Ebay.ca is the Canadian
version of Ebay.com - an online auction site.
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eBay
Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) is an American Internet company that manages
eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and
businesses buy and sell goods and services worldwide.
In
addition to its original U.S. website, eBay has established localized
websites in thirty other countries. eBay Inc also owns
PayPal, Skype, and other businesses.
Millions of
collectibles, appliances, computers,
furniture, equipment, vehicles, and other
miscellaneous items are listed, bought, and sold daily. In 2005, eBay
launched its Business & Industrial category, breaking into the industrial
surplus business.
Some items are rare and valuable, while
many others are dusty gizmos that would have been discarded if not for the
thousands of eager bidders worldwide. Anything can be sold as long as it is
not illegal or does not violate the eBay Prohibited and Restricted Items
policy.
Services and intangibles can be sold, too.
Large international companies, such as IBM, sell their newest products and
offer services on eBay using competitive auctions and fixed-priced
storefronts. Regional searches of the database make shipping slightly faster
and cheaper. Separate eBay sites such as eBay US and eBay UK allow the users
to trade using the local currency as an additional option to PayPal.
Software developers can create applications that integrate with eBay through
the eBay API by joining the eBay Developers Program.
As of June 2005, there were over 15,000
members in the eBay Developers Program, comprising a broad range of
companies creating software applications to support eBay buyers and sellers
as well as eBay Affiliates.
Controversy has arisen over certain items put up for bid. For instance, in
late 1999 a man offered one of his kidneys for auction on eBay, attempting
to profit from the potentially lucrative (and, in the United States,
illegal) market for transplantable human organs. On other occasions, people
and even entire towns have been listed, often as a joke or to garner free
publicity.
In
general, the company removes auctions that violate its terms of service
agreement within a short time after hearing of the auction from an outsider;
the company's policy is to not pre-approve transactions. eBay is also an
easy place for unscrupulous sellers to market counterfeit merchandise, which
can be difficult for novice buyers to distinguish without careful studying
of the auction description.
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