eBay U Returns to San Diego Where It All Began!

Six years ago to the month, June 2000, we launched eBay University with our first event at the San Deigo Sheraton at the airport. Back then, eBay U events were two two days long. (It took just one day to teach the basics of HTML and image hosting; two subject we no longer need to teach since the advent of the eBay Description Editor and eBay Picture Services).

It was fitting that our last eBay University event in the old format (Basics of Selling running concurrently with Beyond The Basics) was held this past weekend in San Diego at the Westin Horton Plaza. (You can tell from the photo that the crowd was eager to start, if slightly skeptical. We won them over in short order.)

It hardly seems possible that six whole years have passed since that first hurly burly eBay U back in 2000. Since that event, we have seen over 100,000 attendees at eBay U events held all over the country. Some cities we managed to revisit at least once a year (Dallas, Seattle, Phoenix) and some we were only able to visit once (Sioux Falls, Oklahoma City, Milwaukee) but no matter where and how many times we brought our eBay University road show to folks across the country, each and every one was a thrill. In fact, instructing eBay U events has been the most consistently fulfilling part of my job with eBay. eBay U has allowed me to meet thousands of passionate new and experienced eBay sellers eager to learn how to sell or better their existing business on eBay.

Hundreds of these sellers correspond with me on a regular basis. I've been able to watch many start from literally nothing and slowly build a viable, successful business selling on eBay.  It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to start and grow a business. I am very proud of all eBay sellers, but I am especially proud of those sellers whose first step on the road to entrepreneurship was attending an eBay Basic Selling seminar.

Not to worry! We are not through with eBay U. Not by a long shot. But just like the needs of our community change over time, so must our eBay University content and format. We will return in the fall with a brand new two day format that focuses more sharply on the business aspects of selling on eBay. And I am happy to say, Basic Selling will still be a part of that format. Check the eBay University page in the coming months for more information.