Online business has become a large, measurable part of the retail economy. U.S. retail e-commerce sales reached $1.2337 trillion in 2025 and represented 16.4% of total retail sales, according to the Census Bureau Q4 2025 release. The figures below show how that broad market connects with platforms, marketplaces, sellers, buyers, and digital services.
Contents
- U.S. e-commerce growth
- Shopify platform statistics
- Etsy sellers and buyers
- Etsy buyer behavior
- eBay marketplace scale
- Amazon online business revenue
U.S. e-commerce growth
The Census Bureau’s quarterly releases provide a consistent view of seasonally adjusted U.S. retail e-commerce sales. The measure is useful for seeing the size of online retail while accounting for regular seasonal patterns.
| Quarter | Seasonally adjusted sales | Share of total retail sales |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 2024 | $289.2 billion | 15.9% |
| Q2 2024 | $291.6 billion | 16.0% |
| Q3 2024 | $300.1 billion | 16.2% |
| Q4 2024 | $308.9 billion | 16.2% |
| Q1 2025 | $300.2 billion | Not stated |
| Q2 2025 | $304.2 billion | 16.3% |
| Q3 2025 | $310.3 billion | 16.4% |
| Q4 2025 | $316.1 billion | 16.6% |
Seasonally adjusted sales rose from $289.2 billion in Q1 2024 to $308.9 billion in Q4 2024. The Q1 2025 figure was $300.2 billion and was virtually unchanged from Q4 2024. Sales then increased to $304.2 billion in Q2, $310.3 billion in Q3, and $316.1 billion in Q4 2025. The share of total retail sales reached 16.6% in Q4 2025.
The Census Bureau reported a different pattern for unadjusted quarterly totals because those figures retain seasonal effects. Unadjusted e-commerce sales were $268.1 billion in Q1 2024, $282.3 billion in Q2, $288.8 billion in Q3, and $345.9 billion in Q4. Their shares of total sales were 15.6%, 15.2%, 15.6%, and 17.8%, respectively.
For 2025, unadjusted sales were $275.7 billion in Q1, $292.9 billion in Q2, $299.6 billion in Q3, and $365.2 billion in Q4. The corresponding shares were 15.9%, 15.5%, 15.8%, and 18.3%. Comparing adjusted and unadjusted figures requires care: they are different presentations of quarterly activity, not two separate online markets.
Shopify platform statistics
Shopify’s 2024 annual report shows the scale of a platform supporting independent and established merchants. Shopify revenue rose 26% to $8.9 billion in 2024. Merchants in more than 175 countries generated $292 billion in gross merchandise volume, or GMV, up 24% year over year. Shopify also surpassed $1 trillion in cumulative GMV processed through its platform during 2024.
More than 875 million unique online shoppers purchased from a Shopify brand in 2024. Shopify generated $1.6 billion in free cash flow, and its free cash flow margin was 18%, up from 13% in 2023. These are company-level financial and audience measures; GMV is the value of merchandise transacted through the platform rather than Shopify’s own revenue.
The surrounding business ecosystem was also substantial. More than 13,000 apps were available in the Shopify App Store as of September 30, 2024, according to Shopify’s Q3 2024 release. In the first nine months of 2024, the platform facilitated $197.8 billion of GMV, up 23% from the same period in 2023.
Shopify Payments adoption varied by region as of December 31, 2024. Adoption where available was 91% in North America, 90% in APAC, and 86% in EMEA. The EMEA figure was up from 81% a year earlier. For people building an online business, these figures describe the scale of the platform infrastructure and payment adoption, not the typical performance of an individual store.
Etsy sellers and buyers
Etsy’s 2024 annual report reported 8.1 million active sellers and 95.5 million active buyers across its marketplaces as of December 31, 2024. Within the Etsy marketplace specifically, there were 5.6 million active sellers and 89.6 million active buyers. The distinction matters because the consolidated figures include Etsy’s marketplaces beyond the Etsy marketplace itself.
