eBay, an American multinational e-commerce corporation, was founded by Pierre Omidyar, an Iranian-American computer programmer, on September 3, 1995, in San Jose, California. Originally known as AuctionWeb, the platform was later rebranded as eBay in September 1997. eBay was the first online auction platform that facilitated person-to-person transactions. The website serves as a marketplace for both customer-to-customer and business-to-consumer sales, operating in 32 countries as of 2019. Users from around the world utilize eBay to buy and sell a wide range of products, including collectibles, appliances, decor, equipment, furnishings, domain names, and vehicles. In addition to traditional sales, eBay also hosts online auctions. While the platform allows the auctioning of various legal items, some products such as firearms and ammunition are prohibited under the eBay Prohibited and Restricted Items Policy.