Note 1 - The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Disclosure [Abstract]
The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies The Company We are a global technology company that enables commerce through three reportable segments: Marketplaces, Payments and GSI. Our Marketplaces segment includes our eBay.com platform and its localized counterparts and our other online platforms, such as our online classifieds businesses and StubHub. Our Payments segment is comprised of PayPal, Bill Me Later and Zong. Our GSI segment consists of GSI, which was added upon the completion of our acquisition of GSI on June 17, 2011. The results of our GSI segment have been included in our consolidated results of operations from the acquisition date. We are required to comply with various regulations worldwide in order to operate our businesses, particularly our Payments business. We also partner with banks and other financial institutions in order to offer our Payments services globally. Changes in regulations, non-compliance with regulations or loss of key bank or financial institution partners could have a significant adverse impact on our ability to operate our Payments business; therefore, we monitor these areas closely to mitigate potential adverse impacts. When we refer to “we,” “our,” “us” or “eBay” in this document, we mean the current Delaware corporation (eBay Inc.) and its California predecessor, as well as all of our consolidated subsidiaries. Use of estimates The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to provisions for transaction and loan losses, legal contingencies, income taxes, revenue recognition, stock-based compensation, goodwill and the recoverability of intangible assets. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Principles of consolidation and basis of presentation The accompanying financial statements are consolidated and include the financial statements of eBay Inc., our wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries and variable interest entities ("VIEs") if we are the primary beneficiary. Ownership interests of minority interests are recorded as a non-controlling interest. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. A qualitative approach is applied to assess the consolidation requirement for VIEs. Investments in entities where we hold at least a 20% ownership interest and have the ability to exercise significant influence, but not control, over the investee are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. For such investments, our share of the investees' results of operations is included in interest and other, net and our investment balance is included in long-term investments. Investments in entities where we hold less than a 20% ownership interest are generally accounted for using the cost method of accounting, and our share of the investees' results of operations is included in our consolidated statement of income to the extent dividends are received. We have evaluated all subsequent events through the date the financial statements were issued. Revenue recognition Our Marketplaces segment generates net transaction revenues primarily from listing and final value fees paid by sellers. Listing fee revenues are recognized ratably over the estimated period of the listing, while revenues related to final value fees are recognized at the time that the transaction is successfully concluded. An auction transaction is considered successfully concluded when at least one buyer has bid above the seller's specified minimum price or reserve price, whichever is higher, at the end of the transaction term. Our Payments segment earns net transaction revenues primarily from processing transactions for customers. Revenues resulting from a payment processing transaction are recognized once the transaction is completed. Our GSI segment generates net transaction revenues primarily from providing ecommerce technology, order processing, fulfillment and customer care services to its clients. The revenues can be fixed or variable and are based on the activity performed and/or the value of merchandise sold. Revenues are recognized as the underlying activity is performed or upon shipment of the underlying merchandise. Our marketing services and other revenues, included in all of our segments, are derived principally from the sale of advertisements, revenue sharing arrangements, classifieds fees, marketing service fees and lead referral fees, as well as the revenues described in the next paragraph. Our advertising revenues are derived principally from the sale of online advertisements. The duration of our advertising contracts has ranged from one week to five years, but is generally one week to one year. Advertising revenues on contracts are recognized as “impressions” (i.e., the number of times that an advertisement appears in pages viewed by users of our websites) are delivered, or as “clicks” (which are generated each time users on our websites click through our text-based advertisements to an advertiser's designated website) are provided to advertisers. For contracts with minimum monthly or quarterly advertising commitments where the fee and commitments are fixed throughout the term, we recognize revenue ratably over the term of the agreement. Some of our advertising contracts consist of multiple elements which generally include a blend of various impressions and clicks as well as other marketing deliverables. Where neither vendor-specific objective evidence nor third-party evidence of selling price exists, we use management's best estimate of selling price (BESP) to allocate arrangement consideration on a relative basis to each element. BESP is generally based on the selling prices of the various elements when they are sold to customers of a similar nature and geography on a stand-alone basis or estimated stand-alone pricing when the element has not previously been sold stand-alone. These estimates are generally based on pricing strategies, market factors and strategic objectives. Revenues related to revenue sharing arrangements are recognized based on revenue reports received from our partners, provided that collectability is reasonably