eBay Goes on the Road in 2020 to Meet You Where You Are

[alan@ebay]

Hi sellers! 

If you’ve got questions regarding our latest announcement, our team will be here until Friday at 5 pm Pacific to answer them.

eBay Goes on the Road in 2020 to Meet You Where You Are

This year marks eBay’s 25th anniversary. As our business has evolved, our focus has too. Our sellers are spread across all corners of the US, and in 2020, we’re committed to making it easier to connect with each other and with us. Rather than hosting eBay Open and asking you to take time away from your business, this year we’re hitting the road to meet you in your neighborhoods. We’re now providing more ways for sellers to connect with one another and eBay employees. I’m excited to announce a number of new opportunities to do just that.

eBay UpFront

Last year, we met nearly 1,000 sellers at eBay UpFront events across the US. Given the success of these events, we’re doubling the number of cities we will visit in 2020. Join us for an evening of the latest selling news, guidance, and inspiration in your local city. With executive presentations, seller panels, and round-table discussions, it’s three hours well spent, and I can guarantee you won’t leave empty-handed. 

You can register now at our new Seller Center events page.

eBay Community Events

Run by longtime eBay sellers, these local events are one of the best ways for fellow sellers to learn from one another and improve their business. Featuring up-to-date presentations and workshops, they’re powerful opportunities to meet people in your community who do what you do—run a business on eBay. Plus, eBay executives from across the organization will occasionally be on hand to meet the sellers at eBay’s core and hear what’s on their mind. 

Check out the complete list of locations and join the next Community event in your local city. 

Seller Visits

To truly understand how sellers operate and what they need from eBay, we know we need to see them in their business environment! This year, employees from across eBay will be fortunate enough to visit dozens of sellers where they work and learn how they run their business.

Seller Town Hall 

Throughout the year, eBay executives will take the stage to discuss what matters most to you. We’ll stream live to your computer or mobile device, so you don’t need to go anywhere to hear the latest  eBay updates. Jordan Sweetnam, Harry Temkin and I will keep you informed on our business and product updates, as well as answer sellers’ top questions. Our first Seller Town Hall will be February 25, so mark your calendar, and we’ll send you an invite.

We’ll also continue to offer many of your favorite ways to connect online:

Ask Me Anything

For a partnership to be successful, it needs total transparency and open communication. With that in mind, Jordan Sweetnam and I will regularly answer your top questions on Community. We want to know what’s on your mind and how we can help your business grow. So get your questions ready for the next Ask Me Anything in March.

Community

If you’re not already connecting on our Community platform, then you are missing an incredible resource for selling on eBay. With over 8 million registered members, the eBay Community offers invaluable, real-time advice across thousands of discussion threads, forums, and groups. It’s a great way to connect with other sellers and eBay staff and get your questions answered while also helping other sellers.

eBay for Business:

On Podcast: Having now completed 76 episodes, our podcast for eBay sellers is in the top 10% of all podcasts. These regular installments on the latest in selling are free and full of expert advice, inspiration, and updates. If you aren’t already tuning in, you can find it on Community. We’ll also be recording interviews with sellers for the podcast when we’re on the road, so be on the lookout for our microphones. 

On Facebook: If you’re a Facebook user, we want to connect with you there. We post daily news, inspiration, and advice, while our Customer Service team answers your questions. This year, instead of streaming Facebook Lives from San Jose every Wednesday, we’ll stream live from eBay events in your local cities. That way, you can join us ‘virtually’ from your Facebook feed when we’re out and about meeting sellers.

We wouldn’t have made it 25 years without our loyal seller community, so let’s celebrate together.  We want to meet you, understand your business and how eBay works within your lives, so that as partners, we can secure a bright future for the next 25. I look forward to meeting you, connecting with you, and learning from you on the road. 

Until then, thank you for selling on eBay.

Marni Levine

VP Seller Engagement and Operations

[coffeebean832]

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alan@ebay wrote:

Seller Town Hall 

Throughout the year, eBay executives will take the stage to discuss what matters most to you. We’ll stream live to your computer or mobile device, so you don’t need to go anywhere to hear the latest  eBay updates. Jordan Sweetnam, Harry Temkin and I will keep you informed on our business and product updates, as well as answer sellers’ top questions. Our first Seller Town Hall will be February 25, so mark your calendar, and we’ll send you an invite. 

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Will video streams also be available after the event for those who are unable to watch live?

