eBay Inc. today reported that revenue for Q1FY12, increased 29% to $3.3 billion, compared to the same period of 2011. We recorded Q1 net income on a GAAP basis of $570 million, or $0.44 per diluted share, and non-GAAP net income of $725 million, or $0.55 per diluted share. The year-over-year increase in first quarter GAAP earnings per diluted share was driven primarily by strong top-line growth partially offset by increased investment in the shopping experience and the impact of acquisitions.

“The first quarter was a strong start to the year for us with momentum continuing in our Marketplaces, PayPal and GSI Commerce businesses,” said eBay Inc. President and CEO John Donahoe. “We believe that innovation in retail today is technology driven, and consumers are embracing smarter, easier, better ways to shop. We are enabling commerce in this new retail environment, supporting and partnering with sellers of all sizes and giving consumers worldwide the ability to shop anytime, anywhere, for whatever they want.”

There are a number of options for you to get more information around today’s earnings announcement. You can listen along to the live eBay earnings call. You can follow along with my tweets in real-time, beginning at 2pm PT.

You can access the full Q1 2012 eBay earnings announcement.

For folks interested in following the entire conversation on StockTwits, go to http://stocktwits.com/symbol/EBAY.

Business Highlights

PayPal
PayPal ended the quarter with 109.8 million active registered accounts, a 12% increase year over year. On average, PayPal added more than 1 million new accounts every month in Q1 2012. PayPal revenue increased 32% year over year and PayPal’s net total payment volume (TPV) grew 24% to $34 billion in Q1 compared to the same period of last year. PayPal expects to process $7 billion in mobile TPV in 2012. The Home Depot launched PayPal payments in all of its nearly 2,000 U.S. stores, giving shoppers the opportunity to pay using just their mobile phone number or PayPal payment card and PIN.

eBay Marketplaces
The Marketplaces business also delivered a strong Q1. Gross merchandise volume (GMV), excluding vehicles, increased by 12% year over year to $16 billion with sold items up 17% globally year over year. U.S. GMV excluding vehicles increased 13% year over year. International GMV, excluding vehicles, increased 11% year over year.

Downloads of eBay’s suite of mobile apps surpassed 12 million in the first quarter and 78 million globally since the launch of mobile in the third quarter of 2008. eBay expects to generate $8 billion in mobile volume transacted in 2012.

GSI
GSI, which was acquired in the second quarter of 2011, contributed $237 million in revenue for the first quarter. GSI generated $715 million in global ecommerce (GeC) merchandise sales during the quarter. Same store sales grew 26% year over year, reflecting strong ecommerce sales from retail clients.

Business Outlook
• Second quarter 2012 — eBay expects net revenues in the range of $3,250 – $3,350 million with GAAP earnings per diluted share in the range of $0.49 – $0.51 and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share in the range of $0.53 – $0.55.
• Full year 2012 — eBay now expects net revenues in the range of $13,800 – $14,100 million with GAAP earnings per diluted share in the range of $1.91 – $1.96 and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share in the range of $2.30 – $2.35.

Cheers,
RBH

eBay Beats; Q1 Revenue Up 29 Percent To $3.3B; Net Income Up 20 Percent tcrn.ch/HSOvo1 by @leenarao

— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) April 18, 2012

EBay reports 20% higher profit; shares rise after hours on.mktw.net/J0SvmA

— MarketWatch (@MarketWatch) April 18, 2012

We made it through another Apple press conference this morning – and the unveiling of the new iPad – and I confess that I’m already starting to get a little “iPad envy” when I look at my first generation model. I was in the process of weighing the possibilities of trading up when I saw that eBay announced a limited-time offer for eBay Instant Sale, allowing customers to get up to $475 in trade-in of their iPad 2.

From today until March 10, customers can secure limited-time trade-in offers for their current tablets, in both working and non-working conditions, using eBay Instant Sale. After locking-in their trade-in offer, customers aren’t required to ship their tablet for trade until March 20, ensuring they won’t go “tablet-less” before the new iPad is available on March 16.

How it works:
After securing their guaranteed eBay Instant Sale trade-in value anytime between today and Midnight PT on Saturday, March 10, customers have until Tuesday, March 20 to postmark their tablet for trade-in using the free shipping label provided. Customers will receive payment in the amount of the trade-in value they initially secured once the tablet is received and its condition is verified, even if values decline from the time the customer locks-in their offer to when they ship the item.

eBay Instant Sale is also introducing an easier way for customers to identify the condition of their tablets to secure the best offer available. Instead of asking customers to choose from multiple “condition options” when describing the condition of their tablets, eBay Instant Sale allows customers to simply select between “working” and “not working” conditions. This helps reduce customer confusion in instances where their product is determined by a trade-in program to be in a lesser condition than the customer initially indicated.