assured. Revenues related to fees for listing items on our classified websites are recognized over the estimated period of the classified listing. Lead referral fee revenue is generated from lead referral fees based on the number of times a user clicks through to a merchant's website from our websites. Lead referral fees are recognized in the period in which the user clicks through to the merchant's website. Our other revenues are derived principally from contractual arrangements with third parties that provide services to our users, interest earned on certain PayPal customer account balances and interest and fees earned on the Bill Me Later portfolio of loan receivables. Revenues from contractual arrangements with third parties are recognized as the contracted services are delivered to end users. Interest income on certain PayPal customer balances is recognized when earned. Interest and fees earned on the Bill Me Later portfolio of loan receivables are computed and recognized based on contractual interest and fee rates, and are net of any required reserves and amortization of deferred origination costs. To drive traffic to our websites, we provide incentives to our users in the form of coupons and buyer and seller rewards. These incentives are generally treated as reductions in revenue. Internal use software and website development costs Direct costs incurred to develop software for internal use and website development costs are capitalized and amortized over an estimated useful life of one to five years. During the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, we capitalized costs, primarily related to labor and stock-based compensation, of $285 million, $212 million and $193 million, respectively. Amortization of previously capitalized amounts was $184 million, $166 million and $147 million for 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Costs related to the design or maintenance of internal use software and website development are expensed as incurred. Advertising expense We expense the costs of producing advertisements at the time production occurs and expense the cost of communicating advertisements in the period during which the advertising space or airtime is used as sales and marketing expense. Internet advertising expenses are recognized based on the terms of the individual agreements, which is generally over the greater of the ratio of the number of impressions delivered over the total number of contracted impressions, on a pay-per-click basis, or on a straight-line basis over the term of the contract. Advertising expense totaled $1.1 billion, $977 million and $808 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Stock-based compensation We issue two types of stock-based awards to employees: restricted stock units (including performance-based restricted stock units) and stock options. We primarily issue restricted stock units. We determine compensation expense associated with restricted stock units based on the fair value of our common stock on the date of grant. We determine compensation expense associated with stock options based on the estimated grant date fair value method using the Black-Scholes valuation model. We generally recognize compensation expense using a straight-line amortization method over the respective vesting period for awards that are ultimately expected to vest. Accordingly, stock-based compensation expense for 2012, 2011 and 2010 has been reduced for estimated forfeitures. When estimating forfeitures, we consider voluntary termination behaviors as well as trends of actual option forfeitures. We recognize a benefit from stock-based compensation in equity to the extent that an incremental tax benefit is realized by following the ordering provisions of the tax law. In addition, we account for the indirect effects of stock-based compensation on the research tax credit and the foreign tax credit through our consolidated statement of income. Provision for transaction losses We are exposed to losses due to payment card and other payment misuse, as well as non-performance of and credit losses from sellers. Provisions for these items represent our estimate of actual losses based on our historical experience and actuarial techniques, as well as economic conditions. Provision for transaction losses includes PayPal's transaction loss expense as well as losses resulting from our customer protection programs on and off our platforms. Income taxes We account for income taxes using an asset and liability approach, which requires the recognition of taxes payable or refundable for the current year and deferred tax liabilities and assets for the future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in our financial statements or tax returns. The measurement of current and deferred tax assets and liabilities is based on provisions of enacted tax laws; the effects of future changes in tax laws or rates are not anticipated. If necessary, the measurement of deferred tax assets is reduced by the amount of any tax benefits that are not expected to be realized based on available evidence. We report a liability for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. We recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. Cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents are short-term, highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less when purchased and are mainly comprised of bank deposits, money market funds and commercial paper. Allowance for doubtful accounts and authorized credits We record our allowance for doubtful accounts based upon our assessment of various factors. We consider historical experience, the age of the accounts receivable balances, credit quality of our customers, current economic conditions and other factors that may affect our customers' ability to pay. The allowance for doubtful accounts and authorized credits was $89 million and $87 million at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Loans and interest receivable, net Loans and interest receivable represent purchased consumer receivables arising from loans made by a partner chartered financial institution to individual consumers in the U.S. to purchase goods