It's Bike to Work Day today and eBayers are enthusiastically putting their mettle to the pedal. Employees have been riding in to work from far and wide, even though temperatures are predicted to hit 100 here today. (Last year a few employees actually biked all the way from San Francisco, a whopping 50 mile ride!).
Actually eBay's campuses have always had a healthy (pun intended) share of people who bike in to work regularly, thanks to the Bay Area generally having pleasant weather all year round. You can always count on seeing a few bikes parked by the stairs on the first floors of most buildings on campus. And more and more people have been getting on their bikes lately. After all, it's healthy, it's good for the environment, and it saves you money (with gas prices these days, filling up might be more painful than a visit to the dentist!).
One of eBay's regular bikers is our very own Griff, who has a "weighty" message for you delivered with the usual Griff enthusiasm. Check it out in this video.
I hope all is well for you and your families. Today at eBay, we're holding our monthly Community Town Hall event. If you aren't familiar with an eBay Town Hall don't fret. They are basically very much what you're probably thinking they are like. We invite everyone who trades on eBay to participate. You can do this by clicking on the Town Hall graphic on the eBay Town Hall page.
After that, you'll navigate to our partner who assists producing these events, www.wsRadio.com. They host the weekly eBay Radio program hosted by our very own Griff. He also moderates the questions, comments, and suggestions on various eBay and PayPal topics raised by Community members. Griff is regularly joined by a group of eBay leaders called the Town Hall panel. Each of the panel members are responsible for different areas with eBay. They provide answers to questions about their respective topics, explain the rationale for a variety of the decisions the company makes, and listen to comments and suggestions about ways to improve the eBay and PayPal experience. You can email your questions and suggestions to TownHall@eBay.com or call the toll free number, 877-474-3302.
You're invited to join us today at 3:30 PM Pacific Time to listen and submit any question, comment, or suggestion.
Just go to the Town Hall page (http://pages.ebay.com/townhall/) to participate. We've scheduled 90 minutes for this opportunity to interact with some of the leaders at eBay. If your schedule doesn't permit you to join, you will be able to listen to an audio archive recording or read a written transcript available generally a few days following the event. Bookmarking the Town Hall Archives page will allow you to access the archive information easily for future reference.
During and after the event, come back here to the Chatter blog to view photos. If you have comments or suggestions about today's Town Hall or about Town Hall events in general, please start a thread on the Chatter Blog Comments board and share your thoughts and opinions.
We hope this information is helpful and you learned more about our Community Town Hall events.
Alright everybody, "Git-R-Done"! That's the famous saying from Larry the Cable Guy. You probably know him as one of three comedians that make up the Blue Collar Comedy team, along with Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall.
You're probably wondering what it is you're supposed to "Git-Done," right?
Well, that would be checking out and perhaps bidding on Larry The Cable Guy's auctions for charity. First, is two VIP tickets to one of his famously sold-out comedy shows, complete with a special meet-and-greet with Mr. Cable Guy himself. But the BIG prize here is his beloved 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 4X4 Sport Truck, which Larry the Cable Guy has personally signed himself. The auctions started on Monday, Feb. 11 and the truck is up to $20,100 and the VIP tickets to his show are going for $2,250.
Listed using eBay's Giving Works feature, 100% of the proceeds of both auctions go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Look for the blue and gold ribbon icons used to distinguish any item listed for a non-profit through Charity Giving Works.
So now you know. So, go on, "Git-R-Done" as these two fantastic auctions end tomorrow to help out a very worthy cause.
Breaker One-Nine! Breaker One-Nine! This is "Brian D. Chatter-Blogger" here bringing you an update on the ongoing journey of the Traveling Lab Coat. It's been listed again by the previous winner, ebwizcom.
The TLC, (as it has been nicknamed by ebwizcom), just might be in the most interesting part of its journey so far on this 5th leg of on going grassroots effort by eBay Community members to raise money for various favorite non-profit organizations.
What makes this fifth edition of the TLC interesting? As ebwizcom puts it, "I thought it would be fun (to) put some real MILES on this thing and put the 'travel' in the traveling lab coat!" Convenient for the TLC that its current owner is one of our nation's dedicated truckers, responsible for hauling goods across the country. And boy, have they seen some interesting things, like when ebwizcom's big rig the TLC was riding in hit a buzzard. But the TLC and ebwizcom survived, thankfully.
With the 4,587 miles traveled, the TLC has been on a whirlwind tour through 11 states. It sure resembles the campaign tour of a Presidential candidate. It's not too late to get the TLC on the ballots, is it? "TLC in 2008" has a nice ring to it, eh?
