| The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies The Company eBay Inc. is a global commerce leader, which includes our Marketplace, StubHub and Classifieds platforms. Our Marketplace platforms include our online marketplace located at www.ebay.com, its localized counterparts and the eBay mobile apps. Our StubHub platforms include our online ticket platform located at www.stubhub.com, the StubHub mobile apps and Ticketbis. Our Classifieds platforms include a collection of brands such as Mobile.de, Kijiji, Gumtree, Marktplaats, eBay Kleinanzeigen and others. When we refer to “we,” “our,” “us” or “eBay” in this document, we mean the current Delaware corporation (eBay Inc.) and its California predecessor, as well as all of our consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires. In 2015, we completed the distribution of 100% of the outstanding common stock of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (“PayPal”) to our stockholders (the “Distribution”) and closed the sale of our former Enterprise segment (“Enterprise”). As a result, the financial results and related assets and liabilities of PayPal and Enterprise were retrospectively reflected as discontinued operations in our consolidated statement of income and consolidated balance sheet. See “Note 4 - Discontinued Operations” for additional information. Use of estimates The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to provisions for transaction losses, legal contingencies, income taxes, revenue recognition, stock-based compensation, goodwill and the recoverability of intangible assets. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Principles of consolidation and basis of presentation The accompanying financial statements are consolidated and include the financial statements of eBay Inc., our wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries and variable interest entities (“VIE”) where we are the primary beneficiary. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Minority interests are recorded as a noncontrolling interest. A qualitative approach is applied to assess the consolidation requirement for VIEs. Investments in entities where we hold at least a 20% ownership interest and have the ability to exercise significant influence, but not control, over the investee are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. For such investments, our share of the investees’ results of operations is included in interest and other, net and our investment balance is included in long-term investments. Investments in entities where we hold less than a 20% ownership interest are generally accounted for using the cost method of accounting, and our share of the investees’ results of operations is included in our consolidated statement of income to the extent dividends are received. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified on our consolidated balance sheet to conform with current year presentation. We have evaluated all subsequent events through the date the consolidated financial statements were issued. Revenue recognition We generate net transaction revenues primarily from final value fees and listing fees paid by sellers. Final value fee revenues are recognized at the time that the transaction is successfully closed, while listing fee revenues are recognized ratably over the estimated period of the listing. An auction transaction is considered successfully closed when at least one buyer has bid above the seller’s specified minimum price or reserve price, whichever is higher, at the end of the transaction term. Our marketing services revenues are derived principally from the sale of advertisements, revenue sharing arrangements, classifieds fees, marketing service fees and lead referral fees. Our advertising revenues are derived principally from the sale of online advertisements. The duration of our advertising contracts has ranged from one week to five years, but is generally one week to one year. Advertising revenues on contracts are recognized as “impressions” (i.e., the number of times that an advertisement appears in pages viewed by users of our platforms) are delivered, or as “clicks” (which are generated each time users on our platforms click through our advertisements to an advertiser’s designated website) are provided to advertisers. For contracts with minimum monthly or quarterly advertising commitments where the fee and commitments are fixed throughout the term, we recognize revenue ratably over the term of the agreement. We also may enter into arrangements to purchase services from certain customers and if the service is not considered an identifiable benefit that is separable from the customer’s purchase of our services or for which we cannot reasonably estimate fair value, the fees paid to the customer are recorded as a reduction in revenue. Some of our advertising contracts consist of multiple elements which generally include a blend of various impressions and clicks as well as other marketing deliverables. Where neither vendor-specific objective evidence nor third-party evidence of selling price exists, we use management’s best estimate of selling price (“BESP”) to allocate arrangement consideration on a relative basis to each element. BESP is generally based on the selling prices of the various elements when they are sold to customers of a similar nature and geography on a stand-alone basis or estimated stand-alone pricing when the element has not previously been sold on a stand-alone basis. These estimates are generally based on pricing strategies, market factors and strategic objectives. Revenues related to revenue sharing arrangements are recognized based on revenue reports received from our partners, provided that collectability is reasonably assured. Revenues related to fees for listing items on our Classifieds platforms are recognized over the estimated period of the classified listing. Lead referral fee revenue is generated from lead referral fees based on the number of times users click through to a merchant’s website from our platforms. Lead referral fees are recognized in the period in which a user clicks through to the merchant’s website. Our other revenues are derived principally from contractual arrangements with third parties that provide services to our users. Revenues from contractual arrangements with third parties are recognized as the contracted services are delivered to end users. To drive traffic to our platforms, we provide incentives to our users in the form of coupons and buyer and seller rewards. These incentives are generally treated as reductions in revenue. Internal use software and platform development costs Direct costs incurred to develop software for internal use and platform development costs are capitalized and amortized over an estimated useful life of one to five years. During the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 , we capitalized costs, primarily related to labor and stock-based compensation, of $140 million and $137 million , respectively. Amortization of previously capitalized amounts was $156 million , $149 million and $110 million for 2017 , 2016 and 2015 , respectively. Costs related to the design or maintenance of internal use software