The Businesses That eBay Built

For someone who's interested in starting a retail business, I can't think of a more perfect incubator than eBay(EBAY Quote).

The auction site, now in its 12th year, is the world's most robust online marketplace, serving up more than $44 billion in sales every year. Nearly a quarter of all Internet purchases occur on eBay, and every day a worldwide audience of millions visits the site.

eBay can be credited with creating thousands -- and more likely millions -- of jobs over the last decade by enabling people who once worked for someone else to go into business for themselves. In fact, more than two million Americans supplement their salaries by selling on eBay. Of those, 724,000 draw most, if not all, of their income from their online auction sales. ...