Ebay

OECD Workshop

The role of Internet intermediaries in advancing public policy objectives

The Role of Internet Intermediaries in Advancing Public policy Objectives – Stefan Krawczyk

Founded in 1995, eBay Inc. connects hundreds of millions of people around the world every day,

empowering them to explore new opportunities and innovate together. eBay Inc. does this by

providing the Internet platforms of choice for global commerce and payments. Since its inception,

eBay Inc. has expanded to include some of the strongest brands in the world, including eBay,

PayPal, Marktplaats, StubHub, Shopping.com, and others. eBay Inc. is headquartered in San

Jose, California. This paper focuses on the role of e-commerce platforms in combating fraud on

the platform and protecting consumers. In order to understand eBay’s position, it is important to

underline the specific nature of eBay’s current business model. eBay’s market place platform allows

sellers to list their goods and buyers to find the goods of their choice. The transaction between

buyer and seller takes place online. eBay is not a retailer: therefore it never holds the goods that

are traded on its platform.

• Consumer trust is key

Statistics show that 80% of users will not return to a platform after a bad buyer experience. eBay has

a well-established, key commercial interest in providing a safe and trusted consumer experience on

its platform.

• Trust is the result of a set of measures, such as feedback systems, safe payments, redress

mechanisms and awareness building

There is no single silver bullet against fraud and other phenomena that may lead to a bad buyer

experience. eBay’s system aims at empowering consumers as well as responsible businesses,

helping them to avoid negative experiences and, in parallel, providing tools for redress in case

this is not sufficient. It is based on awareness creation through educational campaigns and clear

user guidelines in which eBay’s policies on, for example,...