Background
eBay was founded in September 1995 by Pierre Omidyar in San Jose, California as AuctionWeb. The very first item ever sold on eBay was a broke laser pointer for $14.83. eBay is a global online marketplace where buyers and sellers transact goods and services worldwide. They have a global presence in 39 markets and approximately 276 million registered users worldwide, "eBay Inc. connects hundreds of millions of people around the workld every day, empowering them to explore new opportunities and innovate together. eBay does this by providing the Internet platforms of choice for global commerce, payments, and communications." (ebay.com) John Donahoe is the President and CEO of eBay Inc. He became President and CEO on March 31, 2008, succeeding Meg Whitman, who stepped down from the role after ten years, and who continues to serve on the company's Board of Directors. "John came to eBay in February 2005 as President of eBay Marketplaces, responsible for all elements of eBay's global ecommerce businesses." (ebay.com) Currently, eBay's stock price is $30.87 per share.
External Factors
Substitutes- There are several substitutes to buying on eBay. For example, instead of going through the hassle of buying online, a buyer could just go to a regular store to buy what they are wanting. Another substitute for eBay would be a traditional auction. Also, there is an increasing number of fixed price sales over other online auction sites. Search engines and price comparison websits are moving into online retailing and auctions which could be a potential threat. I would definetly consider sub ...