Topline
E-commerce giant eBay, known for second-hand goods, is laying off 800 jobs worldwide, representing about 6% of its workforce, in an effort to “reinvent” its business, the company said in a statement Thursday, just one week after announcing its acquisition of fashion marketplace Depop for $1.2 billion in cash.
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Key Facts
eBay’s stock is down about 2% year-to-date and about 10% over the past month, based on its price ($85.33) on Thursday morning.
It’s unclear how many jobs are being eliminated in each region or how severance will be structured, if offered.
Crucial Quote
“We are taking steps to reinvest across our business and align our structure with our strategic priorities, which will affect certain roles across our workforce,” reads eBay’s statement. “We are grateful for the contributions of the employees impacted and are committed to supporting them with care and respect.”
Big Number
$11.1 billion. That was eBay’s revenue for the full year 2025, up 8% from the year prior, according to its Feb. 18 earnings report. Gross merchandise volume, the total value of all goods sold on eBay, reached $79.6 billion for the full year, up 7% year over year.
The Depop Deal
On Feb. 18, the marketplace announced it was acquiring secondhand fashion e-commerce platform Depop, which is popular among Gen Z and millennials, from Etsy for $1.2 billion in cash. Depop had approximately $1 billion in gross merchandise sales in 2025, nearly 60% U.S. growth, around 7 million active buyers (about 90% under age 34), and over 3 million active sellers. Both companies’ boards have approved the transaction, which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026 pending regulatory approvals, and Depop is expected to continue operating under its own brand. With the transaction, eBay is hoping to expand its access to younger consumers as well as increase its influence in the fashion resale market, which is growing at an annual rate of over 10% and is expected to reach $521.5 billion in 2034, according to a report from Global Market Insights. It’s unclear whether there’s any relationship between the acquisition and Thursday’s layoffs.
Key Background
eBay has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs in recent years as it restructures amid slowing e-commerce growth and shifting consumer demand. In early 2024, the company announced plans to cut about 1,000 employees, or roughly 9% of its workforce, citing the need to streamline operations and improve efficiency. That followed a separate round of layoffs in 2023 affecting about 500 employees, or around 4% of staff at the time. The reductions came as eBay worked to control costs, focus on core marketplace categories such as collectibles and recommerce, and navigate a more competitive online retail environment in the aftermath of the pandemic boost.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/martinadilicosa/2026/02/26/ebay-lays-off-6-of-global-workforce/
