The Tel Aviv shoreline. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Israel was the world’s second-largest online commerce consumer per capita in 2017 — second only to China — according to e-commerce giant eBay.

Israelis bought products on eBay every two seconds and sold items every three seconds on average in 2017, the company said.

Israelis bought 17 million items via eBay in 2017 — a 6 percent increase from the previous year — totaling $425 billion. The average purchase cost was $25.

Israelis sold more than 10 million items over the course of the year — a daily average of 30,000 items — a 50 percent increase from 2016. Some 47,000 new buyers from Israel used eBay in 2017.

“A tail light for a Ford Focus, which costs 1,000 shekels [$283] in Israel, is sold on eBay for 450 shekels [$127]. Even the mechanics admitted they buy from us,” said Elad Goldenberg, the head of eBay’s Israel unit.

Israelis purchased about 700,000 vehicle parts through the company last year. They also bought 633 cars, yachts, and motorcycles, including a large number of luxury or antique vehicles: 52 Chevrolet Corvettes and 32 Ford Mustangs alone.

In addition, Israelis bought 750,000 sports items, 70,000 pairs of running shoes, and 180,000 bicycles. They also spent over $1 million in virtual reality equipment, drones, and speakers.

Some 35,000 Israelis sold items through eBay in 2017, with 8,500 of the sellers earning a living by doing so. Israelis sold two million items for the home and garden, one million beauty and health care items, hundreds of thousands of jewelry items and watches, and 50,000 anti-aging products.

Young Israelis also placed second worldwide in online purchases, after the British. Young Israelis bought products three times a month on average and spent 66 shekels ($18) per purchase — mostly buying electronic gadgets, video games, and electrical appliances.