eBay today announced two new features coming to its mobile apps this fall, called "Image Search" and "Find it on eBay," both of which leverage photography and images to fuel the discovery of new products on eBay. The company said that both new features use computer vision and deep learning to be able to find matching product listings using only images.

Image Search will be coming to iOS and Android, and allows users to take a picture of something they want to buy -- or upload an existing image from the Camera Roll -- and use it as a search tool that sifts through more than 1.1 billion eBay listings to find items that match. Find it on eBay will be Android-only at launch, and it allows shoppers on other social networks to tap a "share" card and upload the image of a product, crop it, and use it as a search tool within the eBay app.

ebay image search

“Moments of shopping inspiration can come at any time, whether you’re walking down the street or browsing your social media feed,” said Mohan Patt, Vice President of Buyer Experience, eBay. “At eBay, we’re focused on creating new complementary technology that helps our millions of shoppers easily find the things they love at the best value. eBay Image Search and Find It On eBay make it possible for people to shop eBay using any image or photo that inspires them.”

The company said it developed Image Search during its internal "Hack Week," an annual company-wide challenge that pits employees against one another in a friendly competition to discover ways to bolster eBay's marketplace using new technology. The team that had the idea for Image Search won Hack Week in 2015 and has added more members and built upon its original features in the subsequent years, with eBay noting it expects "to launch more computer vision products in the coming months."

eBay hopes the new image-focused search features will help reduce the time users spend searching for items on its marketplace with a more seamless solution, as well as occasionally present buyers with new and unexpected items that wouldn't have been discovered using traditional text searches.

Pinterest launched a similar feature earlier this year called "Lens," letting users take pictures of real-world objects to use as a search tool for related products and images on the Pinterest website and app. At the time, Pinterest noted that Lens worked best with home decor, clothing, and food, but the company said it will make continual improvements so the app can learn to recognize new items.

For its app, eBay didn't say whether specific items work best with Image Search and Find it on eBay, but today's press releases are heavily focused on clothing items. Both features will begin rolling out to eBay's mobile apps sometime this fall.

Tag: eBay

Top Rated Comments

Psypher Avatar
99 months ago
Hot dog or not?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blacktape242 Avatar
99 months ago
Hot dog or not?
you win the internet today!
[doublepost=1501088137][/doublepost]
Wait. eBay is still a thing?
ummmm yah.....I buy and sell all the time.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
99 months ago
Wait. eBay is still a thing?
Cue the EBay comments. It's more than a "Thing." Its multibillion-dollar business with operations in approximately 30 countries.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stiligFox Avatar
99 months ago
eBay lost me as a customer with its dog slow shipping and shadiness.
As an eBay seller I always get my packages out same day or next day, and ship priority mail.

And I’ve ordered products that took a week to ship and a week to get.

Don’t lump us all together please!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnysods Avatar
99 months ago
eBay lost me as a customer with its dog slow shipping and shadiness.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

Apple's Next iPhone SE Launching on Wednesday - Here's What We Know

Friday February 14, 2025 4:04 pm PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an Apple announcement that's coming on Wednesday, February 19, and it's looking like that mystery announcement will be the next-generation iPhone SE. We've been hearing about the iPhone SE 4 for quite some time now, and we essentially know everything to expect. If you want a sneak peek at what's coming, read on. Naming Apple first introduced the iPhone SE in...