what percent of ebays successful auction transactions, as measured in
dollars and number, are between buyers and sellers within a distance
of 5 miles? And, what is the source referenced?

I saw this question and couldn't help but post a quick comment.

eBay, as with many companies today, is serious about the business
analytics that are used to track nearly every aspect of the business.
This said I do know that they guard this information very closely.

This is a very hard question to answer because eBay will only share
some information with sellers that subscribe to varying levels of
Store. The problem here is that store operators are not permited to
share this data externally. It might be possible to contact large
sellers to determine the statistic that you seek, from there
perspective.

Here are some of the many statistical problems that you will find:

1. Statistics will vary by seller based on the following:
  a. Sales Volume
  b. Categorie or Categories of sale
  c. Exact product mix
  d. Seller reputation
  e. Time of day listings are started and end
  f. Listing duration
  g. Location of the seller
  h. Average Selling Price
2. This statistic would need a substantial sample to obtain any
menaningful analytics

I would assume, based on my personal experience with eBay and as an
eBay seller that you will find a very small number of buyers that are
within 5 miles of the seller.

From my business I can say that I see a considerable variance in
location based on my product mix. For example I find a significant
number of customers that seek 2002 Olympic Memorabilia from the Metro
Salt Lake City area. While my business was located in this area I
would easily see 10% of customers within 5 miles, 60% within 30 miles
and less than 20% outside of the state.

I have operated computer component oriented eBay businesses from both
rural and metropolitan locations. Statistically they are very similar
with less than 1 in 1000 customers located within 5 miles I can say
that I do see roughly 1 in 300 transactions within 25 or 30 miles.

So basically, because eBay is such a global market, it is not common
to see local business unless you are targeting the local pickup market
or a product line with significant interest locally. This is further
complicted by the fact that every seller will experience different
results based on there location (if a seller is close to a significant
population of eBay members the possibility of a local transaction
increases)

I hope this helps.