But I digress. If you'd like to read about the entire journey the TLC and ebwizcom took together, be sure to check out ebwizcom's TLC Journal. Don't miss the TLC Map where you can follow the route the TLC traveled.
Finally, let's not forget the auction for the TLC ends on January 14, 2008. Don't miss out on the Free Shipping offer. Perhaps most importantly, the winner is helping to raise funds for the St. Louis Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Currently the highest bid is $251.00. It should be exciting to see how this stage of the TLC's fascinating journey turn's out.
Greetings. I wanted to follow-up and thank you all for your posts on The Twelve Days of Christmas Purchased on eBay thread. Here are a few things I wanted to mention about some of your posts.
First, silverhawktd, I'm not sure I want to hear "Hey, I Think I Love Ya" and "Come on Get Happy" that many times. Won't just one record do, please?
Next, shebby44 gets the prize for the DEEEEPEST pockets or a whole lot of loving going on, because their total came to $148,011.60. Which is not bad at all if you have the cash to afford it. Congrats for having the deepest pockets!
The Historian award goes to desertrose48 for providing some very insightful information about the symbolic meaning behind each of the items to the carol The Twelve Days of Christmas. I really enjoyed reading that, so thank you.
Finally, my favorite post goes to minnymalse for what I think are the best pictures and for finding all "12 Days" for about as inexpensively as I think could possibly be done. Their grand total of about $150.83just might set a record. Well done to you, minnymalse.
I also want to thank everyone who took time to post, especially for those who found mine and the other members' efforts funny and entertaining. I'm not sure, but I think we may have to start an annual competition here on the Chatter Blog for the "12 Days of Christmas purchased on eBay."
Please let me know your thoughts by posting to the current thread on the Chatter Blog discussion board.
Thanks again to every one and I wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2008!
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!
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.
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.
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!
Did you know that, since 2000, more than $118 million has been raised for charity from listings sold on eBay worldwide? But behind this amazing but impersonal number are thousands of untold stories -- stories of millions of our Community members and the people whose lives they helped make better, by listing through eBay Giving Works.
We want the world to know those stories. And to actually SEE and be inspired by the people who made a difference.
Through the Shoot. Share. Win! video contest, the eBay Giving Works team wants to celebrate the wonderful ways in which members have made a difference.
Share your stories with us and you could win $5,000! Just shoot a 30 second to 1 minute video and a 100-word essay describing "How eBay Giving Works helped you make a difference." Then send it to the eBay Giving Works team before December 21st (extended from the original date of December 5th!).
You'll find all the details on the Shoot Share Win contest rules page, so check them out. And in case you're daunted by the thought of playing Scorsese and shooting video, it's not really that complicated. Quite simple, really. These days most ordinary digital cameras have a video setting. You just have to switch to it and start shooting! (Here are a few samples and tips.)
As you can see in this video of Jen Ibarra from the eBay Giving Works team (which took us all of 10 minutes to organize), it might take a few takes, but it's fun to do!
I hope everyone has recovered from their post-Thanksgiving turkey hangover! Now I'd like to discuss with you another important event that takes place annually on December 1st (that's tomorrow if you don't have a calendar handy). That event is World AIDS Day, where the day is set aside as the one day out of the year where everyone on this big planet of ours takes time to support those who are currently living with AIDS, a disease that progresses from infection of HIV, and to honor and remember friends and family that have passed on from AIDS.
World AIDS Day is also a day to focus on fighting HIV and AIDS by raising and donating funds that are used to research medicines and vaccination possibilities. It's a day to learn and help educate others about how HIV is spread and contracted.
Since World AIDS Day began in 1998, each year has been focused on a theme to help generate interest in the cause. This year's theme is "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Leadership." I'm very happy and proud to have been a part of a group of eBay, Inc. employees who have stepped up with their own type of leadership to help raise and donate funds to various deserving Bay Area HIV/AIDS related programs and resources.
First, Curtis Thornhill, from eBay's Rent.com and President of the Board of Directors at the Billy DeFrank Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender (LGBT) Community Center here in San Jose, headed up a team of three eBay, Inc. employees who participated in the 2007 AIDS Lifecycle, which is is the official cycling event from San Francisco to Los Angeles benefiting the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. Each participant is required to raise $2,500 from sponsorships to ride in the AIDS Lifecycle event. Curtis was able to raise over $5,000 through his efforts and the matching contribution from the eBay Foundation, which generously agrees to match employee contributions to charitable causes.