Cheers!
RBH

Cheers,
RBH

“This innovative rewards program reflects the future of retail and the convenient, seamless shopping experience consumers are looking for,” said eBay Inc. President and CEO John Donahoe.

This partnership reflects eBay Inc.’s commitment to enabling commerce—partnering with brands, retailers and sellers of all sizes to market their inventory and empowering consumers to shop their channel of choice, whether it’s “clicks” online or “bricks” in their local neighborhoods.

eBay Holiday Rewards Program

• - Today Friday, December 16 at 6:00AM ET through Monday, December 19 at 11:59PM ET
• - Shop online at Toys“R”Us or Babies“R”Us on eBay, ToysRUs.com, BabiesRUs.com, Dicks SportingGoods.com or Aeropostale.com
• - Spend $100 or more with any participating retailer and check out with PayPal
• - Receive a coupon via email for $10 off your in-store purchase
• - Redeem coupon at a local retail store, of the same brand, through December

For the last-minute shoppers out there, you can easily find – and buy – the gifts you want at a local retail store through RedLaser. Users of the app can scan or search top toys, check availability at the nearest Toys“R”Us retail location and purchase the item through PayPal, right from the palm of your hand. Shoppers can conveniently pick up their gifts in-store that same day.

Make sure to come back here to the blog and tell us about your online and in-store shopping experience this holiday season.

Cheers,
RBH

I’m consistently amazed (and proud) of some of the initiatives that come out of our company, especially around the holidays. Earlier this week, eBay unveiled The Give-A-Toy Store in New York and San Francisco that makes it easy for shoppers to donate joy – and toys – via their mobile devices. The holiday storefronts benefit Toys for Tots and feature interactive displays of popular toys such as teddy bears and trains that represent donation amounts from $2 to $25. Window shoppers can download the eBay mobile app to scan QR codes on virtual price tags, which triggers the toys to animate and “come to life.” As donations are made to Toys for Tots, the virtual toys celebrate and express their gratitude.

Actress Debra Messing joined eBay to launch The Give-A-Toy Store in New York City, located at 35th Street & Broadway, near Herald Square. A Give-A-Toy Store also opened at 117 Post Street in San Francisco, near the busy Union Square shopping district. Both locations will be open for enjoyment and charitable window shopping through December 9th. Here is some behind-the-scenes footage of the launch…

Shoppers not in New York or San Francisco are able to experience the Give-A-Toy Store and make donations by visiting http://www.eBay.com/GiveAToyStore. Facebook users are also invited to interact with the Give-A-Toy Store on Facebook, through the Build a Toy campaign that allows fans to customize a virtual toy at Facebook.com/eBay. eBay will donate $1 for every toy customized, up to $50,000.

Cheers!
RBH

eBay Inc. today reported that revenue for Q3FY11, increased 32% to $3.0 billion, compared to the same period of 2010. We recorded Q3 net income on a GAAP basis of $490.5 million, or $0.37 per diluted share, and non-GAAP net income of $628.2 million, or $0.48 per diluted share. The year-over-year increase in third quarter GAAP and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share was driven primarily by solid top-line growth, partially offset by continued investment in key strategic initiatives and the impact of acquisitions.

PayPal
PayPal ended the quarter with 103.0 million active registered accounts, a 14% increase year over year. PayPal revenue increased 32% year over year and PayPal’s net total payment volume (TPV) grew 31% to $29.3 billion in Q3 compared to the same period of last year. PayPal expects to generate more than $3.5 billion in mobile TPV in 2011, up from $750 million in 2010.

eBay Marketplaces
The Marketplaces business also delivered a strong Q3. Gross merchandise volume (GMV) excluding vehicles increased by 16% year over year to $14.7 billion. U.S. GMV excluding vehicles increased 14% year over year. International GMV excluding vehicles increased 18% year over year to $9.1 billion, reflecting solid growth in Europe, continued improved performance in Korea, as well as a positive impact from foreign exchange.

eBay expects to generate almost $5 billion in mobile GMV in 2011, more than double mobile GMV in 2010.

