UPDATED 18:46 PM EST, January 16, 2013
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — EBay finished last year with a flourish as bargain-hunting holiday shoppers flocked to its Internet shopping mall and digital payment service to help lift the company's fourth-quarter earnings above analyst projections.
The results announced Wednesday served as the exclamation point on the best year yet for eBay Inc., an e-commerce pioneer founded in 1995 when the concept of buying merchandise online seemed absurd.
Online shopping has since become a staple for hordes of consumers, turning eBay into a thriving business and a Wall Street favorite.
