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BASIS OF PRESENTATION
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Business and organization

As used herein, "Overstock," "Overstock.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Overstock.com, Inc. and our majority-owned subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise. We were formed on May 5, 1997 as D2-Discounts Direct, a limited liability company ("LLC"). On December 30, 1998, we were reorganized as a C Corporation in the State of Utah and reincorporated in Delaware in May 2002. On October 25, 1999, we changed our name to Overstock.com, Inc.

We are an online retailer and advancer of blockchain technology. Through our online retail business, we offer a broad range of price-competitive products, including furniture, home decor, bedding and bath, and housewares, among other products. We sell our products and services through our Internet websites located at www.overstock.com, www.o.co and www.o.biz (referred to collectively as the "Website"). Although our three websites are located at different domain addresses, the technology, equipment, and processes supporting the Website and the process of order fulfillment described herein are the same for all three websites.

In late 2014, we began working on initiatives to develop and advance blockchain technology, which initiatives we refer to collectively as Medici. Our Medici business initiatives seek to leverage the security, transparency and immutability of cryptographically protected and distributed ledgers, such as blockchains, and are focused on solving important problems, including financial transaction issues, particularly in the area of securities settlement. Our Medici business initiatives include our wholly-owned subsidiary, Medici Ventures, Inc. ("Medici Ventures"), which conducts a majority of its business through its majority-owned subsidiary tZERO Group, Inc. ("tZERO"), formerly tØ.com, Inc., a financial technology company pursuing potential financial applications of blockchain technologies as well as non-blockchain businesses. Medici Ventures currently holds equity interests in several technology companies whose focuses include commercial blockchain applications for identity and social media, property and land, money and banking, capital markets, supply chain, and voting.

Basis of presentation

We have prepared the accompanying consolidated financial statements pursuant to generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP"). Preparing financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts that are reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying disclosures. Although these estimates are based on our best knowledge of current events and actions that we may undertake in the future, our actual results may be different from our estimates. The results of operations presented herein are not necessarily indicative of our results for any future period.

For purposes of comparability, we reclassified certain immaterial amounts in the prior periods presented to conform with the current year presentation.