The company’s GSI business, which was acquired in the second quarter of 2011, contributed $202.6 million in revenue for the third quarter.

Business Outlook
• Fourth quarter 2011 — eBay expects net revenues in the range of $3,200 – $3,350 million with GAAP earnings per diluted share in the range of $1.47 – $1.53 and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share in the range of $0.55 – $0.58. GAAP earnings per diluted share includes the gain from the sale of our remaining equity interest in Skype.

• Full year 2011 — eBay now expects net revenues in the range of $11,500 – $11,600 million with GAAP earnings per diluted share in the range of $2.42 – $2.48 and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share in the range of $1.98 – $2.01. GAAP earnings per diluted share includes the gain from the sale of our remaining equity interest in Skype.

There are a number of options for you to get more information around today’s earnings announcement. You can listen along to the live eBay earnings call. You can follow along with my tweets in real-time, beginning at 2pm PT.

You can access the full Q3 eBay earnings announcement.

For folks interested in following the entire conversation on StockTwits, go to http://stocktwits.com/symbol/EBAY.

Cheers,
RBH

From the X.Commerce Blog Post:

We’ll be live blogging and tweeting from the road, so you can keep up here and by following @X_Commerce on Twitter for real-time updates, videos, photos and more. You’re also invited to join the conversation by using #XbusTour on Twitter and if you happen to spot the bus out on the road, snap a photo of it and share it with us!

Don’t forget to register for the X.commerce Developer Conference, where you’ll be able to join thousands of other developers to learn firsthand how to fully utilize the X.commerce platform opportunity, along with the full range of eBay Inc. assets and technologies.

You can also track the progress and upcoming stops of the XbusTour.

PayPal Exec Comments on Competition
In an interview with CNET, PayPal’s Sam Shrauger, vice president of global product and design, commented that services seeking to mimic or compete with PayPal, will face a slew of challenges, “Being in the payments business is harder than saying you’re in the payments business.” As most of the industry is focusing on a technology called near-field communications, PayPal PayPal isn’t going to mandate the use of any specific technology. [via CNET]

Further News
+ A new study finds, social media can be as addictive as drugs
+ Econsultancy.com rounds up ten new e-commerce infographics
+ Over half of tablet owners say that they use it for shopping

Looking Back on eBay Ink
August 3, 2010: eBay Announces First-Ever Free Rewards Program with eBay Bucks. The program is free and open to all US eBay users. In a nutshell, eBay Bucks offers consumers 2% back on most items purchased through the eBay Marketplace with PayPal. I sat down with Marc Steffens, Sr. Manager of eBay Bucks Rewards Program, to discuss the launch and what it means for buyers and sellers. (You can also read more in his eBay Announcement Board post).

eBay Ink Weekend Roundup is a summary of news and updates around eBay, PayPal, Social Media, Technology and E-commerce. Let us know what interests you.

Today we announced that eBay has agreed to acquire Zong for approximately $240 million. Zong is one of the leading providers of payments through mobile carrier billing, with connections with more than 250 mobile carriers in 45 countries. Upon closing of the transaction, Zong will eventually become part of PayPal.

PayPal has 100 million active accounts; millions of people who have already trusted us to provide their digital wallets. And Zong’s expertise in carrier billing means that it has the potential to reach the more than 4 billion people around the world who have mobile phones – including people who don’t have (or choose not to use) bank accounts or credit cards online. By combining Zong and PayPal, we believe we can offer more services to more customers, ultimately bringing even more value to how people pay and get paid.

You can read more about it on the Zong blog too.

Cheers,
RBH

The developer community has told us eBay and PayPal offer really powerful ecommerce and payments technology but, they are even more powerful when managed together. And, the market is evolving really fast. Online and offline commerce are converging into a “new retail” experience, powered by mobile, local, social and digital innovation. In this new environment, people want a seamless and integrated shopping and payments solution that works anytime, anywhere — on any connected device.

That makes a lot of sense to us. So, to deliver on your expectations and take advantage of all this innovation, we have decided to come together as one team to give developers one ecommerce solution – a complete approach to commerce online and offline that gives you more access, resources and support than ever before. I’m honored to now lead this newly combined open platform business, made up of the assets of both eBay and PayPal platforms.

The first indication of this joint union of developer communities is the announcement of Innovate 2011. Innovate 2011 will take place on October 12 & 13 at Moscone West in San Francisco and combines the eBay Developer Conference and PayPal’s Innovate X into one all-encompassing event.

Cheers,
RBH