eBay had a successful fourth quarter in 2003 with gross profit for the 3 months a record $532.9 million, 82% of net revenues. eBay said it may reach $3 billion in net revenue in 2004, a year earlier than the company had aimed for.

eBay reported financial results Wednesday for its quarter and full-year ended December 31, 2003. eBay generated consolidated net revenues of $2.17 billion in 2003, a 78% increase over the $1.21 billion reported in 2002.

eBay reported record consolidated Q4-03 net revenues of $648.4 million, up 57% year over year, and record operating income of $203.1 million, up 78% year over year.

"eBay's outstanding fourth quarter demonstrates yet again the extraordinary power of our community," said Meg Whitman, President and CEO of eBay. "Across every important metric, eBay's global momentum is rapidly accelerating. The business is delivering tremendous results and our long-term prospects couldn't be brighter."

eBay sellers listed a total of 971 million in the full year 2003, 52% higher than the 638 million listings reported in the full year 2002. Gross Merchandise Sales (GMS), the total value of items sold, was a record $24 billion, representing a 60% year-over-year increase from the $15 billion reported in the full year 2002.

eBay's fixed price trading contributed approximately $2.0 billion or 28% of total GMS during the fourth quarter, primarily from eBay's "Buy It Now" feature.

eBay said it had 94.9 million confirmed registered users at the end of the fourth quarter, and 41.2 million active users (the number of users who bid, bought or listed over the trailing 12 months).

eBay said it hosts approximately 154,000 stores worldwide. However, the company initiated store fees for the first time for certain of its international websites in early Q1-04, therefore, the number of eBay stores worldwide may decrease in future periods.

Based on Q4-03 GMS, eBay now has ten categories that deliver $1 billion or more in worldwide annualized GMS:

eBay Motors at $7.5 billion;
Consumer Electronics at $2.6 billion;
Computers at $2.4 billion;
Books/Movies/Music at $2.0 billion;
Clothing and Accessories at $1.8 billion;
Sports at $1.8 billion;
Collectibles at $1.5 billion;
Toys at $1.5 billion;
Home & Garden at $1.3 billion;
Jewelry & Gemstones at $1.3 billion.