Etsy’s consolidated 2024 GMS was $12.6 billion, while Etsy marketplace GMS was $10.9 billion. Reverb contributed $917.9 million in GMS and Depop contributed $788.9 million. Etsy’s 2024 revenue was $2.8 billion, net income was $303.3 million, and Adjusted EBITDA was $781.5 million. Its Adjusted EBITDA margin was 27.8%.
| Etsy measure | 2024 result | Scope or date |
|---|---|---|
| Active sellers | 8.1 million | Consolidated, Dec. 31, 2024 |
| Active buyers | 95.5 million | Consolidated, Dec. 31, 2024 |
| Marketplace sellers | 5.6 million | Etsy marketplace, Dec. 31, 2024 |
| Marketplace buyers | 89.6 million | Etsy marketplace, Dec. 31, 2024 |
| Consolidated GMS | $12.6 billion | Full year 2024 |
| Etsy marketplace GMS | $10.9 billion | Full year 2024 |
These measures illustrate two ways to understand online business opportunity. A marketplace can provide access to an existing buyer audience, while the seller still operates within the marketplace’s rules, tools, and economics. The GMS figures measure transaction value and should not be read as seller income or platform revenue.
Etsy buyer behavior
Etsy reported that approximately 48% of its active buyers were repeat buyers in 2024. Repeat buyers averaged 4.9 purchase days per year, down from 5.0 in 2020. This measure counts purchase days rather than necessarily counting individual items or orders.
Etsy also reported that habitual buyers represented 7% of active buyers in 2024 but about 41% of 2024 GMS. That contrast shows how a relatively small buyer segment can account for a large share of marketplace transaction value. It does not establish that the same relationship applies to every online business or product category.
GMS per active buyer on a trailing-twelve-month basis was $121 in Q4 2024, down 3.5% year over year, according to Etsy’s Q4 2024 release. For the full year, transactions outside U.S. domestic accounted for approximately 46% of Etsy’s total GMS, according to the 2024 annual report. The geography is important when interpreting the marketplace’s audience and sales activity.
For a personal brand or career-oriented entrepreneur, these numbers can help separate audience size from purchasing behavior. A large registered or active audience does not automatically mean high spending per buyer. Repeat purchasing, habitual purchasing, international activity, and trailing-twelve-month spend are different measurements and should remain separate in business planning.
eBay marketplace scale
eBay had 134 million active buyers at the end of 2024 and 2.3 billion live listings globally, according to its 2024 annual report. The listing figure reflects the breadth of inventory available on the marketplace; it is not a count of completed transactions.
eBay generated $10.283 billion in net revenues in 2024 and reported $74.667 billion in GMV. Its 2024 take rate was 13.77%. A take rate relates marketplace revenue to GMV, while net revenue is the company’s reported revenue measure. They answer different questions about the platform’s economics.
International activity was significant: 49% of eBay’s GMV was generated outside the United States in 2024. As with Etsy’s international GMS measure, this is a geographic mix statistic rather than a forecast of any individual seller’s cross-border sales.
The eBay figures also show why online business statistics need defined terms. Active buyers describe marketplace participants, live listings describe supply, GMV describes transaction value, and net revenues describe platform revenue. None of those measures alone describes profitability for an independent seller.
Amazon online business revenue
Amazon’s 2025 annual report provides reported net sales by major online-business-related category for 2024 and 2025. In 2024, online stores net sales were $247.029 billion, third-party seller services net sales were $156.146 billion, advertising services net sales were $56.214 billion, and subscription services net sales were $44.374 billion. Amazon’s consolidated net sales were $637.959 billion.
The same annual report reported higher 2025 amounts: online stores net sales of $269.287 billion, third-party seller services net sales of $172.162 billion, advertising services net sales of $68.635 billion, and subscription services net sales of $49.619 billion. Consolidated net sales rose to $716.924 billion.
| Amazon net sales category | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Online stores | $247.029 billion | $269.287 billion |
| Third-party seller services | $156.146 billion | $172.162 billion |
| Advertising services | $56.214 billion | $68.635 billion |
| Subscription services | $44.374 billion | $49.619 billion |
| Consolidated net sales | $637.959 billion | $716.924 billion |
Amazon’s categories show that online business is not limited to direct product sales. Third-party seller services represent a separate reported revenue stream from Amazon’s online stores, while advertising and subscriptions represent additional digital monetization channels. The reported values are annual net sales for Amazon, not estimates of the revenue earned by individual sellers, creators, or personal brands.
Taken together, the Census Bureau, Shopify, Etsy, eBay, and Amazon figures describe an online business environment with several layers: national retail demand, merchant platforms, marketplace audiences, seller supply, buyer repetition, advertising, payments, and subscriptions. Keeping those layers and measurement periods explicit makes the statistics more useful for evaluating a digital business or career opportunity.