A Global Analysis of eBay

An in-depth analysis of eBay's globalization strategy and Web site

Is eBay going global quickly enough?

Founded just 10 years ago, eBay is now a $3 billion company, and growing, serving more than 130 million registered users in 32 countries. However, eBay’s growth is slowing in the US, putting pressure on non-US Web sites to accelerate their growth. While we believe that eBay is wisely betting on global markets, specifically China, eBay should be expanding into more markets more quickly.

This report provides a uniquely global analysis of eBay’s current business strategy, Web site, and its plans for continued growth. In addition, the report draws lessons from eBay that may benefit other companies looking to expand into global markets.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Executive Summary
• Key Facts
• A Brief History of eBay
• eBay by the Numbers
• eBay International: Where the Action Is
• eBay Europe: Is the UK the “The Next Germany”?
• eBay Asia: The Future Is China (Not Japan?)
• Kijiji: eBay Quietly Returns to Japan
• PayPal: eBay’s Secret Weapon
• Web Site Analysis: Room for Improvement
• Business Analysis: Not Growing Fast Enough
• Looking Ahead: Three Predictions
• Five Lessons for Companies Going Global

About Profiles in Globalization

Profiles in Globalization represent an outgrowth of Byte Level's custom consulting practice. For years we have helped companies develop their globalization strategies and better understand the strategies of their competition. Companies profiles we expect to publish in the months ahead include:

• Yahoo!
• Google
• Toyota
• Starbucks
• eBay

If you have a company to add, or would like us to produce a custom analysis, please contact us.