eBay hits mobile milestones

eBay is reporting some pretty big numbers for mobile.

The San Jose, Calif., e-commerce giant says its mobile apps have been downloaded 100 million times since being launched in late 2008, while users have listed 100 million items on its auction site using mobile devices. The apps have been downloaded 25 million times in the last six months alone, the company said.

"We are taking a mobile first approach to the business, drawing on four years of leading mobile commerce, and continually making our experience more personalized and relevant to the customer," Steve Yankovich, vice president of eBay Mobile, said in a press release.

Whatever eBay's doing seems to be working. Mobile presents a big opportunity for companies, but many are struggling to develop strong strategies for such devices. Social-networking giant Facebook, for example, has yet to figure out how to generate revenue from smartphones and tablets.

Meanwhile, eBay expects to transact mobile volumes of about $10 billion this year, double 2011's level. In 2011, eBay's gross merchandise volume, excluding vehicles, totaled $60.3 billion.

And the number of downloads for eBay's mobile app downloads is about equal to the number of its active users. The company in July reported that, as of the second quarter, 113.2 million users had listed or made purchases on eBay in the past 12 months.

Here's an infographic with more details, courtesy of eBay: