If market domination were an item on the eBay(Nasdaq: EBAY) block, the auction's host would be the only one worthy enough to meet the reserve price. The online marketplace leader did it again. Like it has over the last few quarters, eBay left analyst profit projections in the dust.

Unlike many traditional offline retailers, eBay cleaned house in the back-to-school shopping season -- literally. It's easy to see why the company has been resilient throughout these times of economic uncertainty. Folks have been scouring through their belongings for marketable goods to list, while buyers have come to find flea market bargains. Things have been going so well that one of the fastest growing categories on the site has been the "Everything Else" catchall area. In other words, folks are beginning to hawk stuff that eBay hadn't even thought of yet.

With 160 million listings during the September quarter, the company was able to generate $288.8 million in revenue. Transaction revenue grew by 73% -- stunning. Not only is it rare to see a company of eBay's girth take such giant steps forward, but it's also defying mature growth logic by accelerating its growth rate.

With online payment specialist PayPal fully consumed, the dot-com giant is raising its fourth-quarter top-line guidance, while keeping its earnings outlook roughly in line with Wall Street's $0.22-a-share target. By setting its sights on raking in as much as $381 million in revenue, that's not too far from the $431 million in revenue eBay recorded in all of 2000. That's a meaty accomplishment. Now, where was that bid card?