eBay Live is launching in Germany

 

eBay brings its popular live shopping service, eBay Live, to Germany. As of 29 November 2025, German shoppers can watch and shop live streaming videos on the platform. But what is eBay Live, and why is it important?

 

  

What is eBay Live

Launched in 2022, eBay Live is eBay’s live shopping platform, currently available in the US, the UK, Australia, and several European countries, including France, Italy, and Germany. Sellers can live-stream videos in product categories like fashion and high-value collectibles, including coins, sports trading cards, comic books, and figurines.

 

 

Timestamped screenshot of the homepage of ebay.de/ebaylive taken with our free browser extension, screenseal

 

Get screenseal for Google Chrome now

   

   

True to eBay’s nature, live stream shoppers can either purchase goods right away or participate in auctions. Soft close bidding is available in select auctions, which means that if a bid comes in during the last few minutes of the auction, the deadline is automatically extended to give other bidders a chance to catch up.

 

Although anybody can watch the live stream videos, only people with an eBay account can actually shop from them. Furthermore, buyers should be aware that their username and activity history are visible to everyone participating in the live stream.

 

 

eBay Live in numbers

eBay’s GMV in the second quarter of 2026 reached $22.4 billion, representing a 15% growth compared to the same quarter of 2025. Analysts believe this success is in large part due to eBay Live, as the GMV associated with live streaming is about 8 times the value measured in the same quarter last year.

 

In addition to actual shopping, eBay Live is also useful for keeping customers on the platform longer. As the company’s foray into live streaming is relatively new, analysts expect further growth from the segment.

 

 

Related Topics

eBay removes seller fees for private sellers

 

What is eBay’s Certified by Brand

 

eBay sniffs out fake sneakers

 

 

The live shopping industry in Germany

Live shopping (or live commerce) is a booming industry. Its global value is currently estimated to be $230.3 billion and projected to reach $2,546.5 billion by 2033. This corresponds to a CAGR of 41% between 2026 and 2033.

 

Asia holds the largest market share (66.8%), although live streaming is quickly rising in popularity in the US as well. Fashion and apparel are currently the most popular (28.1%) categories shopped via live streams. Due to the nature of live commerce, it’s not surprising that social media platforms have the largest market share (48.9%) in streaming live shopping content.

 

The European live commerce market is also on the rise, although nowhere near as popular as in Asia and the US. Currently, the market is valued at $10 billion, with 37% more European consumers participating in live shopping. Apparel and shoes are most popular with European shoppers (31% and 25% respectively), closely followed by cosmetics (20%) and electronics (18%).

 

In Germany, shoppers have watched 1.6 million viewer hours of live commerce content. Younger consumers (between 18 and 34) are responsible for over 60% of that. The most popular platforms amongst EU-based live shoppers are TikTok, Instagram, Amazon, YouTube, and Whatnot. eBay is optimistic: the company expects eBay Live to generate around $1.1 billion annual turnover in Germany by 2030.

 

 

Related topics

What is Facebook Live shopping

 

Amazon launched a live-shopping channel in the US

 

What is Whatnot?

 

 

eBay Live in the US

According to eBay’s CEO, Jamie Iannone, eBay Live is a way to create interpersonal connections. In live stream videos, sellers have the opportunity to present themselves as experts and/or fans of their products, which builds trust and connections with prospective buyers.

 

No wonder that products like collectibles are popular on eBay Live, where sellers and buyers share a certain enthusiasm about the items. Interestingly, charities like the Salvation Army also use eBay Live to raise money for their cause, further proving the notion that the platform fosters interpersonal connections.

 

As AI automation gains ground in several branches of e-Commerce, including shopping itself, Iannone believes that eBay Live caters to a segment of purchases that still requires meaningful human connections. Although routine purchases may become automated, buying collectibles or luxury fashion products still counts as a rewarding personal experience, which indicates that shoppers won’t delegate this task to AI.

 

This doesn’t mean that eBay abstains from utilizing AI. However, instead of replacing people with AI, the platform aims to use this tool to make the purchasing journey easier and more streamlined for people to enjoy.

 

 

The eBay Live launch in Germany

Launched at Comic Con Stuttgart on 29 November 2025, eBay Live is now available to selected German sellers. The first live stream was started directly at the Comic Con, offering Pokémon trading cards. As sellers of such items are often a part of the fan community, eBay Live offers them a chance to establish and strengthen their connections with their customers.

 

Prospective buyers can find all ongoing and planned Live events on eBay Live’s German landing page. Buyers with an eBay account can purchase items both via auctions and instant buys.

 

 

Screenshot of https://www.ebay.de/ebaylive/events/dgkhKLeMOdZjw7jx displaying the landing page of a random planned live shopping event

 

 

eBay Live is a relatively early adopter of live shopping in Germany, joining TikTok & Co in this developing market segment.

 

Find out all about TikTok Shop’s European entry!

 

But getting started with live commerce is not easy. This is why eBay has published a step-by-step guide for sellers just starting with eBay Live. The guide covers both technical aspects, like how to create and stream a compelling video, and marketing tips on promoting Live Events on the platform.

  

 

Protecting brands in live shopping

Fraudsters have also discovered the potential of live streaming shopping videos. As the format is excellent for forging connections with would-be buyers and hiding illicit content, larger platforms like TikTok and Amazon both set up measures to monitor live streams for counterfeit products.

 

While such efforts are necessary, action taken by e-Commerce platforms can’t replace the active measures brands should put in place to protect their invaluable IP rights.

 

If business owners are worried about the dangers of live shopping, online brand protection experts can suggest the following measures to detect and eliminate potential infringements in live streams.

 

Online monitoring services, including marketplace and social media monitoring, uncover IP-infringing videos, posts, and product listings. As fraudsters like to advertise with pictures, we’d recommend adding image monitoring to the mix to have all bases covered.

 

After detecting potentially infringing content and eliminating any false positives (e.g., authorized sellers and harmless fan pictures), the Enforcement of the brands' rights and removal of the infringing content from the internet is the next and last logical step for effective brand protection in live shopping.

 

 

Conclusion

With the arrival of eBay Live in Germany, the live shopping industry has gained another boost in Europe. Whether this segment is viable for brands depends, amongst other issues, on the nature of their products and brand image.