eBay Expands Live Shopping Push Following Strong Second-Quarter Growth

August 6, 2026

E-commerce platform eBay is stepping up its investment in livestream commerce following significant gains across its live shopping operations. During its second-quarter earnings presentation, the company announced that eBay Live experienced an approximate eightfold year-over-year increase in gross merchandise volume (GMV) across seven active markets, alongside rises in viewer numbers, total watch time, and unit sales.

What Happened

During the company’s Q2 earnings call, Chief Executive Officer Jamie Iannone shared that eBay Live’s growth has strengthened management’s confidence in the format’s potential across the broader marketplace. While eBay did not disclose the specific monetary value of the GMV generated, it detailed notable participation gains among both merchants and consumers.

According to figures shared by the company, more than 90 percent of sellers who stream on a regular basis have recorded an increase in GMV. Furthermore, merchants utilising eBay Live sell roughly three times more volume than sellers who do not use the feature. On the consumer side, first-time buyers within the collectibles category spend approximately 70 percent more than comparable non-live shoppers.

Key Highlights

Eightfold GMV Growth: eBay Live saw gross merchandise volume multiply roughly eight times year-over-year across seven markets.
Broadened Access: The platform transitioned from an invite-only model to self-service onboarding for eligible merchants across more than 300 categories, including electronics, fashion, and collectibles.
Platform Enhancements: Recent updates include improved discovery tools on the homepage and mobile app, streamlined event setup, simplified inventory and item management, and enhanced bidding responsiveness.
Global Expansion Timeline: Initially debuted as an invite-only program in the United States in 2022, eBay Live expanded to the United Kingdom as a beta in 2024, followed by rollouts in Germany, Australia, France, Italy, and Canada.

Why This Matters

Live shopping is evolving from experimental trials into an active battleground for digital marketplaces. Competitors are scaling their own operations: dedicated livestream platform Whatnot maintains a valuation exceeding $11 billion, TikTok Shop is testing a paid membership model offering free delivery and discounts, and resale platform StockX has recently added live selling functionality.

eBay’s strategic transition to self-service onboarding and expanded live discovery features directly addresses seller adoption and buyer engagement across key segments like collectibles and consumer electronics.

What to Watch Next

eBay plans to introduce eBay Live into additional international markets over the coming weeks and months, building on its presence in the seven countries where the platform is already active.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is eBay Live?

eBay Live is a livestream shopping feature on eBay that allows sellers to host interactive video broadcasts to present items, interact with viewers, and facilitate real-time bidding and purchasing.

In which countries is eBay Live currently available?

As of the second-quarter update, eBay Live operates across seven markets: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, and Canada, with plans to expand to more international destinations.

Can any seller host an eBay Live stream?

eBay has moved away from its original invite-only structure to offer self-service onboarding for eligible sellers across more than 300 merchandise categories.

Source: Based on disclosures from eBay Inc.’s second-quarter earnings call and reporting by TechCrunch.