eBay
A global marketplace founded in 1995 that mixes auction and fixed-price listings.
Aliases: 易贝, eBay 拍卖, eBay Seller Hub
What eBay is
eBay was founded in 1995 and connects buyers and sellers in roughly 190 markets. The catalogue mixes auction and fixed-price formats across auto parts, electronics, collectibles, fashion, home and industrial surplus. It differs from retail-led marketplaces in one structural way: the seller is normally the merchant of record, sets the price, owns the returns policy and keeps the customer relationship, while eBay supplies the venue, payments and dispute process.
How selling is organised
Seller Hub carries listings, orders, promotions and performance reporting. Business policies set payment, shipping and returns terms once and apply them across listings, which is what makes a large catalogue manageable. Where eBay acts as the payments entity, settlement, refunds and disputes run through the platform rather than a separate processor.
Seller standards group accounts by transaction defect rate, late shipment rate, cases closed without seller resolution and tracking upload. Above Standard and Top Rated status affect search visibility, fee discounts and selling limits, so the metric set is a commercial lever rather than a compliance footnote.
Enforcement and rights
The VeRO programme lets rights holders report listings directly. A report removes the listing and records a strike against the account; repeat reports restrict selling. Because reporting is available to any verified rights owner, brand authorisation and invoice records are the practical defence.
Prohibited and restricted items are enforced by category policy, and product safety rules follow the destination market, including GPSR duties for EU sales.
Tax and disclosure
US sales tax is collected under state marketplace facilitator laws. EU consignments at or below 150 euros run through IOSS. High-volume US sellers fall under INFORM Consumers Act verification, which requires entity, contact and bank data to be confirmed and refreshed. Cross-border sellers holding stock in the UK or EU need local VAT registration regardless of where the business is registered.