| 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 that connects people and builds communities to create economic opportunity for all. Our technology empowers millions of buyers and sellers in more than 190 markets around the world, providing everyone the opportunity to grow and thrive. Our Marketplace platforms, including our online marketplace located at www.ebay.com and its localized counterparts, our off-platform businesses in Japan and the United States, and our suite of mobile apps, together, create one of the world's largest and most vibrant marketplaces for discovering great value and unique selection. When we refer to “we,” “our,” “us,” the “Company” or “eBay” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we mean the current Delaware corporation (eBay Inc.) and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires. In 2021, we completed sale of 80.01% of the outstanding equity interests of eBay Korea LLC, a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of Korea and a wholly owned subsidiary of eBay KTA (“eBay Korea”) to E-mart Inc. and one of its wholly owned subsidiaries (together, “Emart”), pursuant to the terms and conditions of the securities purchase agreement, in exchange for approximately $3.0 billion of gross cash proceeds as of the transaction close date, subject to certain adjustments. Upon completion of the sale, we retained 19.99% of the outstanding equity interests of the new entity, Gmarket Global LLC (“Gmarket”), which is accounted for under the fair value option. Our equity investment in Gmarket was valued at $728 million as of the transaction close date. In 2021, we transferred our Classifieds business to Adevinta ASA (“Adevinta”) for $2.5 billion in cash and approximately 540 million shares in Adevinta which represented an equity interest of 44%. Together, the total consideration received under the definitive agreement was valued at approximately $13.3 billion, based on the closing trading price of Adevinta’s outstanding shares on the Oslo Stock Exchange on June 24, 2021. The equity interest received is accounted for under the fair value option. Our equity investment in Adevinta was valued at $10.8 billion as of the transaction close date. In November 2021, we completed the previously announced sale of approximately 135 million of our voting shares in Adevinta to Astinlux Finco S.à r.l. (“Permira”), inclusive of the option exercised by Permira to purchase additional voting shares, for total cash consideration of approximately $2.3 billion. At the close of the sale inclusive of the option exercised, our ownership in Adevinta was reduced to 33%. Our contractual requirement to retain at least 25% of the total number of issued and outstanding equity securities of Adevinta expired during the fourth quarter of 2023. Our equity investment in Adevinta is reported within the short-term assets section in our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. The results of our eBay Korea and Classifieds businesses have been presented as discontinued operations in our consolidated statement of income for all periods presented through the respective transaction close dates as the transactions represented a strategic shift in our business that had a major effect on our operations and financial results. 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, investments, including Level 3 investments, warrant and the recoverability of goodwill and 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. In December 2023, we completed an assessment of the useful life of our servers and network equipment and determined we will adjust the estimated useful life from three years to four years. This change in accounting estimate will be effective beginning January 1, 2024. For assets that are in-service as of December 31, 2023, we expect a favorable impact to operating income of approximately $55 million in 2024. 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 (“VIEs”) 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. Generally, 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, including those in which the fair value option has been elected. For equity method investments, our share of the investees’ results of operations is included in gain (loss) on equity investments and warrant, net and this investment balance is included in long-term investments. For equity investments under the fair value option, the change in fair value of the investment is included in gain (loss) on equity investments and warrant, net and this investment balance is included in long-term investments, other than our equity interest in Adevinta which is included in short-term investments. Investments in entities where we hold less than a 20% ownership interest are generally accounted for as equity investments to be measured at fair value or, under an election, at cost if it does not have readily determinable fair value, in which case the carrying value would be adjusted upon the occurrence of an observable price change in an orderly transaction for identical or similar instruments or impairment. Upon the transfer of our Classifieds business to Adevinta in 2021, shares in Adevinta were included as part of total consideration received under the definitive agreement. The equity interest in Adevinta is accounted for under the fair value option. Additionally, upon completion of the sale of 80.01% of the outstanding equity interests of eBay Korea to Emart in 2021, we retained 19.99% of the outstanding equity interests of the new entity, Gmarket, which is accounted for under the fair value option. Subsequent changes in fair value for these equity investments are included in gain (loss) on equity investments and warrant, net on our consolidated statement of income. Significant Accounting Policies Revenue recognition We recognize revenue when we transfer control of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. Revenue is recognized net of any taxes collected, which are subsequently remitted to governmental authorities. Our net revenues primarily include final value fees and promoted listing fees from sellers on our platforms. Our net revenues also include store subscription and other fees often from large enterprise sellers as well revenues from the sale of advertisements and revenue sharing arrangements. Our net revenues are reduced by incentives, including discounts, coupons and rewards, provided to our customers. As part of our revenue recognition analysis, we are required to identify each distinct performance obligation. With