and platform development are expensed as incurred. Advertising expense We expense the costs of producing advertisements at the time production occurs and expense the cost of communicating advertisements in the period during which the advertising space or airtime is used, in each case as sales and marketing expense. Internet advertising expenses are recognized based on the terms of the individual agreements, which are generally over the greater of the ratio of the number of impressions delivered over the total number of contracted impressions, on a pay-per-click basis, or on a straight-line basis over the term of the contract. Advertising expense totaled $1.3 billion , $1.2 billion and $1.0 billion for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 , respectively. Stock-based compensation We have equity incentive plans under which we grant equity awards, including stock options, restricted stock units (“RSUs”), performance-based restricted stock units, and performance share units, to our directors, officers and employees. We primarily issue RSUs. We determine compensation expense associated with RSUs based on the fair value of our common stock on the date of grant. We determine compensation expense associated with stock options based on the estimated grant date fair value method using the Black-Scholes valuation model. We generally recognize compensation expense using a straight-line amortization method over the respective vesting period for awards that are ultimately expected to vest. Accordingly, stock-based compensation expense for 2017 , 2016 and 2015 has been reduced for estimated forfeitures. When estimating forfeitures, we consider voluntary termination behaviors as well as trends of actual option forfeitures. We recognize a benefit or provision from stock-based compensation in earnings as a component of income tax expense to the extent that an incremental tax benefit or deficiency is realized by following the ordering provisions of the tax law. In addition, we account for the indirect effects of stock-based compensation on the research tax credit and the foreign tax credit through our consolidated statement of income. Provision for transaction losses Provision for transaction losses consists primarily of losses resulting from our customer protection programs, fraud and bad debt expense associated with our accounts receivable balance. Provisions for these items represent our estimate of actual losses based on our historical experience and many other factors including changes to our customer protection programs, the impact of regulatory changes as well as economic conditions. Income taxes We account for income taxes using an asset and liability approach, which requires the recognition of taxes payable or refundable for the current year and deferred tax liabilities and assets for the future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in our financial statements or tax returns. The measurement of current and deferred tax assets and liabilities is based on provisions of enacted tax laws; the effects of future changes in tax laws or rates are not anticipated. If necessary, the measurement of deferred tax assets is reduced by the amount of any tax benefits that are not expected to be realized based on available evidence. We report a liability for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. We recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. We have accounted for the tax effects of The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, enacted on December 22, 2017, on a provisional basis. Our accounting for certain income tax effects is incomplete, but we have determined reasonable estimates for those effects. Our reasonable estimates are included in our financial statements as of December 31, 2017. We expect to complete our accounting during the one year measurement period from the enactment date. Cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents are short-term, highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less when purchased and are primarily comprised of bank deposits and certificates of deposit. Allowance for doubtful accounts and authorized credits We record our allowance for doubtful accounts based upon our assessment of various factors. We consider historical experience, the age of the accounts receivable balances, current economic conditions and other factors that may affect our customers’ ability to pay. The allowance for doubtful accounts and authorized credits was $102 million and $81 million as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 , respectively. Investments Short-term investments, which may include marketable equity securities, time deposits, certificates of deposit, government bonds and corporate debt securities with original maturities of greater than three months but less than one year when purchased, are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair value using the specific identification method. Unrealized gains and losses are excluded from earnings and reported as a component of other comprehensive income (loss), net of related estimated income tax provisions or benefits. Long-term investments may include marketable government bonds and corporate debt securities, time deposits, certificates of deposit and cost and equity method investments. Debt securities are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair value using the specific identification method. Unrealized gains and losses on our available-for-sale investments are excluded from earnings and reported as a component of other comprehensive income (loss), net of related estimated income tax provisions or benefits. Our equity method investments are primarily investments in privately-held companies. Our consolidated results of operations include, as a component of interest and other, net, our share of the net income or loss of the equity method investments. Our share of investees’ results of operations is not significant for any period presented. Our cost method investments consist of investments in privately held companies and are recorded at cost. Amounts received from our cost method investees were not material to any period presented. We assess whether an other-than-temporary impairment loss on our investments has occurred due to declines in fair value or other market conditions. With respect to our debt securities, this assessment takes into account the severity and duration of the decline in value, our intent to sell the security, whether it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis, and whether we expect to recover the entire amortized cost basis of the security (that is, whether a credit loss exists). Property and equipment Property and equipment are stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, generally, one to three years for computer equipment and software, up to thirty years for buildings and building improvements, the shorter of five years or the term of the lease for leasehold improvements and three years for furniture, fixtures and vehicles. Goodwill and intangible assets Goodwill is tested for impairment at a minimum on an annual basis. Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level. A qualitative assessment can be performed to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value. If the reporting unit does not pass the qualitative assessment, then the reporting unit’s carrying value is compared to its fair value. The fair values of the reporting units are estimated using income and market approaches. Goodwill is considered impaired if the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value. The discounted cash flow method, a form of the income approach, uses expected future operating results and a market participant discount rate. The market approach uses comparable company prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions (either publicly traded entities or merger and acquisitions) to develop pricing metrics to be applied to historical and expected future operating results of our reporting units. Failure to achieve these expected results, changes in the discount rate or market pricing metrics may cause a future impairment of goodwill at the reporting unit. We conducted our annual impairment test of goodwill as of August 31, 2017 and 2016 . Additionally, we evaluated impairment based on the significant activities regarding the Distribution and Enterprise divestiture during 2015. See “Note 4 - Discontinued Operations” for further detail. As a result of this test, we determined that no further adjustment to the carrying value of goodwill for any reporting units was required. Intangible assets consist of purchased customer lists and user base, marketing related, developed technologies and other intangible assets, including patents and contractual agreements. Intangible assets are amortized over the period of estimated benefit using the straight-line method and estimated useful lives ranging from one to five years. No significant residual value is estimated for intangible assets. Impairment of long-lived assets We evaluate long-lived assets (including intangible assets) for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of a long-lived asset may not be recoverable. An asset is considered impaired if its carrying amount exceeds the undiscounted future net cash flow the asset is expected to generate. In 2017 , 2016 and 2015 , no impairment was noted. Foreign currency Most of our foreign subsidiaries use the local currency of their respective countries as their functional currency. Assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars using exchange rates prevailing at the balance sheet date, while revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates during the year. Gains and losses resulting from the translation of our consolidated balance sheet are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income. Gains and losses from foreign currency transactions are recognized as interest and other, net. Derivative instruments We use derivative financial instruments, primarily forwards, options and swaps, to hedge certain foreign currency and interest rate exposures. We may also use other derivative instruments not designated as hedges, such as forwards to hedge foreign currency balance sheet exposures. We do not use derivative financial instruments for trading purposes. See “Note 9 - Derivative Instruments” for a full description of our derivative instrument activities and related accounting policies. Concentration of credit risk Our cash, cash equivalents, accounts receivable and derivative instruments are potentially subject to concentration of credit risk. Cash and cash equivalents are placed with financial institutions that management believes are of high credit quality. Our accounts receivable are derived from revenue earned from customers. In each of the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 , no customer accounted for more than 10% of net revenues. Our derivative instruments expose us to credit risk to the extent that our counterparties may be unable to meet the terms of the agreements. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued new guidance to revise certain aspects of stock-based compensation guidance which includes income tax consequences, classification of awards as equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. We adopted the new standard in the first quarter of 2017. Adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted In 2014, the FASB issued new accounting guidance related to revenue recognition. This new standard will replace all current GAAP guidance on this topic and eliminate all industry-specific guidance. The new revenue recognition guidance provides a unified model to determine when and how revenue is recognized. The core principle is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration for which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In 2016, the FASB issued several amendments to the standard, including principal versus agent considerations when another party is involved in providing goods or services to a customer and the application of identifying performance obligations. The Company will adopt the standard effective January 1, 2018 using the full retrospective transition method and recast each prior reporting period presented. Under the new standard, we identified one performance obligation related to the core service offered to sellers in our Marketplace platform and believe additional services mainly to promote or feature listings at the option of sellers are not distinct within the context of the contract. Accordingly, certain fees paid by sellers for these services will be recognized when the single performance obligation is satisfied or when the contract expires resulting, in some cases, in a change in the timing of recognition from current guidance. In addition, we made the policy election to consider delivery of tickets in our StubHub business to be fulfillment activities and consequently, the performance obligation is considered to be satisfied upon payment to sellers. We believe the impact of this policy election will allow an acceleration of revenue recognition for certain users . The total impact resulting from the change in timing of recognition for both the Marketplace and StubHub platforms is expected to be a net decrease in transaction revenue of less than $2 million for fiscal years 2017 and 2016, respectively and increase in deferred revenue of $20 million and $19 million as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Revenue recognition related to our marketing services and other revenue derived principally from the sale of advertisements, revenue sharing arrangements, and marketing services fees will substantially remain unchanged partially due to the fact that the principal versus agent considerations under ASU 2016-08 Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net) will not materially change how we currently present revenue. Further, we believe certain incentives such as coupons and rewards provided to certain users from which we do not earn revenue within the context of the identified contract of $363 million and $322 million for fiscal year 2017 and 2016, respectively, should be recognized as sales and marketing expense, which historically were recorded as a reduction of revenue under current guidance. Adoption of this guidance is expected to have the following impact on select financial statement line items for the periods presented (in millions): Year Ended Year Ended As Reported As Adjusted As Reported As Adjusted (In millions, except per share data) Net revenues $ 9,567 $ 9,926 $ 8,979 $ 9,298 Cost of net revenues $ 2,222 $ 2,220 $ 2,007 $ 2,005 Sales and marketing $ 2,515 $ 2,878 $ 2,368 $ 2,690 Income (loss) from continuing operations $ (1,012 ) $ (1,013 ) $ 7,285 $ 7,285 Net income (loss) $ (1,016 ) $ (1,017 ) $ 7,266 $ 7,266 Net income (loss) per share - basic $ (0.95 ) $ (0.95 ) $ 6.41 $ 6.41 Net income (loss) per share - diluted $ (0.95 ) $ (0.95 ) $ 6.35 $ 6.35 In 2016, the FASB issued new guidance related to accounting for equity investments, financial liabilities under the fair value option, and the presentation and disclosure requirements for financial instruments. In addition, the FASB clarified guidance related to the valuation allowance assessment when recognizing deferred tax assets resulting from unrealized losses on available-for-sale debt securities. