eBay started in Australia 18 years ago and to celebrate its coming-of-age it has released some fascinating research and launched three new innovations to deliver an even better shopping experience.
eBay will be continuing the celebrations with shoppers receiving significant discounts from 6pm today (Thursday September 21) with its biggest ever site-wide sale.
Major stores on eBay will be offering 18 per cent off all their items.
Founded in 1999, eBay Australia now has more than 40,000 small businesses on the platform and more than 11 million unique Australian visitors per month.
The new features include Image Search, Guaranteed Delivery and new APIs for affiliates and partners to increase their reach with the platform.
Over the past 18 years, we’ve spent more than two billion hours on ebay.com.au – that’s a cumulative total of more than 228,000 years’ worth of browsing.
eBay has also evolved to match the rise of the smart phone and 70 per cent now visit the site on their mobiles.
Australians would also be surprised to know that 90 per cent of products sold on eBay are brand-new while 80 of Australia’s top 100 online retailers are eBay businesses.
“Every week we connect millions of Australians to local businesses and global customers, creating opportunity through connected commerce,” eBay Australia managing director Tim MacKinnon said.
“The power of the marketplace is indisputable, offering unrivalled range and convenience.
“eBay landing on Australian shores almost two decades ago meant we were no longer bound by geography.
“We could trust someone at the other side of the country or the world to send us a package we had paid for. This was a huge leap at the time, but something we now take for granted.”
EBay will roll out new technology before the end of the year including Image Search which will allow customers to take a photo or use an existing photo of an item they’d like to purchase.
And with the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning, eBay will then return results that match or are visually similar to the item you’re looking for instead of spending hours scouring the web.
EBay has also announced Guaranteed Delivery to allow faster shipping times and more precise delivery dates.
This will launch in early 2018 with eBay sellers able to offer a guaranteed delivery time of four days or less on millions of items.
Delivery speed will be another filter item shoppers will be able to use in their searches.
Businesses operating on eBay’s platform will be able to use new APIs so listings can appear on affiliate sites, social media and other websites and apps to attract more buyers.
18 Things about eBay.com.au
- The first item sold on eBay.com.au was a Harman Kardon amplifier
- There are 2923 Australian businesses that have made more than $1 million in sales on ebay.com.au
- Australian coins have been the most popular collectable item over the past 18 years
- In 2006, someone tried to sell New Zealand for 1 cent
- One of the most expensive items ever sold on eBay.com.au was a successful Fish and Chip store based in Gladstone which sold for $110,000
- Over the past 18 years, 2 billion hours have been spent on ebay.com.au, which would equate to 228,000 years for one Aussie shopper
- In 2014, the last Ford GTF to roll off the production line was sold for $394,000 to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation
- Nearly 90 per cent of Australian SMBs on eBay export globally (compared to 5 per cent of all Australian registered businesses)
- In 2012, The Wiggles sold their Big Red Car on eBay.com.au for $35,700 raising money for SIDS for kids
- A few years ago, a Perth man sold his whole life (worldly possessions) including his car, his motorbike and his house
- In 2016, bidders fought it out for the Kings Cross Coca-Cola sign. The lowercase ‘C’ in the word ‘Coca,’ sold for $18,700. The total money donated to Wayside Chapel by Coke and eBay was $100,700
- The good folks of Toowoomba have consistently been some of the most active eBay users in Australia over the past 18 years.
- One lucky fella was paid $17,000 for a patch of dirt from which Jon Aloissi kicked the world cup qualifying goal
- In 2010, Powderfinger gave a mid-air performance after their sunset farewell tour sold out immediately raising over $100,000 for charity
- NSW is the most patriotic state, with 30 per cent of buyers in the state purchasing local Australian products, followed by Victoria (25 per cent) and Queensland (21 per cent)
- In 2016, Click and Collect grew dramatically with 800,000 sellers offering more than 4 million items
- Victoria and ACT are the biggest night owls staying up even later to shop than the rest of the nation and doing the majority of their shopping between 8pm – 10pm
- Between midnight and 1am, ‘Magic: The Gathering’ cards are the highest selling item.
