eBay is the international web auction site with centres in more than a score of countries around the world. It was founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar in California.
Bloggers often report about the unusual items sold on eBay, from a 1940s flying car to Zimbabwe billion-pound bank notes, about businesses based on eBay, and about the bargains they have secured.
The site has been credited with entirely reviving the idea of purchasing goods secondhand, but some employers have complained that it is far too distracting for staff and there have often been rows about the counterfeit goods sold on it.