Will eBay accept questions in advance of a Town Hall dedicated to the topic(s) being discussed that will have the potential to be addressed during the Town Hall?

Will eBay consider a dedicated discussion board for questions after Town Hall events where employees will respond- similar to the seller update board?

[displaycase]

Are you going to Sublette County WY?

[iamonourside]

Dear eBay:

I'm not at the bar.

😵

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@displaycase wrote:

Are you going to Sublette County WY?

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LOL, all of the Community Events are in states that are on the east or west coasts except for one in Michigan.

Up Front comes to Denver in August.

[etowsales]

Does this mean the Ebay Open conference officially will not be happening this year?

[nobody*s_perfect]

Sure sounds like it. The post says: "Rather than hosting eBay Open and asking you to take time away from your business, this year we’re hitting the road to meet you in your neighborhoods."

[nc-daydreamer]

Will these visits be beyond February as that is the only dates I see. Do you have the full schedule for the summer planned? Will you be anywhere other than Raleigh in NC? Or even a visit to Richmond or Norfolk VA as these would be closer to me than Raleigh.

Thanks.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@nc-daydreamer wrote:

Will these visits be beyond February as that is the only dates I see. Do you have the full schedule for the summer planned? Will you be anywhere other than Raleigh in NC? ....

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  In true eBay fashion, the page setup is awkward and counterintuitive. Not a chart or a list in sight.  You must WORK for your information!  Try scrolling down and clicking on "All months."  However, even just looking at the "All locations" menu will show you how limited is the geography of their planned events.

There are dates showing for Community Events (which is not the same as UpFront) through May.  However, 4 of those events are in Raleigh. There is no geographic diversity in the later meetings, they are just repeats of the earlier locations.  Yes, that seems illogical based on their headline claim. 

[tyler@ebay]

Hi everyone - I don't have answers to all the questions asked here at the moment, but we're getting them to the folks who will know and will update you as we hear back. 

@displaycase & @nc-daydreamer - you can suggest event locations by emailing sellerevents@ebay.com.

If you wanted to organize your own Community Event let us know and we can promote it on the Seller Events page!

[displaycase]

What about Mono County CA or Mesa County CO?

[a_c_green]

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@coffeebean832 wrote:
Will eBay consider a dedicated discussion board for questions after Town Hall events where employees will respond- similar to the seller update board?

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I started typing a reply here before realizing that I assume you are referring to a discussion board like this one. What I was originally going to suggest was that the UpFront sessions, if you can get to one, might be productive for you. I attended the one in Chicago on 9/11 last year, and there were numerous higher-level eBay people in attendance. Following the presentations, there were multiple round-table discussions on various topics (labeled by table signs) and you could sit down and participate in any topic you wanted, with enough time to visit multiple tables. 

I notice that this year, unlike last year, there is a $20 advance registration fee (returned at the event in the form of a gift card and swag), possibly to discourage no-shows who seemed to leave them with a mountain of unclaimed swag last year. There was what looked like a very good turnout, but when I left, I saw them busily stuffing a second swag package into each departing guest's cloth eBay shoulder bag, apparently to try and reduce the mountain behind them. (The swag package itself was nicely stuffed with rolls of eBay tape, 6"x4"x4" eBay shipping boxes, sheets of stickers, stacks of Thank You cards, padded mailers, etc.)

[selecttech]

My heart bleeds...I really love the Open and meeting sellers from all over in the same location. So bummed out over this. 

[brian@ebay]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

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@nc-daydreamer wrote:

Will these visits be beyond February as that is the only dates I see. Do you have the full schedule for the summer planned? Will you be anywhere other than Raleigh in NC? ....

---

  In true eBay fashion, the page setup is awkward and counterintuitive. Not a chart or a list in sight.  You must WORK for your information!  Try scrolling down and clicking on "All months."  However, even just looking at the "All locations" menu will show you how limited is the geography of their planned events.

There are dates showing for Community Events (which is not the same as UpFront) through May.  However, 4 of those events are in Raleigh. There is no geographic diversity in the later meetings, they are just repeats of the earlier locations.  Yes, that seems illogical based on their headline claim. 

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Hi @nobody*s_perfect, the list of UpFront locations, dates, and option to register is on this page. Just scroll down a little and the list should display all of the information. If you're seeing something different then let me know. Thanks!

[terrytlhart43]

I agree. Ebay open cannot be replaced with 4 hour regional meetings.