Q 01/05

Who founded eBay in September 1995?

A) Jeff Bezos

B) Meg Whitman

C) Pierre Omidyar

D) Jeff Skoll

Answer · why

C) Pierre Omidyar

The French-born Iranian-American programmer built it as a hobby site to make some extra money.

Q 02/05

What was eBay originally called?

A) BidNet

B) AuctionWeb

C) Echo Bay

D) OnlineAuction

Answer · why

B) AuctionWeb

It was renamed eBay in September 1997 after Omidyar's consulting firm, Echo Bay Technology Group.

Q 03/05

What was the first item ever sold on the site, for $14.83?

A) A broken laser pointer

B) A Pez dispenser

C) A Beanie Baby

D) A used modem

Answer · why

A) A broken laser pointer

Omidyar checked whether the buyer knew it was broken; the man replied that he collected broken laser pointers.

Q 04/05

The story that eBay was founded so Omidyar's fiancée could trade Pez dispensers is what?

A) True and confirmed by Omidyar

B) A myth invented by a PR manager in 1997

C) A joke from a Saturday Night Live sketch

D) A story from a rival auction site

Answer · why

B) A myth invented by a PR manager in 1997

The tale was fabricated to interest the media and has been repeated ever since.

Q 05/05

Why did Omidyar shorten the name from Echo Bay to eBay?

A) echobay.com was already owned by a gold-mining company

B) Echo Bay was trademarked by a record label

C) The longer name did not fit on a business card

D) A survey found users preferred short names

Answer · why

A) echobay.com was already owned by a gold-mining company

Echo Bay Mines held the domain, so eBay.com it was.