With the concept of "Community" at the core of eBay's philosophy, it's not surprising that eBay employees also play active roles in the real-life communities in the neighborhood of our various offices. Well-known programs like eBay Giving Works and the eBay Foundation show how eBay cares and gives back to our communities. But our individual employees' efforts are not so well-known. During the holidays, many eBay teams contributed their time to support various volunteering efforts. I thought I'd share a few examples here.
Our own Community Development team (including some Chatter bloggers) volunteered at a local Family Giving Tree event to sort and gift-wrap toys and holiday gifts for children in need:
The Family Giving Tree was also a volunteering destination for some of our teams from Engineering, Product Management, and QA. They went to the Family Giving Tree's warehouse in Milpitas, CA and spent three hours helping Santa's elves. They checked children's wish lists against the presents that had been donated, and when a wish hadn't been fulfilled they tried to find a matching replacement from a large store of toys, clothing and other items.
At eBay's offices in Vancouver, British Columbia, 20 Teams adopted a total of 29 families through the Salvation Army's Adopt-A-Family program. Cumulatively
these employees spent over $8000 to purchase clothes, toys, food and Christmas Dinners for these families in need. The eBay Foundation also plans to match part of this amount! eBay Vancouver's efforts are helping the greatest number of families amongst all participating companies in the Greater Vancouver area.
Vancouver's Community Watch team held a food drive called "Community Watch does the Can Can!". Roughly 100 employees collected 2500 individual food items totaling 1600 pounds of food in just one week alone!
16 people from eBay Canada volunteered at the local Food Bank, sorting 20 skids of food that will feed 1600 people! And 7 members of another Canadian team spent a day volunteering at a local shelter where they put together winter packages of blankets, coats and mitts for the homeless.
For the past several years, eBay in Salt Lake City, Utah, has partnered with the Salvation Army/Angel Tree program. This program brings Christmas to children and seniors who otherwise wouldn't have a Christmas. In 2006, eBay employees in Salt Lake City helped sponsor a total of 115 "angels," but in 2007 they did even better. Thanks to the compassion and willingness of our employees, we were able to sponsor 155 Angels, both both children and seniors. They showed that they believe in eBay's Values, by treating others the way they themselves would want to be treated.
I'm sure many Chatter Blog readers also participated in their own volunteering events during the holidays. If you care to share your stories on this Chatter Blog discussion thread, we (and the rest of the eBay Community) would love to hear from you!
Happy Holidays to everyone from the Chatter blog team! We wish you and your families a wonderful holiday season and look forward to sharing 2008 with you. Here we are, sending you best holiday wishes in our "holiday attire" (it's become a recent Chatter Blog tradition to mark special occasions by getting creative with our team picture, as we did earlier this year for Thanksgiving and Halloween).
With less than one week remaining until Santa Claus jumps into his sleigh to visit the homes of all the good boys and girls, my fellow Chatter Bloggers and I thought it would be fun to see how much it would cost to buy all the items from the Christmas carol, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" –- on eBay!
To add to the fun, I got a bit creative on the Twelve Days of Christmas theme and included my own variations from the traditional list. It will be fun to see how creative you Chatter readers can get with your lists (and price totals) of finding the famous items mentioned in the carol. So, if you have your own version of Twelve Days of Christmas on eBay, post it on this thread on the Chatter Blog discussion board! And now, without the singing, (too bad, because I have a pretty decent voice, if I do say so myself), here's my take on the price of purchasing The Twelve Days of Christmas on eBay.
On the first day of Christmas, My eBay showed to me:
Buy It Now price of the CD (not including shipping): $9.99 Buy It Now price of a Callery Flowering Strong Wooded Bradford Pear Tree (not including shipping): $3.95
(Bummer if you live in California or Hawaii – due to agricultural restrictions, you won’t be able to have the tree shipped there!)