respect to our Marketplace platforms, we identified one performance obligation to sellers on the platforms, which is to connect buyers and sellers on our secure and trusted Marketplace platforms, including payment processing activities. Final value fees are recognized when an item is sold on a Marketplace platform, satisfying this performance obligation. With respect to our services offerings, services may be provided to sellers to promote their listings through on-site or off-site sponsored ads that are a distinct performance obligation for which revenue is recognized when (or over the period) these services are performed. Store subscription and other nonstandard listing contracts may contain multiple performance obligations, including discounts on future services. Determining whether performance obligations should be accounted for separately or combined may require significant judgment. The transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation based on its stand-alone selling price (“SSP”). In instances where SSP is not directly observable, we generally estimate selling prices based on when they are sold to customers of a similar nature and geography. These estimates are generally based on pricing strategies, market factors, strategic objectives and observable inputs. Store subscription revenues are recognized over the subscription period, and discounts offered through store subscription or nonstandard listing contracts are recognized when the options are exercised or when the options expire. Further, to drive traffic to our platforms, we provide incentives to buyers and sellers in various forms including discounts on fees, discounts on items sold, coupons and rewards. Evaluating whether a promotion or incentive is a payment to a customer may require significant judgment. Promotions and incentives that are consideration payable to a customer are recognized as a reduction of revenue at the later of when revenue is recognized or when we pay or promise to pay the incentive. Promotions and incentives to most buyers on our Marketplace platforms, to whom we have no performance obligation, are recognized as sales and marketing expense. In addition, we may provide credits to customers when we refund certain fees. Credits are accounted for as variable consideration at contract inception when estimating the amount of revenue to be recognized when a performance obligation is satisfied to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal of revenue will not occur and updated as additional information becomes available. Advertising revenue is derived principally from the sale of online advertisements that are based on “impressions” (i.e., the number of times that an advertisement appears in pages viewed by users of our platforms) or “clicks” (which are generated each time users on our platforms click through our advertisements to an advertiser’s designated website) delivered to advertisers. We use the output method and apply the practical expedient to recognize advertising revenue in the amount to which we have a right to invoice. Revenues related to shipping services are recognized based on whether we are the principal and are responsible for fulfilling the promise to provide the specified services or whether we are an agent arranging for those services to be provided by our partners. Determining whether we are a principal or agent in these contracts may require significant judgment. If we are the principal, we recognize revenue in the gross amount of consideration received from the customer, whereas if we are an agent, we recognize revenue net of the consideration due to our partners at a point in time when the services are provided. Our most significant revenue share arrangements are with shipping service providers. We are primarily acting as an agent in these contracts and revenues are recognized at a point in time when we have satisfied our promise of connecting the shipping service provider to our customer. In 2023, we launched an international shipping program, a service designed to simplify and reduce the cost of international exports in the United States. Under the new program, eBay acts as principal as we are primarily responsible for providing these international shipping services in exchange for a fee charged to the buyer. Revenue is recognized over time from the point of checkout to the point of delivery. 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 Marketing 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 marketing 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. Marketing expense totaled $1.2 billion, $1.2 billion and $1.1 billion for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Stock-based compensation We have equity incentive plans under which we grant equity awards, including stock options, restricted stock units (“RSUs”), total shareholder return performance stock units (“TSR PSUs”), and performance-based restricted stock units (“PBRSUs”), 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 2023, 2022 and 2021 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. Provision for transaction losses Provision for transaction losses consists primarily of losses resulting from our buyer protection programs, chargebacks for unauthorized credit card use, merchant related chargebacks due to non-delivery of goods or services and bad debt expense, inclusive of current expected credit losses, associated with our accounts receivable balance. Provision for transaction losses represent our estimate of actual losses based on our historical experience and many other factors including changes to our protection programs, the impact of regulatory changes as well as macroeconomic conditions. Customer accounts and funds receivable Customer accounts represent cash received from buyers that is held by financial institutions. Funds receivable represents customer cash in transit and held by payment processors. These balances are associated with marketplace activity and are awaiting payment to sellers. We are exposed to credit losses from customer accounts and funds receivable balances held by third party financial institutions. We assess these balances for credit loss based on a review of the average period for which the funds are held, credit ratings of the financial institutions and by assessing the probability of default and loss given default models. In 2023 and 2022, no credit-related losses were recorded. Payment processor advances Payment processor advances represent amounts prefunded to and held by