Why is it Called ebay?

ebay, a public company (EBAY) is an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide. The company was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and is currently CEO’d by John Donahoe in San Jose, California. ebay also owns event ticketing site StubHub and online money transferring site PayPal.

Why is ebay called ebay?

Their original name was called AuctionWeb, however this name only lasted until 1997. eBay was under the umbrella of Echo Bay Technology Group, Omidyar’s consulting firm. Omidyar tried to register the name echobay.com, however the domain was already registered by Echo Bay Mines, a gold mining company. Even at the time, it probably would not have been a cheap domain transfer. Many customers already called it eBay.com so he decided to go with the condensed version.

SEE ALSO: Why is it Called Google?

There are over one million listings on the ebay marketplace at any point in time. eBay hosts plenty of everyday items, but their brand personality was really forged through the odd and talked-about listings such as a used piece of gum or one dollar bill (which was actually auctioned off for more than one dollar). What’s the most expensive thing sold on ebay to date? in 2001, a Gulf Stream Jet 11 sold for 4.1 million dollars. Amazingly enough, that’s not even the most expensive thing ever sold on eBay. In 2005, a “Giga-Yacht” sold for, wait for it… $140 million dollars.  The yacht has 10 multi-level suites, eight guest cabins, a salon, a cinema room, a workout room, an office, and of course, a helicopter garage. Now that you know why its called ebay, want to learn how ebay keeps their doors open and pays over 15,000 employees? Check out Seer Interactive’s page on “how tech companies make money.”

Have you ever noticed that ebay and Google have the same colors in their logos? What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen listed on eBay? #whyisitcalledEbay