and services through our Bill Me Later merchant network. The terms of the consumer relationship require us to submit monthly bills to the consumer detailing loan repayment requirements. The terms also allow us to charge the consumer interest and fees in certain circumstances. Due to the relatively small dollar amount of individual loans and interest receivable, we do not require collateral on these balances. Allowance for loans and interest receivable The allowance for loans and interest receivable represents management's estimate of probable losses inherent in our Bill Me Later portfolio. The provision related to the principal is included in provision of transaction and loan losses and the provision related to the interest is recorded as a reduction of marketing services and other revenue. The allowance for loans and interest receivable represents management's estimate of probable losses inherent in our Bill Me Later portfolio, which is considered to be of one segment and one class. Management's evaluation of probable losses is subject to judgments and numerous estimates, including forecasted principal balance delinquency rates ("roll rates"). Roll rates are the percentage of balances that we estimate will migrate from one stage of delinquency to the next based on our historical experience, as well as external factors such as estimated bankruptcies and levels of unemployment. The roll rates are applied to principal and interest balances for each stage of delinquency, from current to 180 days past due, in order to estimate the loans and interest that are probable to be charged off by the end of 180 days. We charge off loans and interest receivable in the month in which the customer balance becomes 180 days past due. Bankrupt accounts are charged off within 60 days of receiving notification of customer bankruptcy from the courts. Past due loans receivable continue to accrue interest until such time as they are charged-off, with the portion of the reserve related to interest receivable balance classified as a reduction of revenue. Funds receivable and funds payable Funds receivable and funds payable relate primarily to our Payments segment and arise due to the time to clear transactions through external payment networks. When customers fund their account using their bank account or credit card, or withdraw money to their bank account or through a debit card transaction, there is a clearing period before the cash is received or settled, usually one to three business days for U.S. transactions, and generally up to five business days for international transactions. To a lesser extent and primarily related to our Marketplaces segment, we generate funds receivable in certain foreign locations from external credit providers that settle within 12 months ($263 million and $203 million as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively). Customer accounts Based on differences in regulatory requirements and commercial law in the jurisdictions where PayPal operates, PayPal previously held customer balances either as direct claims against PayPal or as an agent or custodian on behalf of PayPal's customers. Customer balances held by PayPal as an agent or custodian on behalf of its customers are not reflected on our consolidated balance sheet, while customer balances held as direct claims against PayPal are reflected on our consolidated balance sheet as funds receivable and customer accounts. Based on changes to our U.S. PayPal user agreement effective November 1, 2012, PayPal began holding U.S. customer balances as direct claims against PayPal, rather than as an agent or custodian on behalf of such PayPal customers. As a result, effective November 1, 2012, all U.S. PayPal customer balances, which were previously not reported on our consolidated balance sheet, have been reflected as assets in our consolidated balance sheet under "Funds receivable and customer accounts," with an associated liability under "funds payable and amounts due to customers." At December 31, 2012, PayPal held all customer balances (both in the U.S. and internationally) as direct claims against PayPal. We maintain these customer account balances in interest and non-interest bearing bank deposits, including time deposits with maturity dates of less than one year. Investments Short-term investments, which include marketable equity securities, time deposits and government bonds and corporate debt securities with original maturities of greater than three months but less than one year when purchased, are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair value using the specific identification method. Unrealized gains and losses are excluded from earnings and reported as a component of other comprehensive income (loss), net of related estimated tax provisions or benefits. Long-term investments include marketable government bonds and corporate debt securities, time deposits and cost and equity method investments. Debt securities are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair value using the specific identification method. Unrealized gains and losses on our available-for-sale investments are excluded from earnings and reported as a component of other comprehensive income (loss), net of related estimated tax provisions or benefits. Certain time deposits are classified as held to maturity and recorded at amortized cost. Our equity method investments are investments in privately held companies. Our consolidated results of operations include, as a component of interest and other, net, our share of the net income or loss of the equity method investments. Our share of investees' results of operations is not significant for any period presented. Our cost method investments consist of investments in privately held companies and are recorded at cost. Amounts received from our cost method investees were not material to any period presented. We assess whether an other-than-temporary impairment loss on our investments has occurred due to declines in fair value or other market conditions. With respect to our debt securities, this assessment takes into account the severity and duration of the decline in value, our intent to sell the security, whether it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis, and if we do not expect to recover the entire amortized cost basis of the security (that is, a credit loss exists). We did not recognize an other-than-temporary impairment loss on our investments in 2012, 2011, or 2010. Property and equipment Property and equipment are stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, generally, one to three years for computer equipment and software, up to thirty years for buildings and building improvements, ten years for aviation equipment, the shorter of five years or the term of the lease for leasehold improvements and three years for furniture, fixtures and vehicles. Goodwill and intangible assets Goodwill is tested for impairment at a minimum on an annual basis. Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level by first performing a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value. If the reporting unit does not pass the qualitative assessment, then the reporting unit's carrying value is compared to its fair value. The fair values of the reporting units are estimated using market and discounted cash flow approaches. Goodwill is considered impaired if the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value. The discounted cash flow approach uses expected future operating results. Failure to achieve these expected results may cause a future impairment of goodwill at the reporting unit. We conducted our annual impairment test of goodwill as of August 31, 2012 and 2011. As a result of this test, we determined that no adjustment to the carrying value of goodwill for any reporting units was required. Intangible assets consist of purchased customer lists and user base, trademarks and trade names, developed technologies and other intangible assets, including patents and contractual agreements. Intangible assets are amortized over the period of estimated benefit using the straight-line method and estimated useful lives ranging from one to eight years. No significant residual value is estimated for intangible assets. Impairment of long-lived assets We evaluate long-lived assets (including intangible assets) for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of a long-lived asset may not be recoverable. An asset is considered impaired if its carrying amount exceeds the undiscounted future net cash flow the asset is expected to generate. In 2012, 2011 and 2010, no impairment was noted. Foreign currency Most of our foreign subsidiaries use the local currency of their respective countries as their functional currency. Assets and liabilities are translated at exchange rates prevailing at the balance sheet dates. Revenues, costs and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars using daily exchange rates if the transaction is recorded in our accounting systems on a daily basis, and otherwise using average exchange rates for the period. Gains and losses resulting from the translation of our consolidated balance sheet are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income. Gains and losses from foreign currency transactions are recognized as interest and other, net. Derivative instruments We have significant international revenues as well as costs denominated in foreign currencies, subjecting us to foreign currency risk. We purchase foreign currency exchange contracts that qualify as cash flow hedges, generally with maturities of 18 months or less, to reduce the volatility of cash flows related primarily to forecasted revenue and intercompany transactions denominated in certain foreign currencies. All outstanding derivatives are recognized on the balance sheet at fair value. The effective portion of the designated derivative's gain or loss is initially reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income and is subsequently reclassified into the financial statement line item in which the hedged item is recorded in the same period the forecasted transaction affects earnings. We also economically hedge our exposure to foreign currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities with foreign currency contracts. The gains and losses on the foreign exchange contracts economically offset transaction gains and losses on certain foreign currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities recognized in earnings. Accordingly, these outstanding non-designated derivatives are recognized on the balance sheet at fair value and changes in fair value from these contracts are recorded in interest and other, net in the consolidated statement of income. Our derivatives program is not designed or operated for trading or speculative purposes. Our derivative instruments expose us to credit risk to the extent that our counterparties may be unable to meet the terms of the agreements. We seek to mitigate this risk by limiting our counterparties to major financial institutions and by spreading the risk across several major financial institutions. In addition, the potential risk of loss with any one counterparty resulting from this type of credit risk is monitored on an ongoing basis. See “Note 8 - Derivative Instruments” for additional information related to our derivative instruments. Concentration of credit risk Our cash, cash equivalents, accounts receivable, loans and interest receivable, funds receivable and customer accounts are potentially subject to concentration of credit risk. Cash, cash equivalents and customer accounts are placed with financial institutions that management believes are of high credit quality. In addition, funds receivable are generated with financial institutions or credit card companies that management believes are of high credit quality. Our accounts receivable are derived from revenue earned from customers located in the U.S. and internationally. Our loans and interest receivable are derived from consumer financing activities for customers located in the U.S. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, no customer accounted for more than 10% of net accounts receivable or net loans receivable. During the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, no customer accounted for more than 10% of net revenues.