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017. We anticipate that the adoption of the new standard will increase the volatility of our other income (expense), net, as a result of the remeasurement of our equity and cost method investments. The Company will adopt this guidance in the first quarter of 2018 with no material impact on our consolidated financial statements at adoption. In 2016, the FASB issued new guidance related to accounting for leases. The new guidance requires the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities by lessees for those leases classified as operating leases under previous guidance. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. We are evaluating the impact of adopting this new accounting guidance on our consolidated financial statements. In 2016, the FASB issued new guidance that requires credit losses on financial assets measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected, not based on incurred losses. Further, credit losses on available-for-sale debt securities should be recorded through an allowance for credit losses limited to the amount by which fair value is below amortized cost. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018 is permitted. We are evaluating the impact of adopting this new accounting guidance on our consolidated financial statements. In 2016, the FASB issued new guidance that clarifies the classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments in the statement of cash flows, including debt prepayment or extinguishment costs, settlement of contingent consideration arising from a business combination, insurance settlement proceeds, and distributions from certain equity method investees. Additionally, the FASB issued new guidance to include restricted cash with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-the-period and end-of-the-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The new standards are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017. We will adopt this guidance in the first quarter of 2018 with no material impact on our consolidated financial statements. In 2016, the FASB issued new guidance that requires the recognition of the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset, other than inventory, when the transfer occurs. This removes the exception to postpone recognition until the asset has been sold to an outside party. This standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods, with early adoption permitted. It is required to be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. We will adopt this guidance in the first quarter of 2018 with no material impact on our consolidated financial statements at adoption. In 2017, the FASB issued new guidance that narrows the application of when an integrated set of assets and activities is considered a business and provides a framework to assist entities in evaluating whether both an input and a substantive process are present to be considered a business. It is expected that the new guidance will reduce the number of transactions that would need to be further evaluated and accounted for as a business. This standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods, with early adoption permitted. We anticipate that the adoption of the new guidance will impact management’s consideration of strategic investments upon adoption in the first quarter of 2018 with no material impact on our consolidated financial statements at adoption. In 2017, the FASB issued new guidance to simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill by removing the requirement to perform a hypothetical purchase price allocation to compute the implied fair value of goodwill to measure impairment. Instead, any goodwill impairment will equal the amount by which a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. Further, the guidance eliminates the requirements for any reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount to perform a qualitative assessment and, if it fails that qualitative test, to perform Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. This standard is effective for annual or any interim goodwill impairment test in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted for impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. We do not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. In 2017, the FASB issued new guidance to clarify the scope and application of the sale or transfer of nonfinancial assets to noncustomers, including partial sales and also defines what constitutes an “in substance nonfinancial asset” which can include financial assets. The new guidance eliminates several accounting differences between transactions involving assets and transactions involving businesses. Further, the guidance aligns the accounting for derecognition of a nonfinancial asset with that of a business. This standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods. We will adopt this guidance in the first quarter of 2018 with no material impact on our consolidated financial statements at adoption. In 2017, the FASB issued new guidance that will shorten the amortization period for certain callable debt securities held at a premium to the earliest call date to more closely align with expectations incorporated in market pricing. The new guidance will not impact debt securities held at a discount. Adoption of this standard will be made on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. This standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods, with early adoption permitted. While we continue to assess the potential impact of this standard, we do not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. In 2017, the FASB issued new guidance to amend the scope of modification accounting for share-based payment arrangements. The amendments in the update provide guidance on types of changes to the terms or conditions of share-based payment awards would be required to apply modification accounting under ASC 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation. The amendments are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 with early adoption permitted. We will adopt this standard in the first quarter of 2018. |
