Back in the 1990′s, a man by the name of Pierre Omidyar, who had a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, received a complaint from his then girlfriend (now wife) — a collector of Pez dispensers — that there wasn’t any easy way for her to connect with other collectors for trading. Pierre, in his efforts to sooth his girlfriend’s suffering, built the precursor to what would become the world’s largest online auction.

Or, at least, that’s the corporate line the marketing boys came up with. It does make for a great story, and chances are there is a lot of truth to it, although certainly with a marketing twist. However, why Pierre started the online auction revolution isn’t important. What’s important is that it changed the World Wide Web, and the world, forever.

That first software program would eventually become AuctionWeb, the first online auction. Pierre would go on to be the first online auction seller after listing a non-working laser pointer which, astonishingly, sold for $15.

Initially, sellers were allowed to list items for free. But when supporting AuctionWeb’s users became too overwhelming, Pierre decided to start charging 10 cents to list an item in the hopes it would thin out the herd. In fact, it did nothing to reduce the number of sellers. Instead, listings continued to grow. Rumor has it that some sellers would snail mail Pierre a dime taped to a postcard in order to pay for their listing.

It was time to bring on some serious talent. Stanford man Jeff Skoll was called upon to help manage the exponentially growing business, now called eBay. Later on, a suicidal Jim Griffith — an active participant of AuctionWeb’s, and later eBay’s, member-run support boards — was brought on as the first customer support representative. Jim would later recall that the phone call he received from Jeff and Pierre literally saved his life.

As eBay continued its explosive growth, experienced executive and Harvard grad Meg Whitman took the helm and saw the company through soaring stock prices when most dot-coms were dropping like flies. Many early eBay employees, who were paid largely in stock options, became millionaires.

Employees weren’t the only ones to strike it rich. The online auction giant became the platform that would support thousands of entrepreneurs who would make a full-time income, some of them hauling in six figures per month.

Although imitators have come and gone, eBay has remained through it all. Still the largest online auction website today, it continues to support thousands of sellers who make money on eBay as their sole occupation.

Striving to help others enjoy success, Stuart Lisonbee helps entrepreneurs make money on eBay by exposing the tips and tricks of eBay’s PowerSellers, including the revealing of wholesalers and dropshippers.