eBayfor iOS

The eBay app keeps your favorite items front and center. Browse and buy the time-saving way.

All your favorite things at your fingertips

Buyers, sellers, and tire kickers will love the official eBay app. Focus on what matters to you - stuff, stuff, glorious stuff.

The eBay iPhone app is an official download. You can access your eBay account and start the bidding from anywhere. Once you sign into your account (or create a new one), you’ll be greeted with a nice, clean home page hub. The app looks better than the browser-based application.

Shoppers, start your browsing

You’ll be presented with categories that include your recently viewed items, your watched items, and the categories the service believes will interest you based on your past browsing sessions.

The auction site’s algorithm’s have nailed it because it’s dead on. Ir doesn’t take much browsing for eBay to figure you out.

With images large enough to see items you’ve been interested in, but not so large as to dominate the screen, the app makes it a snap to jump back into browsing.
Add in the title and the price displayed below and you’ve got a nice memory job without a lot of extra clicking around.

If you find something you need, you can tap the screen to open up the full view of the product. Just like in the browser version, you can read the detailed listing, view more images (if available), and take a look at the seller’s rating and recent feedback.

The only downside to this view are the occasional ads. They aren’t overly intrusive or invasive. But it is worth noting that, just like with the rest of the shopping apps, you’ll have to work around ads as you sift through products and read item details.

Discover more of what you love

Perhaps the best part of the app is the ability to dive into the experience. Buttons across the top offer up additional categories like selling, deals, categories, and saved. The saved category is where the magic happens.

Add in your own saved search so you can receive an email whenever an item is listed that matches your criteria. Do you want to spend less time scrolling through products? You can add in your interests.

A slew of categories are accompanied by subcategories.

The first question asks, “What do you love?” followed by buttons for different categories. “Tech,” for example, offers subcategories like smart home, photography, remote control toys, and virtual reality. Tap on the things that fit your style. The app will ask about things you love, what you’re a fan of, your favorite activities, and your style. As before, each question is followed by items to pick among. Access the categories separately or edit your list anytime.

Over time, you’ll receive suggestions on deals, brands, and styles based on what the service thinks you’ll enjoy. The more you answer, the better the service gets at matching your likes so you can view even more of the things you’ll love. It might just be the best way to find new or vintage things you didn’t know existed. The eBay app is the smarter way to shop for things.

Did you find something you want? Just like in the browser-based version, tap on the buttons to buy it now, add to cart, or watch an item. Buying an item is fast and does mimic the browser experience so there’s no learning curve there. You won’t find an easier way to revisit your favorites.

Streamlined browsing and buying

If you need more buying inspo, you can find other items to tickle your fancy with a browse through the categories. The app does an excellent job of displaying catchy categories.

As with the rest of the areas on the app, you won’t find lines of text. Images accompany each category - and they always feature the latest and greatest trend.

Where can you run this program?

The Ebay app is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. You’ll need iOS 11.0 or later to run the program.

Is there a better alternative?

Etsy, eBay, Amazon, and Letgo offer up tons of items to buy, but some platforms cater more to a specific buyer or seller. Etsy and Letgo offer items for sale, but Etsy is more for the handcrafted, homemade crowd and Letgo focuses on used items located within your driving range.

Amazon is the obvious pick in terms of closest competition. Like eBay, it focuses on buying and selling used and new items in a huge range of categories. But Amazon doesn’t have an all-in-one app like eBay. To use Amazon’s various products and services, you have to download more apps. It’s an irritating move, especially if you don’t have a lot of space on your phone. When it comes to sheer product volume, Amazon nets the win. While eBay is no slouch in the item selection department, the ability to read long reviews and rifle through customer uploaded images make Amazon the easier way to weigh shopping decisions.

Once you know what you want, however, the eBay app is the way to go. Browsing is easy and satisfying. The online bidding site offers seamless transitions to every part of the treasure hunting process, from browsing to the final checkout. The auction app features a nicer interface, less self promotion, and a better way to view categories compared to its competitors. It feels like the faster way to find your new favorite thing.

Our take

For bidding on the go, eBay’s app is still the best way to keep tabs on the items you love. It’s fast, light, and intuitive.

Should you download it?

Yes. Keeping up with your sales and bidding is made better with the app. It’s surprisingly sleek, simple to use, and makes browsing for online auction deals fun again.