay During Tight Times

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 08, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is known for more than just its hot
beaches: It's also one of the hottest locations for Americans selling
goods on eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY). The fun-in-the-sun vacation destination
is a top-10 selling market(1) for the online retailer, with residents
there generating over $630 million in gross merchandise volume (GMV)
or sales last year, according to a study of eBay marketplace activity
across the United States.

Busy eBay sellers in Los Angeles; New York; Chicago; Philadelphia;
Dallas; Orange County, California; Washington, D.C.; Houston;
Nassau-Suffolk, New York; and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, helped their
markets become the top-10 eBay selling markets in the country, with
Los Angeles leading the charge. In total, sellers in these 10 markets
generated over $7 billion in GMV in 2007, accounting for 55 percent of
all sales by U.S.-based eBay sellers.

"eBay is great for the economy because it gives sellers a platform
for pursuing entrepreneurialism on a global scale, with nearly 1.2
million individuals selling on eBay in the top 10 markets alone last
year," says Marsha Collier, eBay selling expert and author of the book
"eBay for Dummies." "Additionally, a recent eBay/Nielsen survey(2)
discovered that the average U.S. household has 52 unused items around
the house originally worth $3,100, meaning almost everyone can find
existing unused items they can sell to generate additional income.
When the going gets tough, the tough sell on eBay!"

According to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf
of eBay(3), Americans are cutting back on spending in general, most
notably in these categories: apparel (52 percent); consumer
electronics and appliances (46 percent); automobiles and automotive
care (45 percent); and furniture and home decor (38 percent), all of
which map back to the best-selling categories for entrepreneurs in
eBay's top-10 selling markets. These results speak to the profound
impact eBay sellers can have on Americans' wallets during these
challenging economic times. In fact 42 percent of U.S. adults are
currently turning to sites like eBay to save money on purchases.

"Our research has shown that the local business climate is one key
factor in fostering entrepreneurs," says Todd Stottlemyer, president
and CEO of the National Federation of Independent Business, America's
leading small-business association. "eBay clearly offers everyone
additional opportunities to start, grow and maintain a business,
whether they're looking to market globally or simply to earn
additional income in the current economic climate."

Here is a snapshot of the top-10 eBay selling markets last year by
rank:

1. Los Angeles-Long Beach, California - 196,089 Los Angeles
residents sold 24,051,645 items for a total of $1,396,037,518.
Best-selling categories for Los Angeles sellers were cell phones and
their accessories as well as clothing and accessories. Los Angeles
sellers were also the most charitable eBay sellers last year, donating
the most of any city via eBay Giving Works, eBay's program that helps
people buy and sell for a cause, turning e-commerce into a force for
good.

2. New York - 158,859 New York City residents sold 12,621,651
items for a total of $1,045,503,913. Best-selling categories for New
York sellers were jewelry, gems, watches and clothing and accessories.

3. Chicago - 172,972 Chicago residents sold 10,229,844 items for a
total of $908,708,440. Best-selling categories for Chicago sellers
included toys and sports memorabilia.

4. Philadelphia - 120,900 Philadelphia residents sold 7,069,212
items for a total of $584,383,915. Best-selling categories for
Philadelphia sellers included collectibles and toys.

5. Dallas - 85,484 Dallas residents sold 5,003,292 items for a
total of $754,493,210. Best-selling categories for Dallas sellers
included jewelry, gems and watches, and clothing and accessories.
Dallas sellers also made more money on sales of cars and trucks than
did sellers in any other top-10 U.S. seller market.

6. Orange County, California - 75,486 Orange County residents sold
6,945,490 items for a total of $636,654,084. Best-selling categories
for Orange County sellers were auto parts and cell phones and
accessories.

7. Washington, D.C. - 112,462 D.C. residents sold 5,024,888 items
for a total of $393,720,726. Best-selling categories for D.C. sellers
included books and toys.

8. Houston - 76,450 Houston residents sold 4,297,389 items for a
total of $528,872,858. Best-selling categories for Houston sellers
included health and beauty and collectibles.

9. Nassau-Suffolk, New York - 70,714 Nassau-Suffolk residents sold
5,396,880 for a total of $400,253,200. Sports memorabilia and health
and beauty were best-selling categories here.

10. Fort Lauderdale, Florida - 39,623 Fort Lauderdale residents
sold 2,838,954 items for a total of $631,845,063. Best-selling
categories for Fort Lauderdale sellers included home furnishings and
auto parts.

The eBay survey by Harris Interactive also found that one in 10
U.S. adults (11 percent) is currently selling personal or household
items to generate extra cash, with the majority (59 percent) doing so
via online sales or auction sites like eBay. Additionally, 30 percent
of all adults say they are likely(4) to sell their personal or
household items over the next three months to earn extra cash.

Detailed information about sales in each of the top 10 markets is
available on request(5).

About eBay

Founded in 1995, eBay Inc. connects hundreds of millions of people
around the world every day, empowering them to explore new
opportunities and innovate together. eBay Inc. does this by providing
the Internet platforms of choice for global commerce, payments and
communications. Since its inception, eBay Inc. has expanded to include
some of the strongest brands in the world, including eBay, PayPal,
Skype, StubHub, Shopping.com, and others. eBay Inc. is headquartered
in San Jose, California.

(1) The term "market," as used throughout this release, refers to
Primary Metropolitan Statistical Areas as defined by the U.S. Census
Bureau.

(2) The survey was conducted online by Nielsen Customized Research
for eBay and included the following: a nationally representative
survey among online population in the U.S. of 1,000 randomly selected
household decision makers; a nationally representative survey among
1,000 randomly selected eBay members. The respondents were surveyed
between March 7 and March 20, 2007. The survey has a margin of error
of plus or minus 3 percent at 95 percent confidence level.

(3) The Current Economic Climate survey was conducted online
within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of eBay
between April 7 and April 9, 2008, among 2,363 U.S. adults ages 18
plus, of whom 215 are currently selling personal or household items to
earn extra income as a result of the current economic climate. This
online survey is not based on a probability sample, and therefore no
estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For
complete methodology, including weighting variables, please contact
Dariana Lau or Aziza Johnson.

(4) The percentage cited refers to a net of the percentage of
respondents who selected "somewhat likely," "likely" and "very
likely."

(5) To identify the top-10 eBay selling markets in the United
States, the survey examined eBay seller transactions between the
period of January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2007. The top 10 markets
were then determined using a weighted measure that took into account
the number of sellers, quantity of items sold and amount of sales
generated within each market.

SOURCE: eBay Inc.

eBay Inc.
Dariana Lau, 650/380-0502
dalau@ebay.com
or
Kaplow
Aziza Johnson, 212/221-1713
ajohnson@kaplowpr.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008


 
 

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