EBay

online auction site, originally intended for trading Pez dispensers

http://www.ebay.com/

went public on September 21, 1998

acquired PayPal on October 14, 2002

Things I learned from The Perfect Store

Pierre Omidyar was already a millionaire.

In the early days, buyers had to send checks to sellers, then wait for the check to clear, before stuff was sent to them. And EBay got paid by check (and cash) also.

They were Cash Flow Positive from the beginning.

The Pez Dispenser Creation Myth is a lie, concocted by their PR person.