Our Philosophy and Approach

eBay was founded on the principle that people are basically good. For more than 25 years, we have focused on creating a better, more sustainable form of commerce, where people are empowered, causes are supported, and opportunities are open to everyone.

eBay is an ethical, transparent and trusted company which complies with all applicable labor laws. We also strive to conduct our business in a manner consistent with the principles set forth in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the ILO’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. The voices and perspectives of our employees are critical to eBay’s business and to shaping our future. We respect the rights of our employees to choose to support, or not support, representation by a labor union, works council or other employee organization. We are committed to bargaining in good faith with any such representative body established under applicable laws. We also aim to support and promote the protection of fundamental human rights across our value chain. These fundamental human rights include but are not limited to those regarding wages, working hours, health and safety, freedom of association, non-discrimination, harassment prevention and the use of child, forced or bonded labor.

Our Workforce

We recognize that creating economic opportunity for everyone includes our workforce. Our workforce lives our values: they are driven, courageous, inventive, and richly diverse. Workers at all levels directly contribute to eBay’s long-term sustainability. eBay creates inspiring workplaces, compensates workers fairly, and provides equal opportunities in a harassment-free, safe space. We do not tolerate any form of harassment, whether verbal or physical, in the workplace. eBay does not discriminate in hiring, promotions, salary, or any other terms or conditions of employment based on race, ethnicity, sex (including pregnancy), age, disability, veteran status, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, domestic partner status, genetic information or citizenship status.

We believe in the power of having a workforce that is diverse and inclusive. Diversity and inclusion at eBay go well beyond a moral necessity—it’s the foundation of our business model and absolutely critical to our ability to thrive in an increasingly competitive global landscape. We train our leaders to help each employee succeed at eBay based on their unique talents, contributions, and ambitions. Our aim is to empower our people to diversify and be inclusive in the ways that are most relevant to their local realities. To support this aim, we have committed to report publicly and transparently on our progress to advance global diversity and inclusion.

Our Buyers and Sellers

Everyone that engages with eBay is valued equally. eBay has strong programs and policies to protect the interests of buyers and sellers, and we aim to be transparent and thorough in our communications. A few examples include the eBay Buyer Protection website, Safety Centre for shopping with confidence on eBay.co.uk, a Seller Center, and the eBay Community Center.

As a leading technology company, eBay recognizes the enormous responsibility it has to keep employee, buyer and seller data private and safe; and to respect human rights within data collection and management. Data Security and Privacy alongside Seller Transparency and Buyer Protections are two of the most material issues to eBay. eBay also actively supports net neutrality to increase equitable access to the internet which can be a powerful accelerator to help protect and remedy potential human rights violations through the power of communications.

  • The Global Privacy Office maintains the high safety and security standards that we demand for our customers, partners, and other stakeholders.
  • We maintain a list of prohibited and restricted items in collaboration with international and domestic law enforcement authorities, regulatory agencies, non-governmental organizations and our community of buyers and sellers.
  • We prohibit the listing of offensive materials that promote or glorify hatred, violence or racial, religious or gender intolerance. eBay’s global Offensive Materials Policy goes beyond what is legally required in many countries, banning certain items such the Confederate Battle Flag.
  • We prohibit listings that promote or glorify violence or violent acts, or are associated with individuals who are notorious for committing violent acts. eBay’s Violence and Violent Criminals Policy ensures our marketplace promotes safety, trust, and respect, and follows government regulations.
  • Our Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) Program enables owners of IP to quickly and easily report any listings they believe infringe their rights.
  • eBay Security Center provides a robust set of resources on topics ranging from identity protection to hardware and software security to help every transaction be as safe and secure as possible.

Our Suppliers and Partners

We expect anyone who does business with any eBay business or subsidiary to share our commitment to protecting fundamental human rights. In our Supplier Code of Business Conduct & Ethics, we set forth our strict standards and expectations regarding labor and human rights practices. These standards and expectations include a prohibition of the use of forced, bonded, indentured labor or involuntary prison labor; and the unlawful employment of child labor or interference with a child’s education by employing a child in violation of a country’s compulsory education laws. Suppliers are also expected to provide a safe and healthy work environment to prevent accidents or injury arising out of, linked with, or occurring in the course of work or as a result of the operation of employer facilities; pay applicable legal wages under humane conditions; and ensure that women workers receive equal treatment in all aspects of employment. We also encourage our suppliers and partners to promote and advance the ability of workers within value chain to receive a living wage.

Our Global Communities

We’re committed to building a community enabled by people and supported by technology that is open to the broadest audience possible. We create opportunity for people of all abilities by making our platform more accessible, including for those with special access needs such as the visually and audibly impaired. Our Accessibility Programs are continuously improving as technology evolves and user needs are better understood.

We engage in public discourse and advocate on behalf of issues that matter to us and our community. We support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) equality rights and stand against legislation that opposes these rights. In 2023, for the fourteenth year in a row, eBay was awarded a 100 percent ranking on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a US-based report on corporate policies and practices related to workplace equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. This recognition reflects our progressive equal opportunity employment policy and forward-thinking benefits practices for same-sex couples and transgender employees, as well as our external advocacy, philanthropic and recruiting efforts.

Enabling Global Impact

Good things happen when people connect on eBay. And we’re committed to ensuring those connections happen in a trusted and transparent marketplace and workplace that respects and enables human rights, and creates a positive global impact with opportunities for all.

We actively monitor global human rights policies, including those related to non-discrimination. Our global Government Relations team represents the interests of eBay and before governments around the world through legislative & regulatory work, advocacy programs and commerce policy thought leadership. This team advocates for policies aimed at providing fair and equal treatment to all of our employees, promoting sustainable commerce, and expanding the economic opportunity enabled by marketplace platforms.

We will continue to seek input and ongoing engagement from internal and external stakeholders, and will evolve this statement to reflect human rights positions and issues that are relevant for eBay workers, and our community of buyers and sellers.

Ethics and Compliance

Our Office of Ethics and Compliance champions our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, conducts formal company-wide trainings, oversees risk assessment and monitoring processes; and provides guidance to employees and other relevant stakeholders on implementation. Employees are trained on topics within our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics on an annual basis. Employees have 24-hour access to eBay Inc.’s Integrity Helpline, managed by a third-party company, where ethics concerns can be reported anonymously. Employees are encouraged to speak up if they have concerns about the way we conduct business with our customers, partners and each other.

eBay’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics provides guidance and resources on issues such as equal opportunity, a harassment-free workplace, workplace safety, conflicts of interest, bribery and corruption, lobbying, environmental stewardship, and many others.

We strive to routinely review and refine our approach to addressing human rights, and will continue to incorporate stakeholder feedback to evaluate our performance.

Oversight

The implementation of the actions, commitments and policies referenced in this statement is overseen by relevant Board committees including eBay’s Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee, which charter includes oversight of environmental, social and governance (ESG) and the Compensation and Human Capital Committee which charter includes oversight of human capital matters.