What was the first item sold on eBay, originally called AuctionWeb, in 1995?

The first item sold on eBay, then called AuctionWeb, was a broken laser pointer.

Pierre Omidyar founded AuctionWeb in 1995 as an online auction marketplace. The laser pointer was listed as a used item and sold for $14.83. Omidyar reportedly contacted the buyer to check whether the buyer understood that the pointer was broken; the buyer said he collected broken laser pointers.

The anecdote became part of eBay’s origin story because it illustrated an early principle of the marketplace: the platform did not need to predict what every customer wanted. It could connect a highly specific seller and buyer through an auction format.

The company later adopted the name eBay, which became one of the best-known online marketplaces. The first sale was not a valuable collectible or an electronic device in working condition. That distinction is why the broken laser pointer is often cited whenever eBay’s earliest transaction is discussed.