eBay acquired the online ticket marketplace StubHub in 2007 for approximately $310 million.
StubHub was founded in 2000 by Eric Baker and Jeff Fluhr. Its platform allowed people to buy and sell tickets for sporting events, concerts, and theater. Unlike a conventional retailer, StubHub primarily operated as a marketplace connecting buyers and sellers, with revenue generated through transaction fees.
eBay’s purchase extended its marketplace expertise into event tickets. The deal is sometimes confused with eBay’s later relationship with other ticket businesses, but StubHub was the company eBay bought in 2007. eBay eventually sold StubHub to viagogo in 2020 for about $4.05 billion.
The acquisition illustrates how online marketplaces can specialize in a particular category while using common marketplace mechanics: listings, payments, buyer protections, and fees. StubHub’s ticket inventory generally came from users and professional ticket sellers rather than from the event venues themselves.