payment processors in order to fund outflows in the normal course of the transaction lifecycle, including but not limited to payment processor fees, seller account payouts, and incentives such as coupons or gift cards. Payment processor advances are recorded within other current assets in our consolidated balance sheet. Other accounts are used to collect and remit indirect taxes from the buyer to the local tax authorities and to transfer shipping label proceeds from the seller to the relevant shipping service providers. Generally, changes in balances that impact the determination of net income, such as payment processor fees and incentives are presented within operating activities in our consolidated statement of cash flows. Changes in balances that pertain solely to payment intermediation activities (e.g. seller pay-out services) are presented within financing activities in our consolidated statement of cash flows. Customer accounts and funds payable These balances primarily represent the Company’s liability towards its customers to settle the funds from the completed transactions on the platform associated with marketplace activity. Income taxes Significant judgment is required in determining our tax expense and in evaluating our tax positions, including evaluating uncertainties and the complexity of taxes on foreign earnings. We review our tax positions quarterly and adjust the balances as new information becomes available. Tax positions are evaluated for potential reserves for uncertainty based on the estimated probability of sustaining the position under examination. Our income tax rate is affected by the tax rates that apply to our foreign earnings including U.S. minimum taxes on foreign earnings. The deferred tax benefit derived from the amortization of our intellectual property is based on the fair value, which has been agreed with foreign tax authorities. The deferred tax benefit may from time to time change based on changes in tax rates. 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. Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash Cash and cash equivalents are short-term, highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less when purchased, which may include bank deposits, U.S. Treasury securities, time deposits, and certificates of deposit. We consider cash to be restricted when withdrawal or general use is legally restricted. Our restricted cash balance is held in interest bearing accounts for letters of credit related to our global sabbatical program and for certain amounts related to other compensation arrangements held in escrow. Investments Short-term investments are primarily comprised of corporate debt securities, commercial paper and government and agency securities. Short-term investments are investments with maturities of less than one year, are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair value using the specific identification method. Short-term investments also include equity securities with readily determinable fair values that can be sold in active markets. Long-term investments are primarily comprised of corporate debt securities, government and agency securities, equity investments under the fair value option (other than our equity interest in Adevinta which is included in short-term investments), equity investments under the equity method of accounting and equity investments without readily determinable fair values. 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 debt securities are excluded from earnings and reported as a component of other comprehensive income (loss), net of related estimated income tax provisions or benefits. We periodically assess our portfolio of debt investments for impairment. For debt securities in an unrealized loss position, this assessment first takes into account our intent to sell, or whether it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis. If either of these criteria are met, the debt security’s amortized cost basis is written down to fair value through interest and other, net. For debt securities in an unrealized loss position that do not meet the aforementioned criteria, we assess whether the decline in fair value has resulted from credit losses or other factors. In making this assessment, we consider the extent to which fair value is less than amortized cost, any changes to the rating of the security by a rating agency, and any adverse conditions specifically related to the security, among other factors. If this assessment indicates that a credit loss may exist, the present value of cash flows expected to be collected from the security are compared to the amortized cost basis of the security. If the present value of cash flows expected to be collected is less than the amortized cost basis, a credit loss exists and an allowance for credit losses will be recorded through interest and other, net, limited by the amount that the fair value is less than the amortized cost basis. Any additional impairment not recorded through an allowance for credit losses is recognized in other comprehensive income. Changes in the allowance for credit losses are recorded as provision for (or reversal of) credit loss expense. Losses are charged against the allowance when management believes the uncollectability of an available-for-sale security is confirmed or when either of the criteria regarding intent or requirement to sell is met. These changes are recorded in gain (loss) on equity investments and warrant, net. Our equity investments include equity investments with readily determinable fair values, equity investments without readily determinable fair values and equity investments under the equity method of accounting, including those in which the fair value option has been elected. Our equity investment in Adevinta is described in a separate section under “Equity investment in Adevinta” in this Note. Equity investments with readily determinable fair values are investments in publicly-traded companies for which we do not exercise significant influence and are measured at fair value based on the respective closing stock price and prevailing foreign exchange rate, as applicable, at the period end date. Equity investments with readily determinable fair values are classified within Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy as the valuation can be obtained from real time quotes in active markets. Subsequent changes in fair value are recognized in gain (loss) on equity investments and warrant , net. Equity investments without readily determinable