Despite only being a few years old, eBay Live has quickly become one of the major players in live commerce, and just saw record growth in Q2 2026. The platform is quickly becoming a major priority for eBay following these impressive results, as the company plans to expand to new markets and has already made several product improvements.
This growth of eBay Live coincides directly with the growth of live shopping in general, as it has transitioned from a niche trend in a select few categories to now being a much larger force in the retail industry as a whole.
eBay Continues Major Live Shopping Push
Amidst the heated competition with the likes of Whatnot and TikTok Shop, eBay is continuing to make a push into the growing live shopping space with eBay Live. And according to the company’s Q2 2026 earnings, things are going well for its live shopping offering.
In fact, the company noted that eBay Live’s gross merchandise volume (GMV) climbed about eight times year-over-year across seven markets. On top of this meteoric rise in GMV, eBay Live also saw increases in viewers, items sold, and watch time. However, keep in mind that eBay didn’t reveal the exact GMV, making it impossible to know the true scale of the growth.
Both sellers and buyers both seem to be responding well to eBay Live, as well. Over 90% of sellers that stream regularly have seen their GMV grow, and those who use eBay Live sell three times more than sellers who don’t.
Buyers also clearly identify with the platform, as first-time shoppers in the collectibles category are spending around 70% more than non-Live shoppers.
Speaking about the growth of eBay Live, eBay CEO Jamie Iannone said that “These results reinforce our confidence that Live can deepen engagement, broaden discovery, and increase velocity across the broader eBay marketplace”.
Expanding and Fine-Tuning the Offering
In response to the growth and success of eBay Live, eBay is expanding it and improving the offering for customers. In terms of expansion, eBay plans to bring Live to more international markets in the coming weeks and months. Since its launch in the USA in 2022, eBay Live has expanded quickly and launched in Canada, the UK, Germany, Australia, France, and Italy.
eBay has also been hard at work making improvements to eBay Live to make things better for both sellers and buyers. This includes new discovery features across the homepage, simplifying event creation and inventory preparation, and improving bidding responsiveness for a smoother livestream experience.
In addition to making changes to improve eBay Live, eBay is also handing out $100,000 to live sellers, hoping to empower them to succeed.
Live Shopping is Moving Beyond a Niche Trend in the USA
This growth for eBay Live comes at a time when live commerce in general is skyrocketing in popularity. It has gone from a fairly niche area of online retail to a dominating force that shows no signs of slowing down.
The live commerce market in the USA alone had revenue of just over $20 billion in 2025, and this is forecasted to explode to more than $250 billion by 2033. This sort of growth isn’t surprising, as live commerce offers plenty of benefits for both sellers and buyers.
For sellers, selling live gives them the chance to build a community, shorten the sales funnel, and may boost conversions due to the sense of urgency that often accompanies live selling and the instant checkout feature.
For buyers, live commerce blends shopping with entertainment and lets people see products up close and in use, rather than just relying on still images. A live sale also lets customers ask questions about an item and get answers in real-time, and helps the shopping experience feel more human and connected than shopping through online storefronts yourself.
Our Take
Get on the Live Shopping Train, But Be Ready to Handle Common Challenges
With all the growth that eBay Live is experiencing, and the growing popularity of the live commerce industry as a whole, it makes sense for sellers to want to get involved. However, before you jump into live shopping with both feet, it’s important to know about the challenges of live commerce.
Whether it’s keeping inventory synced, finding the right host, or experiencing technical issues during streams, sellers need to iron out these details before selling live if they want any chance of success. If not, they may derail your live selling journey before it starts.
Live selling is worthwhile, but you can’t just go live with your product and expect sales to roll in. You need to prepare ahead of time, test everything out, and ensure you prioritize entertainment and fun just as much as you prioritize actual selling.
