I'm a recruiter (not at eBay) but I have friends there and I've coached candidates through their loop. Sharing what the phone screen actually looks like because there's a lot of 'just be yourself' advice online that isn't useful.
The eBay recruiter screen is typically 30 minutes. The recruiter is assessing a few things simultaneously:
Role fit: They want to confirm you roughly match the job description. Expect: "Walk me through your recent experience" and "What drew you to this role specifically." Generic answers here are a red flag because they signal you're spray-applying.
Motivation: Why eBay specifically. This one matters more than at other companies. eBay knows it's not the first-choice destination for many engineers and they've gotten selective about hiring people who genuinely want to be there. Saying "great culture and interesting problems" is not enough. Name something specific: the marketplace tech, the cross-border commerce challenges, a particular team or product.
Level calibration: They'll ask about scope of your current work, team size, and whether you're making decisions or implementing them. This informs whether they're targeting you at L4, L5, or L6.
Comp: They'll ask about your expectations. Give a range. If you stonewall them here it slows everything down. The San Jose market in 2026 for L5 SWE is roughly $290k-$380k total comp depending on team and equity refresh cycle.
Logistics: Timeline, notice period, visa status if relevant, location preference (eBay has been doing hybrid 3 days in office in San Jose).
Then they leave room for your questions. Use them. Ask about the team charter or what success looks like in the first 90 days. It signals genuine interest.
Total screen is usually right at 30 minutes. If it runs over, that's usually a good sign.