Total so far: $13.94
On the second day of Christmas, My eBay showed to me:
Price of 2 turtle doves from the Audubon “Holiday Birds” collection: $15.00
Total so far: $28.94
On the third day of Christmas, My eBay showed to me:
Three French Hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.
My search for "French hen" resulted in a ton of listings, but this one was definitely among my favorites.
Price of French chef figurine with three French hens: $49.99
Total so far: $78.93
On the fourth day of Christmas, My eBay showed to me:
Four Calling Birds Fairy by Mark Roberts, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Total price of this charming Mark Roberts fairy: $75.50
Total so far: $154.43
On the fifth day of Christmas, My eBay showed to me:
Five Golden Rings. Have you ever wondered why there's such a long pause during this part of the song? Me too! Anyway, we're at five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Price of 5 golden wedding band rings at $84 each = $420.00 Total so far: $574.43
On the sixth day of Christmas, My eBay showed to me:
Six Geese A-Laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree. I figured we could just lay these hunting decoys on their sides to depict laying geese. That works, right?
Price of 6 Avery Greenhead Gear full body goose decoys: $112.50
Total so far: $686.93
On the seventh day of Christmas, My eBay showed to me:
Seven Swans A-Swimming Swan Lake CD. So now we're up to seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Price of a new sealed CD of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake: $8.73
Total so far: $695.66
On the eighth day of Christmas, My eBay showed to me:
Eight Maids A-Milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four
calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in
a pear tree..
Price of 8 Complete portable Milker milking machines with vacuum pumps, at $690.00 each = $5,520.00
Now I realize that the total went up nearly ten-fold by adding these milking machines, but wait until you see how I saved a ton of money on the ninth and tenth days of Christmas!
Total so far: $6215.66
On the ninth and tenth days of Christmas, My eBay showed to me:
Nine Ladies Dancing & 10 Lords A-Leaping, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four
calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in
a pear tree.
1 Pair of tickets for the Dancing With the Stars Tour in Los Angeles (airfare not included), at $119.00 each = $238.00
See what I mean about the money saved by combining the nine dancing ladies with the ten leaping lords?
Total so far: $6453.66
On the eleventh day of Christmas, My eBay showed to me:
Eleven Pipers Piping, ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four
calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in
a pear tree. Price of 11 bagpipe learning kits at $145 each: $1595
Total so far: $8048.66
On the twelfth day of Christmas, My eBay showed for me:
Twelve Drummers Drumming, eleven Pipers Piping, ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four
calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in
a pear tree. .
Price of 12 seven-piece drum sets at $329.99 each = $3959.88
Grand Total: $12008.54
So, there you have it. My Twelve Days of Christmas on eBay come in at a whopping $12008.54! And that's not including shipping. At just over a thousand bucks for each line in the carol, this is a tiny bit above my budget! But I’m sure all you smart buyers and sellers out there will be able to beat my total easily.
Just remember to post your own Twelve Days of Christmas on eBay versions on the Chatter blog discussion board, and let's see who comes up with the lowest and highest amounts!
Having gone through a few withdrawals since the Community Fantasy Football team saw its season end recently, I was quite excited when I stumbled on one more opportunity to write about football before the holidays. We've got quite a few pigskin fans here - Susan is a diehard Cleveland Browns supporter, Bev loves the Denver Broncos, and Renee pulls for the Dallas Cowboys. But me - I'm a huge Green Bay Packers fan, the product of a dad from Green Bay and a mom from Oshkosh. So naturally I end up getting a good amount of Packers stuff for birthdays and holidays
(that's me in my cheesehead with my Packer figures to the right).
This year, eBay is playing a key role for many Packer Backers. On the sidelines, quarterback Brett Favre (proud owner of the all-time NFL passing and TD records) and his teammates have been wearing gold-and-white knit caps to keep their heads warm. As you might expect, that set off a buying frenzy amongst their fans - so much so that the team can't keep the shelves stocked. So where do the fans turn? To eBay, where the caps have been selling for twice or three times that - and occasionally even up to $150! They'll make a great gift for that hard-to-shop-for Packer fan on your list, especially one living in California (hint, hint).
