eBay Invests Billions in New Innovations to Benefit Buyers and Sellers

With eBay’s AI magic listing tool, sellers can snap a picture of an item and watch as the technology completes descriptions of the products.

The tech has evolved significantly from the early days of eBay when sellers had to upload photos of items for sale to a separate photo site.

“eBay has done a great job of making it easier to list than ever and get our products in front of more people than ever,” seller Michael Swope said, after describing eBay’s AI tools.

eBay has invested billions of dollars to improve its platform for buyers and sellers. This steady, on-going investment ensures buyers can feel confident in their transactions and that sellers have access to the cutting-edge technology big businesses have.

Bolstering Platform Integrity

eBay deploys a wide variety of tools to monitor listings for items that are potentially dangerous or in violation of its policies. Often, AI makes it possible for eBay to block a problematic listing before it even goes live.

In 2023, eBay proactively removed approximately 3.2 million potentially counterfeit and prohibited items and suspended more than 27,000 accounts for IP violations and for listing prohibited and restricted products.

eBay expanded its use of artificial intelligence in 2023 with the acquisition of 3PM Shield, a company that provides AI-based marketplace compliance solutions. The new tool helps eBay better identify suspicious sellers and dangerous items.

It is a top priority to help ensure that eBay remains a safe and trusted environment for our global community of sellers and buyers, particularly to prevent counterfeits and unsafe or illegal products.

Zhi Zhou, Chief Risk Officer at eBay

Supporting Buyers and Sellers 

New technology is making it easier — and more fun — than ever for buyers and sellers to use eBay. Advanced algorithms have improved search results, meaning buyers searching for specific trading cards or a vintage lamp can quickly find what they’re looking for. As a bonus, our AI tools mean listings are far more detailed than they once were, even as sellers spend the same amount of time developing them.

The magic listing tool, for example, goes beyond simply writing product descriptions. It also works with other eBay technology to recommend a listing price and shipping cost. The technology came out of an iterative testing process that considered sellers’ feedback. AI is also making it easier for eBay sellers to post their listings to social media by providing descriptions that can be quickly customized and shared.

These innovations benefit new sellers and established ones alike. eBay puts significant effort into making the selling process intuitive for first-timers so it doesn’t feel overwhelming or intimidating. Tools such as magic listing make it easier, helping Americans go from apprehensive sellers to small business owners.

And long-time small businesses on eBay benefit from having access to the same kind of technology big companies have. It’s part of eBay’s broader effort to bring the benefits of ecommerce to everyone, not just large retailers.

With eBay, the tools and processes are right there. I can’t think of an easier way to start a small business than with an eBay store

Anna Packer, Annaesthetic Miscellany