The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The Company

We are a global technology company that enables commerce through three reportable segments: Marketplaces, Payments and GSI. Our Marketplaces segment includes our eBay.com platform and its localized counterparts and our other online platforms, such as our online classifieds businesses and StubHub. Our Payments segment is comprised of PayPal, Bill Me Later and Zong. Our GSI segment consists of GSI, which was added upon the completion of our acquisition of GSI on June 17, 2011. The results of our GSI segment have been included in our consolidated results of operations from the acquisition date.

We are required to comply with various regulations worldwide in order to operate our businesses, particularly our Payments business. We also partner with banks and other financial institutions in order to offer our Payments services globally. Changes in regulations, non-compliance with regulations or loss of key bank or financial institution partners could have a significant adverse impact on our ability to operate our Payments business; therefore, we monitor these areas closely to mitigate potential adverse impacts.

When we refer to “we,” “our,” “us” or “eBay” in this document, we mean the current Delaware corporation (eBay Inc.) and its California predecessor, as well as all of our consolidated subsidiaries.

Use of estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to provisions for transaction and loan losses, legal contingencies, income taxes, revenue recognition, stock-based compensation, goodwill and the recoverability of intangible assets. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Principles of consolidation and basis of presentation

The accompanying financial statements are consolidated and include the financial statements of eBay Inc., our wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries and variable interest entities ("VIEs") if we are the primary beneficiary. Ownership interests of minority interests are recorded as a non-controlling interest. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. A qualitative approach is applied to assess the consolidation requirement for VIEs. Investments in entities where we hold at least a 20% ownership interest and have the ability to exercise significant influence, but not control, over the investee are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. For such investments, our share of the investees' results of operations is included in interest and other, net and our investment balance is included in long-term investments. Investments in entities where we hold less than a 20% ownership interest are generally accounted for using the cost method of accounting, and our share of the investees' results of operations is included in our consolidated statement of income to the extent dividends are received.

We have evaluated all subsequent events through the date the financial statements were issued.

Revenue recognition

Our Marketplaces segment generates net transaction revenues primarily from listing and final value fees paid by sellers. Listing fee revenues are recognized ratably over the estimated period of the listing, while revenues related to final value fees are recognized at the time that the transaction is successfully concluded. An auction transaction is considered successfully concluded when at least one buyer has bid above the seller's specified minimum price or reserve price, whichever is higher, at the end of the transaction term.

Our Payments segment earns net transaction revenues primarily from processing transactions for customers. Revenues resulting from a payment processing transaction are recognized once the transaction is completed.

Our GSI segment generates net transaction revenues primarily from providing ecommerce technology, order processing, fulfillment and customer care services to its clients. The revenues can be fixed or variable and are based on the activity performed and/or the value of merchandise sold. Revenues are recognized as the underlying activity is performed or upon shipment of the underlying merchandise.

Our marketing services and other revenues, included in all of our segments, are derived principally from the sale of advertisements, revenue sharing arrangements, classifieds fees, marketing service fees and lead referral fees, as well as the revenues described in the next paragraph. Our advertising revenues are derived principally from the sale of online advertisements. The duration of our advertising contracts has ranged from one week to five years, but is generally one week to one year. Advertising revenues on contracts are recognized as “impressions” (i.e., the number of times that an advertisement appears in pages viewed by users of our websites) are delivered, or as “clicks” (which are generated each time users on our websites click through our text-based advertisements to an advertiser's designated website) are provided to advertisers. For contracts with minimum monthly or quarterly advertising commitments where the fee and commitments are fixed throughout the term, we recognize revenue ratably over the term of the agreement. Some of our advertising contracts consist of multiple elements which generally include a blend of various impressions and clicks as well as other marketing deliverables. Where neither vendor-specific objective evidence nor third-party evidence of selling price exists, we use management's best estimate of selling price (BESP) to allocate arrangement consideration on a relative basis to each element. BESP is generally based on the selling prices of the various elements when they are sold to customers of a similar nature and geography on a stand-alone basis or estimated stand-alone pricing when the element has not previously been sold stand-alone. These estimates are generally based on pricing strategies, market factors and strategic objectives. Revenues related to revenue sharing arrangements are recognized based on revenue reports received from our partners, provided that collectability is reasonably assured. Revenues related to fees for listing items on our classified websites are recognized over the estimated period of the classified listing. Lead referral fee revenue is generated from lead referral fees based on the number of times a user clicks through to a merchant's website from our websites. Lead referral fees are recognized in the period in which the user clicks through to the merchant's website.