I wanted to introduce you to another employee here at our Vancouver office with a fun collection. Laura works in our Billing Department, and she is a passionate collector of Carebears!
Check out this video to watch Laura show off some of the most cherished carebears she has displayed at her desk (she has over 72 and has lost count), including her rare vintage "Seacrest Bear" from the UK, as well as her "America Cares" bear.
Remember that there's a $5000 prize up for grabs, so get out your cameras and shoot a 30-second or 1 minute video and write a 100-word essay describing "How eBay Giving Works helped you make a difference." Then send it to the eBay Giving Works team by 11:59:59 PM PT on December 21, 2007.
My father collects glass candy containers -- popular during the 1940s, when he was a kid. I think they're pretty neat, too, so I've given him several throughout the years. It used to be easy to find containers he didn't have...always the perfect holiday gift. Today, the finding on eBay is still easy, but remembering what he has in his collection already is tough. For a while, I'd take a picture of his collection every time I'd go home for a visit. As you can imagine, that system has its flaws.
What to do? What to do?
eBay to the rescue! Now I can give my dad eBay Gift Cards! He'll still be able to get great deals on vintage candy containers on eBay, and I won't have a "data management" problem.
And get this...eBay Gift Cards are easy to find at my local grocery store! In fact, they're in several grocery chains like Safeway, Albertsons, Publix, Piggly Wiggly (I know there's no Piggly Wiggly here on the West Coast, but can you blame me for wanting to type "Piggly Wiggly"?), and many other places, too. I walk into Safeway, and walk out with candy for me (yes, chocolate!) and an eBay Gift Card good for a candy container for my dad.
Win. Win.
If you're at a point in your holiday shopping where you run out of gift ideas, I suggest eBay Gift Cards. Or you remember, just two days before Christmas, that you wanted to get a gift for someone and it's too late to mail it to them in time, just pop into one of these locations and get them an eBay Gift Card. They're available in $25 and $50 amounts.
They're very easy to find, unless you're Jeff, who gets easily distracted by all the goodies in a grocery store. Watch this video to see what I mean.
My wonderful colleague Delyn usually covers the eBay Developers beat on the Chatter, but she's taking some time off after becoming a mommy (for the second time!). So I've stepped in to give you a glimpse into what our intrepid band of developers are up to.
Delyn's previous post mentioned the eBay Marketplace for Facebook application, just one of the many ways our Developers program is trying to ride the popularity of social networking sites (like Facebook) in order to help eBay members find great deals or promote items they're selling.
But what does a social networking site like Facebook have to do with your items for sale on eBay or with that hard-to-find item you've been looking for? Here's Trisha Okubo from our Developers Program to tell you more:
Do you get frustrated trying to uncover the hidden treasures on eBay? It's OK -- it happens to the best of us. In eBay's crowded, bustling marketplace, it's often easy to miss the gems.
But now, if you're on Facebook, there's an easier way to find the cool stuff on eBay. Join the eBay community on Facebook, where you can see and share the best stuff on eBay with your other Facebook friends. Who might share it with their Facebook friends. Who, in turn, might share it with their Facebook friends. And so on. The business school gurus call it "viral marketing."
As you use the eBay Marketplace application, you'll find handpicked goods from your Facebook friends and the Community at large. You'll find stuff you and your friends care about -- anything and everything from the robin's egg blue 19th century teapot your BFF (Best Friends Forever in social networking lingo) has her eye on to your nephew's video game picks (Guitar Hero III, anyone?).
eBay Marketplace lets you share what you're doing on eBay with your friends on Facebook. Did you just list a gorgeous jewelry case for sale on eBay? Or are you itching to brag to your friends about the pair of Marc Jacobsround toe boots you just won? If you choose, eBay Marketplace can share the news with your friends on Facebook automatically.
