eBay 1999 Annual Report Download - page 14

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What Can Be Purchased or Sold on eBay. The eBay service has grown from offering 10 product categories
when it was first introduced in September 1995 to offering more than 3,000 categories as of December 31, 1999.
As the number of product categories has grown, the Company periodically organizes the categories under
different headings to reflect the major types of items currently listed. As of February 2000, these product
categories were organized under the following headings:
Automobiles Great Collections (Premium items)
Antiques & Art Jewelry, Gemstones
Books, Movies, Music Photo & Electronics
Coins & Stamps Pottery & Glass
Collectibles Sports
Computers Toys & Beanie Babies
Dolls, Dollhouses Everything Else
Each category has numerous subcategories. As of December 31, 1999, eBay offered a selection of over
3 million items, with the most popular items sold on eBay being those that are relatively standardized, well-
represented with a photo (and therefore can be evaluated to some degree without a physical inspection), small
and easily shippable, and relatively inexpensive. As the eBay community grows and additional items are listed,
the Company will continue to organize items for sale under additional categories to respond to the needs of the
eBay community.
Community Services. Beyond providing a convenient means of trading, eBay has devoted substantial
resources to building an online trading community, which the Company believes is one of the strongest on the
Web. Key components of the Company’s community philosophy are maintaining an honest and open marketplace
and treating individual users with respect. The Company offers a variety of community and support features that
are designed to solidify the growth of the eBay community and to build eBay user affinity and loyalty. eBay
facilitates communication between buyers and sellers by offering:
●category-specific chat rooms;
●the eBay Cafe´, a chat room for the entire eBay community;
●a bulletin board devoted to user feedback on new features;
●an announcements section that covers new features on eBay or other eBay news;
●customer support boards; and
●‘‘items wanted’’ listings where users can post notices seeking specific items.
eBay also offers My eBay, which permits users to receive a report of their recent activity on eBay, including
bidding activity, selling activity, account balances, favorite categories and recent feedback. Users with their own
Web pages also can post link buttons from the user’s page to eBay and to a list of items the user is selling on
eBay. The Company recently introduced About Me, which offers users the opportunity to create their own
personal home page free of charge on eBay using step-by-step instructions provided by the Company. The About
Me home page can include personal information, items listed for sale, eBay feedback ratings, images and links
to other favorite sites.
In addition, in June 1998, the Company donated 321,750 shares of Common Stock to the Community
Foundation Silicon Valley, a tax-exempt donor-advised public charity, and established a fund known as the ‘‘eBay
Foundation.’’ Through the Community Foundation Silicon Valley, the eBay Foundation sponsors programs
including a recent program in which teachers travel abroad and share their experiences with their students. The
Company solicits user suggestions for worthwhile charities through the eBay website.
Customer Support. The Company devotes significant resources to providing personalized, timely customer
service and support. eBay offers customer support on a seven-day-a-week basis. Most customer support inquiries
are handled via email, with customer email inquiries typically being answered within 24 hours after submission.
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