Better Health for All

eBay's core business as an online marketplace has no significant positive or negative health impact on the general public, and it generates no revenue from products with direct negative health outcomes. The company is not a pharmaceutical, food, or research organization, and its products do not have addiction potential. In December 2024, eBay partnered with PBGH to offer an Advanced Primary Care network to its employees and their families in the Puget Sound region, aiming to lower healthcare costs by up to 33% and improve overall health and well-being for participants.

Recommerce initiatives, which avoided 1.6 million metric tons of carbon emissions and prevented 69,000 metric tons of waste in 2023, are considered environmental pollution control and are excluded from this value assessment.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

eBay's core business as an online marketplace means it does not offer consumer lending or traditional financial products. Consequently, KPIs related to pricing fairness, exploitative fee exposure, inclusion initiatives (loan/insurance book), data accessibility (open banking), fair lending compliance, debt burden ratio, geographic inclusion, product simplicity, and financial literacy initiatives are not applicable or have no direct evidence. However, eBay demonstrates positive wealth-building outcomes, with 76% of its sellers reporting business growth in 2023

. The company also supports small businesses through its Up & Running Grants program, which has awarded over $2.5 million to 250 U.S. sellers since 2020 , including $500,000 to 50 sellers in both 2024 and 2025 . In 2023, 62% of grantees were minority-owned businesses , and 41% of recipients reported increased revenue .

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

In 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found merit in several unfair labor practice charges against eBay and its subsidiary TCGPlayer.

These charges included the company's refusal to recognize a union formed by workers who voted to unionize in March 2023, delaying bargaining, making unilateral changes to working conditions without negotiation, and denying union representation rights during disciplinary investigations. Furthermore, between June and August 2023, eBay removed language from its Human Rights Policy Statement that had committed to respecting workers' rights to unionize and bargain in good faith. Separately, in 2019, eBay accepted responsibility for a harassment campaign conducted by former employees against a newsletter publisher, resulting in a deferred prosecution agreement and a three-year independent monitor.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

eBay operates as an online marketplace and does not typically own the inventory being sold. Consequently, it does not procure or trade physical commodities, making KPIs related to fair-trade certified spend and high-risk material sourcing not applicable to its direct operations. While eBay acquired World of Good Inc. in 2010

and launched WorldofGood.com in 2008 to promote ethically sourced products verified by organizations like TransFair USA , this pertains to products sold by third-party sellers on its platform, not eBay's own procurement. eBay has a Human Rights Policy and a Supplier Code emphasizing ethical standards and the prevention of forced labor , but no quantitative data is provided on the coverage of ethical clauses in contracts, audit frequency, or specific incidents.

Honest & Fair Business

eBay incurred a $3 million penalty in 2024 for misconduct by former employees

, agreeing to enhance its compliance program under an independent monitor for three years . The company reported a Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) score of 63 . eBay's Code of Business Conduct and Ethics includes an Integrity Helpline for employees to report misconduct . While a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit alleging environmental law violations was dismissed without fines , eBay claims to block and remove over 99.9% of listings for the products cited by the DOJ . The company was recognized by the Ethisphere Institute in 2023 for its commitment to ethical business practices and has partnered with law enforcement for over two decades on identifying emerging risks .

Kind to Animals

eBay has a long-standing commitment to combating illegal wildlife trade, instituting a global ban on ivory sales effective January 1, 2009,

and updating its policy in February 2025 to ban nearly all live animal sales, with exceptions for certain insects and hatching eggs. The company is a founding member of the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online, established in 2018, which aims to standardize wildlife policies across the tech industry and reduce wildlife trafficking by 80% by 2020. eBay actively enforces its Animal Products Policy, which prohibits the sale of items from endangered or threatened species, requiring sellers to name species and comply with regulations. Through sophisticated tools, dedicated teams, and coordination with law enforcement and regulators worldwide, eBay blocked or removed approximately 450,000 listings violating its wildlife policies in 2023, and nearly 750,000 since 2017. eBay partners with organizations such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

No War, No Weapons

eBay's core business model focuses on civilian commerce, and the company does not directly engage in arms production, military contracting, or the sale of military goods.

Its revenue is derived from transaction fees on general consumer goods. eBay enforces a strict prohibition on selling firearms, ammunition, and military equipment, a policy that has been in place since 1999. The company does not publicly advocate for militarization or have a history of lobbying for military expenditure.

Planet-Friendly Business

By 2023, eBay achieved a 59% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions

and a 36% reduction in Scope 3 emissions . The company has set targets for a 90% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions and a 20% reduction in Scope 3 emissions from downstream transportation and distribution by 2030 . For its data centers, 91% of energy was sourced from renewables by 2023 , and its San Jose headquarters has been 100% powered by renewable energy since 2019 . eBay's recommerce efforts in 2023 avoided 1.6 million metric tons of carbon emissions and prevented 69,000 metric tons of waste , achieving 66% of its economic impact goals for the recommerce initiative by 2023 . The company committed $1.2 million to its Circular Fashion Fund by the end of 2025 and launched the Carbon Academy for SMEs in May 2023 .

Respect for Cultures & Communities

eBay hosts listings for Indigenous artifacts, including sacred items

, and items tied to the historical oppression of Indigenous peoples . These issues raise ethical concerns about cultural appropriation and highlight moderation challenges.

Safe & Smart Tech

eBay provides comprehensive cybersecurity awareness training for all employees, enhanced training for specialized personnel, and performs phishing simulation testing on all employees

, including bespoke trainings and tabletop exercises for leaders . The company maintains a comprehensive AI ethics program with a Responsible AI Policy (effective January 2024) , a Responsible AI Committee , and an Office of Responsible AI , guided by principles including inclusivity, harm prevention, bias mitigation, and user privacy . eBay embraces major privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA , integrates requirements from all applicable cybersecurity regulations , implements controls, remediates gaps , and uses automation to detect drift against hardening controls . eBay has established Binding Corporate Rules (BCR) approved by the Luxembourg National Data Protection Commission and aligns with NIST Cyber Security Framework, ISO 27032, ISO 27001, and ISO 27002 standards . The company offers a Privacy Center and mechanisms allowing users to access, update, and make choices regarding their data , providing visibility into these choices . eBay maintains a bug bounty program .

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

eBay has implemented several waste reduction initiatives. The company committed $1.2 million to expand its Circular Fashion Fund by 2025, supporting start-ups focused on circular solutions such as rental and repair services.

Its refurbished technology program helped avoid 73,000 metric tons of waste in 2022. The 'Better Than New Homeware' Hub saved 6.5 million kg from landfills over the past year. Additionally, eBay launched the Circular Change Council in 2023 to increase circularity in the furniture sector. The company also educates customers on sustainable choices by promoting the purchase of refurbished technology and through its 'Better Than New Homeware' Hub.