eBay Expands Live Shopping Amid Record Quarter

eBay is making a bigger push into live shopping after seeing record results. The online marketplace's live shopping platform, eBay Live, has seen a gross merchandise volume (GMV) jump about 8 times year-over-year across seven markets.

Strong Results for eBay Live

During its second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, eBay noted that eBay Live's GMV jumped about 8 times year-over-year across seven markets. This growth was accompanied by increases in viewers, watch time, and items sold. eBay plans to expand eBay Live to more international markets in the coming weeks and months.

“These results reinforce our confidence that Live can deepen engagement, broaden discovery, and increase velocity across the broader eBay marketplace,” CEO Jamie Iannone told investors.

Key Growth Areas

eBay sees live shopping as a key growth area, with promising feedback from sellers and buyers. Over 90% of sellers who stream regularly have seen their GMV grow, and those who use Live sell about three times more than those who don’t. Buyers are also spending more, with first-time shoppers in the collectibles category dropping around 70% more than their non-Live shopping counterparts.

• eBay first launched Live as invite-only in the U.S. in 2022.
• The company expanded internationally, starting with a beta in the UK in 2024, and has since rolled it out in countries like Germany, Australia, France, Italy, and Canada.
• eBay has moved past its invite-only model and now offers self-service onboarding for eligible sellers in over 300 categories.
• The company has also improved discovery features across its homepage and mobile app to make live events easier to find.
• eBay has simplified event creation, inventory preparation, and live item management for sellers, while improving “bidding responsiveness” to create smoother, faster livestreams.

Live Shopping Trends

The growth comes as live shopping in the U.S. moves beyond a niche trend, with more companies beginning to treat it more seriously rather than a side experiment. Resale giant StockX recently introduced live shopping capabilities, and Whatnot continues to find success, with a valuation of more than $11 billion. Additionally, TikTok Shop is reportedly testing a paid membership that offers free shipping and exclusive discounts.

• This trend is likely to continue, with more companies investing in live shopping to reach customers and drive sales.