But you can do more than just share your stuff with your friends. If you run across the perfect vintage midcentury modern lamps for your sister's redecorated living room, you can share them with her with the click of a button. Or -- you could scoop them up and get a jump on your Christmas shopping, if you haven't finished it already. :)
After a season of nail-biting wins, excruciatingly close losses, and just barely edging into the last playoff spot, the wild ride that was the Community Fantasy Football Team finally came to an end this week. Undone by big performances from Brandon Marshall, LenDale White, and Willie Parker from Susan's Dawg Pound (and underwhelming numbers from our own TJ Houshmandzadeh and the Dallas Cowboy defense), team Chatter Blog has finally been eliminated from the playoffs.
But despite the disappointing result, it's been a heck of a fun season. Thanks to everyone who voted every week on who should play, and all those who sent me emails about the team throughout the year. This was a hugely entertaining experiment (how often can you say you were playing fantasy football for work??), and we're already thinking about how we can improve - and WIN - next year. Oh, and if you have any ideas on other sports or games we could play as a Community like this, we're all ears - email us at chatterblog@ebay.com.
I'm back today to bring you the next installment of our popular series, the eBay Member Spotlight. Through the eBay Member Spotlight series, we share our members' unique and inspiring stories with the rest of the eBay Community. So if you want a shot at your "15 minutes of fame," be sure to send us your story! (Details below at the end of this blog post.)
eBay Member Spotlight: Thanks for taking time to answer our questions, let's get started. When and how did you learn about eBay?
Motoxrush: Thanks for letting me share my story. Some years ago, my husband and I had a brick-n-mortar Power-Sports retail store in Oklahoma, and we were doing everything we could just to keep our doors open every month. Then, in 2004, my dad came to visit me and asked if I had ever thought about trying to sell on eBay.
eBay Member Spotlight: That's great -- you have your father to thank for showing you the path to eBay. Can you tell us how you got started?
Motoxrush: We started out buying a few things on eBay and then decided to list some items for sale. Everything we listed sold! We were hooked and soon after we opened our eBay store, Rush Moto X. Eventually we closed our brick-n-mortar store to sell on eBay full time since it was much more cost efficient.
eBay Member Spotlight: Wow! That's some great success while getting started. Is there something that you did that especially helped you succeed on eBay?
Motoxrush: I researched everything I could about selling on eBay. One day I discovered eBay Groups and asked Groups members some questions. I found so many of the members were so helpful, that I absorbed everything in terms of knowledge I could and learned so much more than my research could ever give me! I couldn't believe how friendly the people were in the Groups and how willing everyone was to help and give me advice.
eBay Member Spotlight: Aren't eBay Groups amazing? What did you do next?
Motoxrush: Since I had such a wonderful experience with the eBay Groups, I started my own group. I wanted to give back to the eBay Community through teaching others what so many experienced members were willing to share with me. I'm very proud of my eBay Group and I named it "Getting Started on eBay & Improving"
eBay Member Spotlight: Please share with us one of your favorite experiences participating in eBay Groups.
Motoxrush: I've met some really great friends within eBay Groups. One member and I exchanged instant message screen names and began talking to each other every day. Eventually we exchanged phone numbers and after two years we talk on the phone at least once a week. She has become one of my best friends even though we have never met in person. She lives in Alabama and I live in Oklahoma. But, due to interactions in eBay Groups I have made a best friend, who I enjoy talking to and share everyday life experiences with.
eBay Member Spotlight: You mentioned friends with an "S" meaning not just one friend, so there must be more to this story. Care to expand?
Motoxrush: Absolutely! Another awesome friend I met online in eBay Groups lives in Florida. While vacationing in Florida, my father decided to settle down and build a home he can move to when he retires. Like many eBay buyers and sellers, Dad is always on the lookout for great collectors items or just finding a bargain at thrift shops. But he didn't know where any good thrift shops were located in that part of Florida since he was new to the area. I then remembered my eBay Groups friend from Florida and I emailed her to see if she lived close to where my father was moving and, of course, if she knew where to find the bargains around town.
