Issue: 18
Sent: 14-11-2005 00:16:27
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The eBay Economy - Mark Edwards
eBay has become synonymous with online auctions and its reach is enormous. A company that can pay several billion for a free phone service like Skype obviously wields some financial muscle. A recent press release by the Australian operations of eBay allows us to put some figures against our speculation about the size of their activities and influence on the Australian ecommerce market.
According to research conducted by ACNielsen, eBay is a tool used by a surprising number of Australians.
- Approximately 70,000 Australians use eBay to sell items they no longer want from around their home
- 17,500 Australians bargain hunt in their spare time to buy items especially to re-sell on eBay at a profit
- More than 17,000 Australians sell on eBay to supplement their income.
Additionally, the research finds that eBay is a significant source of income for people who have difficulty accessing the normal employment market.
- More than 32,400 regional Australians generate a part-time income selling on eBay.com.au
- Nearly 12,500 stay-at-home mums and dads sell on eBay to supplement their family income
- Almost 7,000 single parents sell on eBay to supplement their income
- Almost 5,500 retirees sell on eBay to make extra cash.
For Australian businesses and individuals, eBay has been the catalyst for improving sales and profitability.
- More than 6,000 Australians run a business and use eBay as a secondary sales channel
- Almost 7,000 eBay sellers in Australia have considered quitting their day jobs to sell full-time
To me, the most fascinating statistic from the report is the following:
- Almost 2,500 Australians use eBay as their primary source of income
Another company matching this statistic alone, with around 2500 employees, is GWA International Limited. This is an Australian company with a market capitalisation approaching $1 billion. It is also one of the top 200 companies in Australia.
In other words, if the activities of people using eBay in Australia were part of one organisation, that company would be easily amongst the largest in the country.Share this article
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