EBAY vs SE Comparison

Founded in 1995, eBay operates one of the world's largest online marketplaces, connecting buyers and sellers across more than 190 markets. In 2025, the firm generated $11.1 billion in revenue on nearly $80 billion of gross merchandise volume, serving 135 million active buyers and 18 million active sellers (users who closed at least one transaction in the past year). The firm monetizes its marketplace primarily through transaction fees and advertising, with 52% of revenue derived from the US and the remainder from international markets. In a bid to expand its reach among Generation Z and in the recommerce sector, eBay announced the $1.2 billion acquisition of fashion resale app Depop from Etsy in early 2026.

Sea started as a gaming business, Garena, but in 2015 expanded into e-commerce. Sea operates Southeast Asia's largest e-commerce company, Shopee, in terms of gross merchandise value. Shopee is a hybrid consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer marketplace platform operating in Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brazil. For Garena, Free Fire is the key revenue-generating game. Sea's third business, Monee, provides lending, payment, digital banking, and insurance services. As of March 2025, Forrest Li, the founder, chair, and CEO, owned 59.1% of the voting power. Tencent owned 18.5% of issued shares with no voting power.