We talked on the phone for nearly three hours and it turned out that she lives less than 20 minutes from where my father was building his new home! Of course she asked me to give him her phone number so they could connect. Before I knew it, Dad was at her house. She welcomed him in like he was a dear old friend and hooked him up with some great places to go shopping. She even suggested how to go about finding good builders in the area for his home, and invited him back anytime he was in Florida. I thought it was so awesome that someone I had never met in person was so kind and welcoming to my dad! You see, Dad is very special to me and this meant a lot to me!
eBay Member Spotlight: That's a fantastic story! We hope you'll be able to meet your two special eBay friends someday. Motoxrush: Well, actually, since eBay Live is in Chicago in 2008 and that's only a three hour drive from my Dad's house in Wisconsin, we're planning on heading to eBay Live! during our annual summer visits to dad's house. The best thing is, because of my success with my eBay business, my husband and I have offered to pay for my friend from Alabama to come to Chicago to attend Bay Live! along with our friend from Florida (who is already planning to be there). We are all so pumped up to finally meet in person and a lot of my success and friendships on eBay are a result of my participation in eBay Groups. I just can't say enough about how much I enjoy being part of them.
eBay Member Spotlight: So, before we wrap up do you have any last words about your experience being part of the eBay Community?
Motoxrush: Sure, in hopes of sharing the greatest thing I have ever done with my business life, I became an eBay Education Specialist so that I could teach people the wonderful opportunities that are possible. Before wrapping up every class, I tell my students about so many caring and wonderful people that are part of the eBay Community. I show them how to find their way to eBay Groups and explain that not only can you sell on eBay and earn a good income, you can also meet some really good friends along the way too!
Selling on eBay has changed my life in such a way that I can now spend more time with my husband and son. It also, gives me the flexibility of being able to take time off to see my dad every year & it has given me the best gift of all…the gift of friendship!
If you have a story you'd like us to consider for a future Member Spotlight, send it to us right away! You can also record your own video and host it on Youtube. Simply email the URL created on Youtube to us. For those who may be a bit shy and not quite ready to be spotlighted on camera, you can do it the old fashioned way by writing your unique eBay story. Submit your video or written stories directly to chatterblog@ebay.com (our team) or directly to me at gianni@ebay.com.
Also, don't forget to subscribe to our RSS Feed, so you can get updates each time a new post goes up. All right, that's all for now....now send in your videos!
With the concept of "Community" at the core of eBay's philosophy, it's not surprising that eBay employees also play active roles in the real-life communities in the neighborhood of our various offices. Well-known programs like eBay Giving Works and the eBay Foundation show how eBay cares and gives back to our communities. But our individual employees' efforts are not so well-known. During the holidays, many eBay teams contributed their time to support various volunteering efforts. I thought I'd share a few examples here.
these employees spent over $8000 to purchase clothes, toys, food and Christmas Dinners for these families in need. The eBay Foundation also plans to match part of this amount! eBay Vancouver's efforts are helping the greatest number of families amongst all participating companies in the Greater Vancouver area.
Vancouver's Community Watch team held a food drive called "Community Watch does the Can Can!". Roughly 100 employees collected 2500 individual food items totaling 1600 pounds of food in just one week alone!
For the past several years, eBay in Salt Lake City, Utah, has partnered with the Salvation Army/Angel Tree program. This program brings Christmas to children and seniors who otherwise wouldn't have a Christmas. In 2006, eBay employees in Salt Lake City helped sponsor a total of 115 "angels," but in 2007 they did even better. Thanks to the compassion and willingness of our employees, we were able to sponsor 155 Angels, both both children and seniors. They showed that they believe in eBay's Values, by treating others the way they themselves would want to be treated.