Next, yours truly from 2004 - 2006 volunteered to organize and lead a group of eBay employees, along with their friends and family, to walk in the annual AIDS Walk - San Francisco. (This year I elected to just be a participant.) Walkers are encouraged to raise funds through sponsorships, just like the with the AIDS Lifecycle, and the eBay Foundation again matches all participating eBay employees' contributions. They also kick in a special grant of $2,500 when teams of 4 or more employees participate in the event. All of the money raised for AIDS Walk - San Francisco goes to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which supports 42 different Bay Area HIV/AIDS organizations.
Most of us are probably still recovering from enjoying an enormous Thanksgiving meal spent with family and friends. Just like we're used to hearing from family that are far away, the "eBay family" also heard from one of its members -- only in this case, it was from the other side of the world!
On Thanksgiving day, we heard from an eBay member from afar. A thread was started on the Sports & Memorabilia discussion board by a U.S. Air Force Major currently serving in Afghanistan. He wished everyone a Happy Thanksgivng and mentioned that reading the eBay discussion forums sometimes helps the troops stationed there feel the support from those of us here at home. In true eBay Community fashion, many fellow eBay members responded with thanks, support and prayers for the troops serving overseas. As of the time of this writing, pledges of support and thanks have come from over a dozen states as well as the Canadian provinces. You can view the thread by clicking here. On behalf of the eBay family, many thanks to all the men and women serving our country.
The Chatter Blog team wishes everyone a happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving!
We also thought we'd let you know what we're thankful for:
Bev -- No matter what life throws at you, there is
always something to be thankful for. I'm thankful for the country in
which I live, my freedom and the opportunities that life has afforded
me. I'm thankful for my family and friends.
Laura -- I'm thankful for for our Chatter Blog readers...without them, we'd have to get real jobs.
Susan -- I'm thankful for the "4 Fs" of Thanksgiving: family, friends, food and football. (After last Sunday's Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens game, I am also thankful for Phil Dawson, but I'd have to change his first name to "Fill" for it to qualify as another F.)
Ninad -- I'm thankful for a 4-day weekend! I'm also very, very thankful I don't have to eat that enormous pumpkin in my lap.
Jeff -- I'm thankful for: The Green Bay Packers playing on Thursday morning instead of during dinner. Everyone who wrote in during the "Where's Griff?" game that said they thought he was the red-headed woman. The Holiday sandwich (turkey, cranberry and stuffing) being back at Erik's Delicafe.
My family who supports me, my friends who laugh with (or usually at)
me, and my coworkers who make each day great (as they wonder why they
still keep me around).
Brian -- I'm thankful for my fantastic friends and wonderful family, living in San Francisco, working for and being part of the eBay Community, baseball and the New York Yankees.
I'm back with news about an extraordinarily exciting event called 7th on Sale. Started in 1990 by some of the famous and even some not-so-famous people in America's fashion world, 7th on Sale was created to feature designer-donated merchandise at dramatically prices. The funds raised from the sales of all 7th on Sale donated items were made available to community agencies set up to serve those affected with HIV/AIDS in New York City. That first year they raised a praise-worthy sum of $4.2 million.
The vision of these designers helped to form a non-profit organization called the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Foundation. Today, the (CFDA) Foundation, along with Vogue Magazine, and various other important names in the fashion industry, have extended the generosity gathered from the 7th on Sale events. Beneficiaries over the years have included dozens of worthy organizations, including AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA), Alpha Workshops, amfAR, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, God’s Love We Deliver, Greenhope Services for Women, Harlem United Community AIDS Center, HIV Law Project, and the Latino Commission on AIDS, among many, many others.
Co-Chairs of the 7th on Sale 2007 event, which include top designers like Kenneth Cole, Marc Jacobs, and Ralph Lauren along with model Kate Moss and women's clothing designer Diane Von Furstenberg, kicked off the begining of 7th on Sale 2007 by hosting a fabulous black-tie gala party. Held on the evening of November 15th at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City, they were joined by many other celebrities and fashion trend setters to help celebrate all their efforts in fighting HIV/AIDS and to help find a cure.
Now, even members of the eBay Community have an opportunity to assist in attaining this year's fund raising goal, which is to double the $1.7 million raised in 2005. By purchasing any of the donated merchandise listed on eBay with eBay Giving Works, which includes cashmere sweaters, shoes, handbags, books and fragrance bottles signed by designers, celebrity-worn red carpet gowns, and much more, you too can help contribute. Just be sure to type in "7th on Sale" in Search to have an impressive wide array of items returned for you until December 6, 2007, which is when 7th on Sale 2007 draws to a close.
