According to eBay, this holiday shopping season brought an influx of mobile shoppers to the online auction site. A company release said that nearly 6 million people are carrying eBay around in their pocket via eBay iPhone app and other eBay mobile applications, accounting for 750,000 unique visits a day to eBay.
This year mobile sales tripled compared to last year’s holiday volume. Mobile sales on eBay were worth more than a half a billion dollars, which equates to 5 million item transactions. EBay said that mobile purchases this holiday season ranged from designer handbags to a $75,000 1966 Chevrolet Corvette. Other big ticket mobile sales in 2009 included $19,108 for a 23-foot deck boat and $10,025 for 250 grams of pure gold bullion.
EBay also said that more than 20 million items were purchased by eBay shoppers from sellers in outside the U.S. and shoppers in more than 200 countries bought items on eBay this holiday season.
While Black Friday and Cyber Monday get all the hype, according to eBay, their biggest shopping day of the year—with more than 2.3M transactions in the U.S.—was Sunday, December 13th.
EBay Holiday Gift Trends
According to eBay’s holiday sales data, more than a million Zhu Zhu pets—those cute little interactive toy pet hamsters — and their accessories were sold on eBay this holiday season. In just the first two weeks of December there were more than 5 million Zhu Zhu Pet and related-item searches on eBay.
Other eBay holiday trends showed that Disney DVDs were the hottest movies with The Lion King, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and the new UP movie leading DVD sales. The Nintendo Wii was the most popular game console this holiday season with the Xbox 360 following a close second. EBay also says that the most expensive item to find a new home this holiday was a $495,000 1965 Shelby Cobra; followed by a 2010 Lamborghini Roadster that sold for $390,000.
EBay Members Give $50 Million to Nonprofits in 2009
Even in a bad economy, the giving doesn't stop. According to eBay Inc., buyers and sellers raised a record $50 million for U.S. and U.K. non-profit organizations in 2009. EBay’s Giving Works — an online fund-raising program that lets individuals donate to their favorite while using eBay — has helped raise more than $162 million since 2003.
In its official statement on non-profit revenues, eBay says that individual sellers have done some inspiring giving this year. In particular, eBay’s Top Rated Seller, Elizabeth Bennett used the program to donate thousands to charity. Ten percent of the final sale price of goods bought on Bennett's eBay store, Africa Direct, goes to charity. To date, she has raised nearly $40,000 for charity through the eBay Giving Works program.
Charities and non-profits have also been using eBay to raise funds. EBay said that in 2009, the San Francisco chapter of Goodwill Industries raised more than $44,000 per month through the program by selling donated goods online. The Blind Center of Nevada, a small nonprofit out of Las Vegas, also uses eBay to raise funds. The refurbished electronics are sold on eBay, and their eBay Giving Works sales have generated more than $1.2 million since 2006.
EBay also said that online giving is growing at 44 percent per year, seven times faster than offline giving growth. According to the company, more than $91 per minute is raised for good causes on eBay, and eight non-profits in the U.S. have raised more than $1 million with eBay Giving Works.
Vangie Beal is a veteran online seller and frequent contributor to ECommerce-Guide.com. She is also managing editor of Webopedia.com. You can tweet with her online @AuroraGG.
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