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Together, we are focused on addressing topics top of mind for our sellers

 

In recent weeks, I’ve heard from many of you directly with questions about the headwinds we are facing as a company. When I came back to eBay, I was clear that you could always expect me to be as candid as possible. Transparency is critical for our partnership - you are the backbone of eBay and one way to show our support for you is by answering the tough questions.  So you can expect regular updates from me - detailing our strategies, challenges, and key areas of focus - to help you navigate your business on eBay.   

 

Today, I want to offer a deeper dive on three main areas, and provide more information about what to expect in the coming quarters.

Internet sales tax

  • Customers turn to eCommerce to find great value, and internet sales tax (IST) squeezes them in new ways - adding new taxes to online shopping. We are working with partners like PayPal to alleviate any surprising charges or fees, to minimize impact on buyers. 
  • IST impacts our total value of items sold (GMV) but is not indicative of the health of the overall business. Given the rollout over the last year - and with more states to come - we are anticipating that IST will continue to pressure GMV through the first half of 2020. This is why we factored IST into our recent earnings guidance. 

 

Marketing spend 

  • We continue to have a strong marketing budget used to drive buyers to your listings through a variety of channels: advertising, search and owned channels, social media and more.  
  • As our customers find information on new and different channels, we are adjusting our spend to meet them where they are. Efforts are focused on attracting longer-lasting, healthy buyers for the marketplace. We are expanding our channel mix and doubling down on the things that are working here. 
  • While we previously cast a wide net, we now have more knowledge of our customers and their behavior. This means we can use incentives to meet their specific needs, allowing us to “surprise and delight,” but not rely heavily on site-wide coupons.

Category focus 

This is the area that gets me really excited. eBay will unapologetically embrace the things that make us different and highlight the reasons people should come to us. Looking ahead, we are working to succeed in key areas where we have the Right to Win - and deliver great experiences for buyers and sellers in a sustainable way:

  • Protecting and growing our ownable selection of things you cannot find at mainstream retailers. New: from espresso machines to the exact car part; refurbished tech and tools from your favorite brands; hard to find collectibles and comics; and the magic of mainstreet, from toy stores to local artists. 
  • Ensuring we are differentiated in the market. 
  • Emphasizing that we are defined by our purpose: empowering people and creating economic opportunity. 

 

We are setting eBay up for long term success by giving you, our sellers, the tools and resources you’ve told us you need to be successful. We don't compete with you and we never will. We allow you to build your brand on eBay, because we firmly believe eBay is strongest when you feel a strong connection to the customers - from hobbyists to small businesses, and everything in between. You each add something unique to the marketplace - and the diversity of our community and breadth of our inventory bring the magic to eBay.  

 

2020 will mark our 25th anniversary. Now more than ever, we need to lean into where we excel as a marketplace, and where our buyers and sellers have the best experiences in uniquely eBay ways. This won’t happen overnight and I am committed to being with you throughout this multi-year journey. If we work together and take the long view, this will be how we grow through our next 25 years.

 

Leading us forward

A top priority in my new role was to find the right leader for our Selling organization. Having previously worked with you, our sellers, in 2017, Marni Levine stood out as having the vision, tenacity and empathy needed for the job. As VP, Seller Operations and Engagement, Marni will partner closely with our product and engineering lead Harry Temkin (VP, Seller Experience) to hold all of eBay accountable for delivering only the best end to end experience for our sellers. Marni and her team will bring your voice into everything we do, reboot our engagement through events and regular touch points, and foster a strong spirit of community.  

 

I’m excited about what Marni and I will do in the weeks and months to come. She is an incredible seller champion and together we are ready to tackle tough challenges. You can also count on me to continue to be honest about how I’m approaching my role. Hearing from you is one of the best parts of my job. Since I’m not always able to respond immediately, my team has been working on ways for you to “Ask Me Anything.” We’ll kick this off shortly, and I’ll make sure to address the questions that are top of mind for most of you. 

 

I’ll close by once again reiterating that we are deeply committed to driving your business growth - now and into the future.    

 

Jordan.