eBay has become a double-digit grower: the focus categories, consumer sellers and secondhand goods it spent years building are now most of its volume and are growing more than twice as fast as the rest. The next quarter shows what carrying them costs. How much of eBay's 2026 growth is Depop rather than the core site?
The categories eBay invested in now carry the whole company.
Focus categories, consumer selling and secondhand goods are over 70% of what eBay sells, and each grew more than 20% in Q2 FY2026. That mix is what took the whole marketplace to double-digit growth: the strategy is now the business. Which of eBay's focus categories is growing fastest?
AI listing tools are now the main way new supply arrives.
eBay's newest listing tool builds a listing from photos alone. New listings rose more than 50% at 95% customer satisfaction, and that supply from ordinary people is what the whole strategy depends on: buyers need things to buy. How much of eBay's new supply comes from casual sellers?
Growth now costs more than it earns.
Live shopping, cars and shipping earn less per sale, so for the first time eBay expects revenue to grow no faster than its goods sold. Depop, bought for $1.4 billion, adds nothing until 2028 and pulls Q3 profit growth to low single digits.
Bullish
Focused categories and enthusiasts
The bull case is that eBay has narrowed onto collectibles, motors, fashion and pre-loved goods, where authentication and fitment tools keep enthusiasts coming back.
Monetization beyond the sale
Advertising, shipping and financial services let eBay earn more on each transaction without raising the core selling fee, so revenue can outgrow the goods sold.
Cash returns to shareholders
Strong cash generation funds buybacks and dividends that shrink the share count, so profit per share rises faster than operating profit when margins are flat.
Bearish
Temporary boosts to demand
The bear case is that much of the recent acceleration came from trading cards, bullion and cheap marketing that cannot repeat, so growth slows as those comparisons bite.
Reinvestment limits profit flow-through
Management puts top-line upside back into live shopping, shipping and acquisitions, so operating income growth trails revenue and margins come under pressure.
Depop dilutes before it contributes
Buying Depop adds sales but also integration costs, and management does not expect the acquisition to add to operating income until 2028.