eBay doubles down on live shopping after record quarter
eBay reported strong growth in its live shopping business, with gross merchandise volume rising about eight-fold year over year, and plans to expand the feature internationally.
eBay is making a bigger push into live shopping after seeing record results in its latest quarter. During its second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, the company said that eBay Live’s gross merchandise volume (GMV) jumped about 8 times year-over-year across seven markets. Viewers, watch time, and items sold also increased. The online marketplace plans to roll out eBay Live in more international markets in the coming weeks and months.
CEO Jamie Iannone told investors that the results reinforce the company’s confidence that Live can deepen engagement, broaden discovery, and increase velocity across the marketplace. However, eBay did not disclose the exact GMV figure, making it difficult to assess the true scale of growth.
According to eBay, over 90% of sellers who stream regularly have seen their GMV grow, and sellers who use Live sell roughly three times more than those who don’t. First-time shoppers in the collectibles category spend about 70% more than their non-Live counterparts. eBay Live launched as an invite-only feature in the U.S. in 2022 and expanded internationally with a UK beta in 2024. Since then, it has become available in Germany, Australia, France, Italy, and Canada. Last month, eBay moved away from the invite-only model, offering self-service onboarding for eligible sellers in over 300 categories, including electronics, fashion, and collectibles.
The company also highlighted recent product improvements, such as discovery tools on its homepage and mobile app, which make it easier to find live events. Iannone said eBay simplified event creation, inventory preparation, and live item management for sellers, while also improving bidding responsiveness for smoother and faster livestreams.
This growth comes as live shopping in the U.S. evolves from a niche trend into a more serious channel. Resale platform StockX recently introduced live shopping capabilities, while Whatnot continues to grow with a valuation of more than $11 billion. TikTok Shop is reportedly testing a paid membership offering free shipping and exclusive discounts.
