--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first time you went to eBay, you…" description: "\"The first time you went to eBay, you probably didn't do a transaction.\" — Bill Gurley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/bill-gurley-27212_ebay_the-first-time-you-went-to-ebay-you-prob_3191708.jpg" --- # The first time you went to eBay, you probably didn't do a… ![“The first time you went to eBay, you probably didn't do a transaction.” quote by Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/bill-gurley-27212_ebay_the-first-time-you-went-to-ebay-you-prob_3191708.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/bill-gurley-27212_ebay_the-first-time-you-went-to-ebay-you-prob_3191708.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/bill-gurley-27212_ebay_the-first-time-you-went-to-ebay-you-prob_3191708.jpg) > “The first time you went to eBay, you probably didn't do a transaction.” [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. First-time users often explore platforms without committing to transactions, highlighting a learning curve before trust is built. **In simple terms:** People browse eBay before buying. Key Takeaway Build trust before expecting transactions. Themes eCommerce consumer behavior trust building Mood inquisitive strategic Type observational advisory When to use this quote - online marketplaces - first-time user onboarding Key Concepts adoption curve platform credibility Questions to Reflect On - What factors encourage a first-time buyer to complete a purchase? - How can platforms accelerate trust? A Different Perspective Transactions may be delayed due to trust issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Didn Transaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-transaction-5890043/) [Ebay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ebay/) [Ebay Probably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ebay-probably-4774418/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Probably Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probably-didn-2670472/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Transaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transaction/) [Went Ebay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/went-ebay-705568/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [In the '90s, I went on eBay to buy some paddle tires for my four-wheeler ATV and couldn't find any. When I did find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/in-the-90s-i-went-on-ebay-to-buy-some-paddle-tires-for-my-four/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [Ebay is probably the most dangerous place to hang around after a night of drinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ebay-is-probably-the-most-dangerous-place-to-hang-around-after-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you're really on top, you probably didn't do that great, 'cause you have to water it down a bit for it to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-paisley/if-you-re-really-on-top-you-probably-didn-t-do-that-great-cause-you/) [Brad Paisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-paisley/) > [“Probably she didn't bother with her hair because nothing could compete with her face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myra-mcentire/probably-she-didn-t-bother-with-her-hair-because-nothing-could/) [Myra McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myra-mcentire/) > [He who laughs last probably didn't get the joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-who-laughs-last-probably-didn-t-get-the-joke/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you don't have a nasty obituary you probably didn't matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/if-you-don-t-have-a-nasty-obituary-you-probably-didn-t-matter/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Harry Cohn did not make me. But I also feel that I probably didn't make me, either. I think it was a combination. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-novak/harry-cohn-did-not-make-me-but-i-also-feel-that-i-probably-didn-t/) [Kim Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-novak/) > [Whoever said winning isn't everything probably didn't win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whoever-said-winning-isn-t-everything-probably-didn-t-win/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I was two pavements from my destination when somebodey S-s-s-s-s'd at me. I probably didn't jump twenty feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/i-was-two-pavements-from-my-destination-when-somebodey-s-s-s-s-s-d-at/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“Some grumpy person probably didn’t get any this morning and decided to take it out on the rest of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-saincic/some-grumpy-person-probably-didn-t-get-any-this-morning-and-decided/) [Mario Saincic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-saincic/) > [“Most people probably didn't think I'd make it as a professional writer. But I couldn't follow their advice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/most-people-probably-didn-t-think-i-d-make-it-as-a-professional/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If you wish to fault the administration, it is that we didn't have a clear picture and we probably didn't do as clear a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-you-wish-to-fault-the-administration-it-is-that-we-didn-t-have-a/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [In Delhi, where I grew up, commerce is brusque. You don't ask each other how your day has been. You might not even smile.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/in-delhi-where-i-grew-up-commerce-is-brusque-you-don-t-ask-each-other/) [Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/) > [Empathy is the most mysterious transaction that the human soul can have, and it's accessible to all of us, but we have to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/empathy-is-the-most-mysterious-transaction-that-the-human-soul-can/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [The credit/debit card transaction system is antiquated, expensive, and inefficient. There are over nine steps to complete a transaction from the time a customer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perianne-boring/the-credit-debit-card-transaction-system-is-antiquated-expensive-and/) [Perianne Boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perianne-boring/) ## More by Bill Gurley > [I have never seen Jeff Bezos, Marc Benioff, or Reed Hastings complain about being public. Nor have they ever argued that being public prevented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/i-have-never-seen-jeff-bezos-marc-benioff-or-reed-hastings-complain/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [I think one thing that may have happened with both Facebook and Zynga is that they may have waited too long to go public.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/i-think-one-thing-that-may-have-happened-with-both-facebook-and-zynga/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [If one asserts that buying customers below what they charge them is a corporate strategy, this is in essence an arbitrage game, and arbitrage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/if-one-asserts-that-buying-customers-below-what-they-charge-them-is-a/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [Many consumer Internet business executives are loyalists of the Lifetime Value model, often referred to as the LTV model or formula. Lifetime value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/many-consumer-internet-business-executives-are-loyalists-of-the/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [Almost everybody who thinks about local thinks about daily deals, but companies like OpenTable and Zillow and Yelp are all getting their money from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/almost-everybody-who-thinks-about-local-thinks-about-daily-deals-but/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [There is no fear in Silicon Valley right now,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/there-is-no-fear-in-silicon-valley-right-now/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [You can't make money with a consensus accurate prediction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/you-can-t-make-money-with-a-consensus-accurate-prediction/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [Having an investor on your board of directors who is naive about public markets or finds them complex or scary is non-optimal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/having-an-investor-on-your-board-of-directors-who-is-naive-about/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [Facebook has stitched together your social graph. The idea of an interest graph is to bring together everyone that has shared interests. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/facebook-has-stitched-together-your-social-graph-the-idea-of-an/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [It's not for everybody to tweet, it's for everybody to follow. The more people figure that out, they see it's RSS-plus. It's literally the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/it-s-not-for-everybody-to-tweet-it-s-for-everybody-to-follow-the-more/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [Most firms are hierarchical in nature, with everyone getting different slices of the economic pie. The problem is those slices are negotiated every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/most-firms-are-hierarchical-in-nature-with-everyone-getting-different/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [If the goal is to build companies that maximize long-term equity value, then optimizing corporate performance in a way that Wall Street appreciates is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/if-the-goal-is-to-build-companies-that-maximize-long-term-equity/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [Marketing executives like big budgets, as big budgets make it easier to grow the top line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/marketing-executives-like-big-budgets-as-big-budgets-make-it-easier/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [No one's fearful, everyone's greedy, and it will eventually end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/no-one-s-fearful-everyone-s-greedy-and-it-will-eventually-end/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [It's really hard to run a business against somebody who is not acting as if it were in business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/it-s-really-hard-to-run-a-business-against-somebody-who-is-not-acting/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) [Explore all 21 Bill Gurley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) ## More Ebay quotes > [When you're paid $29 for something and 30 or 40 years later you're seeing it on eBay with pages going for $199 or more, it's like, "Dammit!"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royer/when-you-re-paid-29-for-something-and-30-or-40-years-later-you-re/) [Mike Royer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royer/) > [I toyed with making portraits based on people's discarded shopping lists found on the street, or old diaries bought on eBay, or other forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-blackall/i-toyed-with-making-portraits-based-on-people-s-discarded-shopping/) [Sophie Blackall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-blackall/) > [A captivating moment was when I realized that people, including myself, were not saying, 'I just bought an item on eBay.' They were saying,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-meeker/a-captivating-moment-was-when-i-realized-that-people-including-myself/) [Mary Meeker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-meeker/) > [eBay's business is based on enabling someone to do business with another person, and to do that, they first have to develop some measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/ebay-s-business-is-based-on-enabling-someone-to-do-business-with/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [The pace at eBay was frantic and urgent. We knew that if we didn't move fast, somebody would come into the market and quash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-skoll/the-pace-at-ebay-was-frantic-and-urgent-we-knew-that-if-we-didn-t/) [Jeffrey Skoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-skoll/) > [I usually bring a point and shoot with me so I can go out on the weekends and shoot a bit. I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-yelchin/i-usually-bring-a-point-and-shoot-with-me-so-i-can-go-out-on-the/) [Anton Yelchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-yelchin/) > [BLACKBERRY. Also know as "Crackberry" for it's addictive qualities. It is the modern girl's weapon. It allow her to bid on ebay while walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-garcia/blackberry-also-know-as-crackberry-for-it-s-addictive-qualities-it-is/) [Nina Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-garcia/) > [Today, over one million people now make their living on eBay, which is astounding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niklas-zennstrom/today-over-one-million-people-now-make-their-living-on-ebay-which-is/) [Niklas Zennstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niklas-zennstrom/) > [The federal government... announced a plan to spend, like, a trillion of taxpayer dollars to buy out bad mortgages and debt. Wall Street was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/the-federal-government-announced-a-plan-to-spend-like-a-trillion-of/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [The only thing I collect is art. I collect it because I like looking at it. A lot of it is really personal stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/the-only-thing-i-collect-is-art-i-collect-it-because-i-like-looking/) [Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/) > [Here's the thing: If you're so far left you actually believe that somebody owes you a job, citizenship and a heart transplant, you're mentally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/here-s-the-thing-if-you-re-so-far-left-you-actually-believe-that/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [I love my kids, they are amazing children, but they drive me bananas sometimes. And sometimes, I want to sell them on eBay... but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-aselton/i-love-my-kids-they-are-amazing-children-but-they-drive-me-bananas/) [Katie Aselton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-aselton/) > [What, eBay isn't good enough for us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/what-ebay-isn-t-good-enough-for-us/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [What's an eBay?" "A mythical place of great magical power." - Jace Wayland and Clary Fray (City of Bones)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/what-s-an-ebay-a-mythical-place-of-great-magical-power-jace-wayland/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [If you can't play as good or as fast as me, just give up, sell your guitar on eBay and kill yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-petrucci/if-you-can-t-play-as-good-or-as-fast-as-me-just-give-up-sell-your/) [John Petrucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-petrucci/) [Browse all 104 Ebay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ebay/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first time you went to eBay, you probably didn't do a transaction.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Gurley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/the-first-time-you-went-to-ebay-you-probably-didn-t-do-a-transaction/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ebay" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/the-first-time-you-went-to-ebay-you-probably-didn-t-do-a-transaction/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/bill-gurley-27212_ebay_the-first-time-you-went-to-ebay-you-prob_3191708.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/bill-gurley-27212_ebay_the-first-time-you-went-to-ebay-you-prob_3191708.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/bill-gurley-27212_ebay_the-first-time-you-went-to-ebay-you-prob_3191708.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The first time you went to eBay, you probably didn't do a transaction.” — Bill Gurley", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bill Gurley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The first time you went to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/the-first-time-you-went-to-ebay-you-probably-didn-t-do-a-transaction/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/the-first-time-you-went-to-ebay-you-probably-didn-t-do-a-transaction/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```