eBay buyers and sellers have raised $1 billion for charities worldwide, the company announced on Monday, and it said charitable giving on the platform is on the rise.
Over 80,000 charities are registered on platform, which is up 26% from last year.
eBay provided a brief history of how its platform was used to raise funds: “Following the September 11th attacks, eBay created “Auction for America,” which raised $10 million to benefit organizations supporting families of the monumental tragedy. With an outpouring of support, eBay officially launched eBay for Charity in 2003, which has since grown to become one of the world’s largest and most active giving communities, demonstrating eBay’s purpose to empower people and create economic opportunity.”
In 2018, the eBay community raised $102 million from 20 million charity listings, the company said, adding that “Last year, charities collectively raised more than $83 million selling directly on eBay and a staggering $10.5 million from more than 9 million listings was raised by community sellers, the everyday heroes selling on behalf of charities, in the US and UK.”
Users can also donate money to charities: buyers can give a donation at checkout, and sellers can donate a portion of their sales.
To celebrate the $1 billion milestone, eBay produced videos featuring Goodwill San Francisco, More Than Words, and Africa Direct, available on YouTube.