When asked to comment on this unique event, eBay CEO and President and 7th on Sale 2007 Co-Chair Meg Whitman, answered, "7th on Sale is an important, collaborative fund raising effort among many accomplished members of the fashion industry. We're proud to once again work with the CFDA and Vogue to bring 7th on Sale to the eBay marketplace so that our global audience can support this very important cause."
And by the way, World AIDS Day takes place on Saturday, December 1st. Why not purchase an item listed for 7th on Sale 2007 as a excellent way to recognize and support those living with HIV/AIDS and to remember those that have already passed on from this disease? Simply type "7th on Sale" in Search.
Good luck, happy searching, and thanks for bidding!
Greetings from the eBay Vancouver office. Here in Vancouver, the vast majority of our employees are active on the eBay site, and like many of you, many of our employees have become big collectors.
I'd like to introduce you to Trevor Wong. Trevor works in our Trust & Safety Department. In his spare time, he is a big collector... of Nike Shoes! Watch the video below to view (part of) his collection, and to learn how he waited about a year and a half to find a pair of shoes that was in just the right condition and for the right price. He finally won it after what he calls "a gruelling auction." Way to shop victoriously, Trevor!
Exactly how far can $90 go? Much, much farther than you might think. For Elizabeth from Atonsu Kumasi, Ghana, $90 went far enough to help her start a successful bakery and get back on her feet after her husband’s death left her as the sole provider for four children. Today, the bakery that she started with a $90 microfinance loan is helping her pay for the healthcare and education of her children. And the poor widow with five mouths to feed now employs eight employees of her own! (Read Elizabeth's inspiring story on MicroPlace.)
A big part of Elizabeth’s success is a concept called "microfinance." Widely recognized as an effective tool against poverty, the most common microfinance service is the provision of small loans – often as low as $50 – to enable the working poor to lift themselves from poverty through their own hard work and entrepreneurial spirit.
It's a concept that should strike a chord among many eBay sellers, thousands of whom have also built up successful businesses through their own hard work and entrepreneurial spirit.
There are millions of people like Elizabeth around the world who just need that little start, a microfinance loan, to lift themselves out of poverty. Unfortunately, most of them are unable to obtain loans from banks or other traditional lending institutions. And likewise, even though there are millions of good-hearted Americans willing to put their money behind the Elizabeths of this world, they’re not sure of how to go about it.
That's where a new company named MicroPlace comes in.
MicroPlace (a wholly-owned subsidiary of eBay, Inc.) enables consumers in the U.S. to use the internet to make microfinance investments that not only address global poverty, but also provide a financial return to the investors. The site’s philosophy can be summarized in four words – "Invest wisely. End poverty."
How does it work? I spoke to Tracey Pettengill Turner, Founder and General Manager of MicroPlace (watch her video below). She explained, "Everyday people can purchase investments – for as little as $100 – from microfinance security issuers. Through MicroPlace's secure platform, we enable investors to direct the impact of their investment to a specific country and microfinance institution in the developing world. The microfinance institutions use the funds to make small loans to the working poor, who in turn use the loans to start or expand small businesses and lift themselves out of poverty."
Besides the feel-good factor of knowing that my money is helping someone raise themselves out of poverty, I also like the idea of making a socially responsible investment and earning a return. I'm looking on www.microplace.com for good opportunities, and suggest you check it out as well.
MicroPlace is currently not registered in Tennessee. Investors who are residents of this state will not be allowed to make investments. This website should not be considered as an offering to sell investments in Tennessee. MicroPlace is only available to US residents. MicroPlace, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC
I'm here to warn you to be on the lookout for a traveling lab coat.
You know, those sterile, white jackets doctors or scientists wear in
their laboratory. But this ain't your ordinary lab coat. It's a very
special lab coat because it's "Traveling on for Charity" and listed through eBay's Giving Works tool.
Since I'm a native of Salt Lake City, I wanted to blog about this fantastic, grass roots, idea to raise money for the Primary Children's Medical Center, located in Salt Lake City, Utah.
A big pat on the back should be given to eBay Community member danna who
started the lab coat on its adventures. She's even written about the
lab coat on her own blog. Please be sure to read her story, The Traveling eBay Lab Coat
to learn how her idea came to fruition. In a nutshell: Lab coats like
this one were worn only by a few eBay employees during eBay Live!
earlier this year. When the event ended, the employee who had worn this
lab coat
Live help
It's Bike to Work Day today and eBayers are enthusiastically putting their mettle to the pedal. Employees have been riding in to work from far and wide, even though temperatures are predicted to hit 100 here today. (Last year a few employees actually biked all the way from San Francisco, a whopping 50 mile ride!). 