Our other revenues are derived principally from contractual arrangements with third parties that provide services to our users, interest earned on certain PayPal customer account balances and interest and fees earned on the Bill Me Later portfolio of loan receivables. Revenues from contractual arrangements with third parties are recognized as the contracted services are delivered to end users. Interest income on certain PayPal customer balances is recognized when earned. Interest and fees earned on the Bill Me Later portfolio of loan receivables are computed and recognized based on contractual interest and fee rates, and are net of any required reserves and amortization of deferred origination costs.

To drive traffic to our websites, we provide incentives to our users in the form of coupons and buyer and seller rewards. These incentives are generally treated as reductions in revenue.

Internal use software and website development costs

Direct costs incurred to develop software for internal use and website development costs are capitalized and amortized over an estimated useful life of one to five years. During the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, we capitalized costs, primarily related to labor and stock-based compensation, of $285 million, $212 million and $193 million, respectively. Amortization of previously capitalized amounts was $184 million, $166 million and $147 million for 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Costs related to the design or maintenance of internal use software and website development are expensed as incurred.

Advertising expense

We expense the costs of producing advertisements at the time production occurs and expense the cost of communicating advertisements in the period during which the advertising space or airtime is used as sales and marketing expense. Internet advertising expenses are recognized based on the terms of the individual agreements, which is generally over the greater of the ratio of the number of impressions delivered over the total number of contracted impressions, on a pay-per-click basis, or on a straight-line basis over the term of the contract. Advertising expense totaled $1.1 billion, $977 million and $808 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Stock-based compensation

We issue two types of stock-based awards to employees: restricted stock units (including performance-based restricted stock units) and stock options. We primarily issue restricted stock units. We determine compensation expense associated with restricted stock units based on the fair value of our common stock on the date of grant. We determine compensation expense associated with stock options based on the estimated grant date fair value method using the Black-Scholes valuation model. We generally recognize compensation expense using a straight-line amortization method over the respective vesting period for awards that are ultimately expected to vest. Accordingly, stock-based compensation expense for 2012, 2011 and 2010 has been reduced for estimated forfeitures. When estimating forfeitures, we consider voluntary termination behaviors as well as trends of actual option forfeitures. We recognize a benefit from stock-based compensation in equity to the extent that an incremental tax benefit is realized by following the ordering provisions of the tax law. In addition, we account for the indirect effects of stock-based compensation on the research tax credit and the foreign tax credit through our consolidated statement of income.

Provision for transaction losses

We are exposed to losses due to payment card and other payment misuse, as well as non-performance of and credit losses from sellers. Provisions for these items represent our estimate of actual losses based on our historical experience and actuarial techniques, as well as economic conditions. Provision for transaction losses includes PayPal's transaction loss expense as well as losses resulting from our customer protection programs on and off our platforms.

Income taxes

We account for income taxes using an asset and liability approach, which requires the recognition of taxes payable or refundable for the current year and deferred tax liabilities and assets for the future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in our financial statements or tax returns. The measurement of current and deferred tax assets and liabilities is based on provisions of enacted tax laws; the effects of future changes in tax laws or rates are not anticipated. If necessary, the measurement of deferred tax assets is reduced by the amount of any tax benefits that are not expected to be realized based on available evidence.

We report a liability for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. We recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents are short-term, highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less when purchased and are mainly comprised of bank deposits, money market funds and commercial paper.

Allowance for doubtful accounts and authorized credits

We record our allowance for doubtful accounts based upon our assessment of various factors. We consider historical experience, the age of the accounts receivable balances, credit quality of our customers, current economic conditions and other factors that may affect our customers' ability to pay. The allowance for doubtful accounts and authorized credits was $89 million and $87 million at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

Loans and interest receivable, net

Loans and interest receivable represent purchased consumer receivables arising from loans made by a partner chartered financial institution to individual consumers in the U.S. to purchase goods and services through our Bill Me Later merchant network. The terms of the consumer relationship require us to submit monthly bills to the consumer detailing loan repayment requirements. The terms also allow us to charge the consumer interest and fees in certain circumstances. Due to the relatively small dollar amount of individual loans and interest receivable, we do not require collateral on these balances.