fair values are non-marketable equity securities, which are investments in privately-held companies for which we do not exercise significant influence and are accounted for under the measurement alternative. Under the measurement alternative, the carrying value is measured at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. We perform a qualitative fair value assessment on a quarterly basis over our equity investments without readily determinable fair values to identify any changes in basis or impairments. Equity investments without readily determinable fair values are considered impaired when there is an indication that the fair value of our interest is less than the carrying amount. Changes in value and impairments of equity investments without readily determinable fair values are recognized in gain (loss) on equity investments and warrant , net. We account for equity investments through which we exercise significant influence but do not have control over the investee under the equity method or under the fair value option. For equity method investments, our consolidated results of operations include, as a component of gain (loss) on equity investments and warrant , net, our share of the net income or loss of the equity investments accounted for under the equity method of accounting. Our share of equity method investees’ results of operations was not material for any period presented. We perform a qualitative impairment assessment on a quarterly basis over our equity method investments. Equity method investments are considered impaired when there is an indication of an other-than-temporary decline in value below the carrying amount. Impairments and any other adjustments to equity method investments are recorded in gain (loss) on equity investments and warrant, net. Equity investments under the fair value option are measured at fair value based on a quarterly valuation analysis or using the net asset value per share (or its equivalent) practical expedient. Equity investments measured at fair value based on a quarterly valuation analysis are classified within Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy, as the valuation reflects management’s estimate of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the equity investment. Equity investments measured at fair value using the net asset value per share (or its equivalent) practical expedient are not classified in the fair value hierarchy. S ubsequent changes in fair value are recognized in gain (loss) on equity investments and warrant , net. Refer to “Note 7 — Investments” and “Note 9 — Fair Value Measurement of Assets and Liabilities” for additional details. Equity investment in Adevinta At the initial recognition of our equity investment in Adevinta on June 24, 2021, we elected the fair value option where subsequent changes in fair value are recognized in gain (loss) on equity investments and warrant , net in the consolidated statement of income. We report the investment at fair value within equity investment in Adevinta in our consolidated balance sheet. The investment is classified within Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy as the valuation can be obtained from real time quotes in active markets. The fair value of the equity investment is measured based on Adevinta’s closing stock price and prevailing foreign exchange rate. We believe the fair value option election creates more transparency of the current value of our shares in the equity investment for Adevinta. Refer to “Note 7 — Investments” and “Note 9 — Fair Value Measurement of Assets and Liabilities” for additional details. Leases We determine if an arrangement is a lease or contains a lease at inception. Operating lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the remaining lease payments, discounted using the discount rate for the lease at the commencement date. As the rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable for our operating leases, we generally use an incremental borrowing rate based on information available at the commencement date to determine the present value of future lease payments. Operating right-of-use (“ROU”) assets are generally recognized based on the amount of the initial measurement of the lease liability. Our leases have remaining lease terms of up to ten years, some of which include options to extend the leases for up to five years, and some of which include options to terminate the leases within one year. Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We account for lease and fixed non-lease components as a single lease component for our data center leases. Lease and non-lease components for all other leases are accounted for separately. Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use assets, other current liabilities and operating lease liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets. Property and equipment Property and equipment are stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation for equipment, buildings and leasehold improvements commences once they are ready for our intended use. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, generally, one Goodwill and intangible assets Goodwill is tested for impairment at a minimum on an annual basis 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 value of the reporting unit is 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 mergers and acquisitions) to develop pricing metrics to be applied to historical and expected future operating results of our reporting unit. 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, 2023 and 2022 and determined that no adjustment to the carrying value of goodwill for any reporting unit 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 three Impairment of long-lived assets We evaluate long-lived assets (including leases and 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 2023 and 2022, no impairment was recorded. In 2021, we recorded immaterial impairment charges. 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. We also entered into a warrant agreement in addition to a commercial agreement with Adyen that, subject to meeting certain conditions, entitles us to acquire a fixed number of shares up to 5% of Adyen’s fully diluted issued and outstanding share capital at a specific date. The warrant is accounted for as a derivative instrument under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging . See “Note 8 — Derivative Instruments” for a full description of our derivative instrument activities |
