While is a relative newcomer to television advertising, its US counterpart is a big media spender, with a budget of $85m (拢45m) in 2003, according to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR.
In the first half of last year alone, eBay was estimated to have spent around $40m.
Goodby Silverstein, based in San Francisco, created an advertising campaign for the online auction company based around the strapline "Do it eBay", using famous songs such as Frank Sinatra's 'My Way'.
However, the company cut its spending last year and dropped the original strategy for a new strapline "The power of all of us".
Ebay.co.uk retains Delaney Lund Knox Warren & Partners for its estimated 拢3m advertising. The agency developed the first television work for the UK site last year, using the theme "Buy it. Sell it. Love it".
Founded in California in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar, eBay claims 114m users in 29 markets and 25m items for sale at any one time.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .