At any given time, most people have something they want to buy or sell. What they usually dont’t have a storefront. That is where eBay.com, the Internet’s largest auction site, can help. eBay makes it easy for people to sell virtually anything (provided it is legal), from $10 cookie jars to million-dollar beachfront houses.
storefront：店頭、店先
virtually：実質的には、ほぽ
provided that X：Xという条件で
cookie jar：クッキージャー(クッキーやお菓子を保存する容器)
beachfront：浜辺沿いの
The San Jose, California-based company started operations in 1995. At first, most auctions were for small, inexpensive items like household goods, CDs, and collectibles. Over the years, eBay has matured into a marketplace for cars, fine art, and other high-end products as well.
household goods：家庭用品
collectible： 趣味の収集品 (= collectable)
mature into X：成長してXになる
high-end：高級の、高性能の
as well：その上
The business model is simple. eBay earns money by charging sellers to list items on its website. The owner may offer an item for a fixed price, or may instead sell it by auction — that is, sell it to the person who offers the most money. There are initial listing fees, fees for special features, and final selling fees. eBay also earns money from PayPal, a website owned by eBay that allows people to send money over the Internet.
initial：最初の
With millions of items listed on the site everyday, eBay has grown into a multibillion-dollar business. For several years, eBay was one of the Internets most envied companies, and its success led to four stock splits in six years. If you had bought just a single share of eBay stock in 1998, you would have had 24 shares by 2006!
stock split：株式分割
But it hasn’t all been purchases and cream for this Internet giant. Fraud has become a major issue. Though most sellers are honest, there are more than a few crooked dealers. For instance, in 2006 a woman paid $2,400 for a wedding gown that she never received, and another woman was charged with cheating people out of more than $50,000. eBay says it is working hard to combat fraud, but with over a billion items sold on the site in 2007, that is easier said than done.
peaches and cream：すばらしい人(もの)
(ref.) beer and skittles：面白おかしいもの ※否定表現にて使用
(ref.) bowl of cherries：楽しいもの ※否定表現にて使用
giant：巨大企業
fraud：詐欺、ペテン
crooked：心の曲がった、腹黒い
cheat X out of Y：XからYをだまし取る
with：なのだから
That’s easier said than done.：言うは易く行うは難し
There have also been complaints over eBay’s fee structure. In response to eBay’s increasing fees, some sellers have turned to other sites like Overstock.com and Amazon.com.
in response to X：Xに応じて
Still, it is estimated that 1.3 million people worldwide make all or part of their 10 income by selling products on the site. And with over 15,000 employees and 100 million members, eBay remains a major company by any estimate. But its future performance, unlike its past, will probably be more solid than remarkable.
estimate：見積もる、推定する
solid：堅実な
remarkable：顕著な、注目に値する