Allowance for loans and interest receivable

The allowance for loans and interest receivable represents management's estimate of probable losses inherent in our Bill Me Later portfolio. The provision related to the principal is included in provision of transaction and loan losses and the provision related to the interest is recorded as a reduction of marketing services and other revenue. The allowance for loans and interest receivable represents management's estimate of probable losses inherent in our Bill Me Later portfolio, which is considered to be of one segment and one class. Management's evaluation of probable losses is subject to judgments and numerous estimates, including forecasted principal balance delinquency rates ("roll rates"). Roll rates are the percentage of balances that we estimate will migrate from one stage of delinquency to the next based on our historical experience, as well as external factors such as estimated bankruptcies and levels of unemployment. The roll rates are applied to principal and interest balances for each stage of delinquency, from current to 180 days past due, in order to estimate the loans and interest that are probable to be charged off by the end of 180 days.

We charge off loans and interest receivable in the month in which the customer balance becomes 180 days past due. Bankrupt accounts are charged off within 60 days of receiving notification of customer bankruptcy from the courts. Past due loans receivable continue to accrue interest until such time as they are charged-off, with the portion of the reserve related to interest receivable balance classified as a reduction of revenue.

Funds receivable and funds payable

Funds receivable and funds payable relate primarily to our Payments segment and arise due to the time to clear transactions through external payment networks. When customers fund their account using their bank account or credit card, or withdraw money to their bank account or through a debit card transaction, there is a clearing period before the cash is received or settled, usually one to three business days for U.S. transactions, and generally up to five business days for international transactions. To a lesser extent and primarily related to our Marketplaces segment, we generate funds receivable in certain foreign locations from external credit providers that settle within 12 months ($263 million and $203 million as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively).

Customer accounts

Based on differences in regulatory requirements and commercial law in the jurisdictions where PayPal operates, PayPal previously held customer balances either as direct claims against PayPal or as an agent or custodian on behalf of PayPal's customers. Customer balances held by PayPal as an agent or custodian on behalf of its customers are not reflected on our consolidated balance sheet, while customer balances held as direct claims against PayPal are reflected on our consolidated balance sheet as funds receivable and customer accounts. Based on changes to our U.S. PayPal user agreement effective November 1, 2012, PayPal began holding U.S. customer balances as direct claims against PayPal, rather than as an agent or custodian on behalf of such PayPal customers. As a result, effective November 1, 2012, all U.S. PayPal customer balances, which were previously not reported on our consolidated balance sheet, have been reflected as assets in our consolidated balance sheet under "Funds receivable and customer accounts," with an associated liability under "funds payable and amounts due to customers." At December 31, 2012, PayPal held all customer balances (both in the U.S. and internationally) as direct claims against PayPal. We maintain these customer account balances in interest and non-interest bearing bank deposits, including time deposits with maturity dates of less than one year.

Investments

Short-term investments, which include marketable equity securities, time deposits and government bonds and corporate debt securities with original maturities of greater than three months but less than one year when purchased, are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair value using the specific identification method. Unrealized gains and losses are excluded from earnings and reported as a component of other comprehensive income (loss), net of related estimated tax provisions or benefits.

Long-term investments include marketable government bonds and corporate debt securities, time deposits and cost and equity method investments. Debt securities are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair value using the specific identification method. Unrealized gains and losses on our available-for-sale investments are excluded from earnings and reported as a component of other comprehensive income (loss), net of related estimated tax provisions or benefits.

Certain time deposits are classified as held to maturity and recorded at amortized cost. Our equity method investments are investments in privately held companies. Our consolidated results of operations include, as a component of interest and other, net, our share of the net income or loss of the equity method investments. Our share of investees' results of operations is not significant for any period presented. Our cost method investments consist of investments in privately held companies and are recorded at cost. Amounts received from our cost method investees were not material to any period presented.

We assess whether an other-than-temporary impairment loss on our investments has occurred due to declines in fair value or other market conditions. With respect to our debt securities, this assessment takes into account the severity and duration of the decline in value, our intent to sell the security, whether it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis, and if we do not expect to recover the entire amortized cost basis of the security (that is, a credit loss exists). We did not recognize an other-than-temporary impairment loss on our investments in 2012, 2011, or 2010.

Property and equipment

Property and equipment are stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, generally, one to three years for computer equipment and software, up to thirty years for buildings and building improvements, ten years for aviation equipment, the shorter of five years or the term of the lease for leasehold improvements and three years for furniture, fixtures and vehicles.

Goodwill and intangible assets

Goodwill is tested for impairment at a minimum on an annual basis. Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level by first performing a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value. If the reporting unit does not pass the qualitative assessment, then the reporting unit's carrying value is compared to its fair value. The fair values of the reporting units are estimated using market and discounted cash flow approaches. Goodwill is considered impaired if the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value. The discounted cash flow approach uses expected future operating results. Failure to achieve these expected results may cause a future impairment of goodwill at the reporting unit. We conducted our annual impairment test of goodwill as of August 31, 2012 and 2011. As a result of this test, we determined that no adjustment to the carrying value of goodwill for any reporting units was required.

Intangible assets consist of purchased customer lists and user base, trademarks and trade names, developed technologies and other intangible assets, including patents and contractual agreements. Intangible assets are amortized over the period of estimated benefit using the straight-line method and estimated useful lives ranging from one to eight years. No significant residual value is estimated for intangible assets.

Impairment of long-lived assets

We evaluate long-lived assets (including intangible assets) for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of a long-lived asset may not be recoverable. An asset is considered impaired if its carrying amount exceeds the undiscounted future net cash flow the asset is expected to generate. In 2012, 2011 and 2010, no impairment was noted.

Foreign currency

Most of our foreign subsidiaries use the local currency of their respective countries as their functional currency. Assets and liabilities are translated at exchange rates prevailing at the balance sheet dates. Revenues, costs and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars using daily exchange rates if the transaction is recorded in our accounting systems on a daily basis, and otherwise using average exchange rates for the period. Gains and losses resulting from the translation of our consolidated balance sheet are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income.

Gains and losses from foreign currency transactions are recognized as interest and other, net.

Derivative instruments

We have significant international revenues as well as costs denominated in foreign currencies, subjecting us to foreign currency risk. We purchase foreign currency exchange contracts that qualify as cash flow hedges, generally with maturities of 18 months or less, to reduce the volatility of cash flows related primarily to forecasted revenue and intercompany transactions denominated in certain foreign currencies. All outstanding derivatives are recognized on the balance sheet at fair value. The effective portion of the designated derivative's gain or loss is initially reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income and is subsequently reclassified into the financial statement line item in which the hedged item is recorded in the same period the forecasted transaction affects earnings.

We also economically hedge our exposure to foreign currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities with foreign currency contracts. The gains and losses on the foreign exchange contracts economically offset transaction gains and losses on certain foreign currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities recognized in earnings. Accordingly, these outstanding non-designated derivatives are recognized on the balance sheet at fair value and changes in fair value from these contracts are recorded in interest and other, net in the consolidated statement of income. Our derivatives program is not designed or operated for trading or speculative purposes.

Our derivative instruments expose us to credit risk to the extent that our counterparties may be unable to meet the terms of the agreements. We seek to mitigate this risk by limiting our counterparties to major financial institutions and by spreading the risk across several major financial institutions. In addition, the potential risk of loss with any one counterparty resulting from this type of credit risk is monitored on an ongoing basis. See “Note 8 - Derivative Instruments” for additional information related to our derivative instruments.

Concentration of credit risk

Our cash, cash equivalents, accounts receivable, loans and interest receivable, funds receivable and customer accounts are potentially subject to concentration of credit risk. Cash, cash equivalents and customer accounts are placed with financial institutions that management believes are of high credit quality. In addition, funds receivable are generated with financial institutions or credit card companies that management believes are of high credit quality. Our accounts receivable are derived from revenue earned from customers located in the U.S. and internationally. Our loans and interest receivable are derived from consumer financing activities for customers located in the U.S. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, no customer accounted for more than 10% of net accounts receivable or net loans receivable. During the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, no customer accounted for more than 10% of net revenues.