The Company

	Press Releases for July 2004

October | September | July | April | March

Small Business is Big Business… Online - July 15, 2004

Leveling the Playing Field

Today, more than 430,000 individuals across the globe are making a successful living by operating a part-time or full time business on eBay. eBay provides a fast and easy way to sell just about anything, from excess inventory, to brand new and unique items, in a safe, secure and user-friendly marketplace. Setting up an eBay business is easy, individuals simply register with a user name, password and credit card and within minutes are selling to eBay's global community of users and competing with traditional bricks and mortar merchants without the costly overhead.

"eBay has leveled the playing field between entrepreneurs, small businesses and big brands," says Jordan Banks, head of business and strategic development, eBay Canada. "By providing business owners with an online 'storefront' as well as access to a global marketplace of over 100 million potential buyers through eBay's presence in 29 international markets, eBay allows small businesses to compete for revenue without large initial investments of time or money."

eBay Benefits

An eBay-based business offers a variety of benefits, including flexible work hours and the ability to work from the comfort of home. With eBay's "buy it now" feature, transactions can be completed immediately, or through the traditional 5, 7 or ten day auction formats. Through their electronic storefront, small businesses can use eBay to sell their wares around the world. For many small business owners, eBay's appeal lies in the way it allows them to expand their existing business into the international marketplace without the expense or investment of an international sales force or individual website.

Small businesses are a powerful force in both urban and rural communities across Canada. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business reports that each year, 90 per cent of new jobs created in Ontario come from small businesses - a trend assisted by the growing number of Internet-based businesses. eBay reports that of its most active sellers (eBay calls them "PowerSellers") almost half have two or more employees and 35 per cent have three or more employees.

In June of this year, over 10,000 eBay devotees descended upon the city of New Orleans to partake in all things eBay. The conference hosted PowerSellers from around the world, including a delegation of over 100 people from Canada, who gathered to celebrate eBay's exponential growth and its economic impact on their lives. In addition to best practices, the event provided information for sellers looking for ways to expand their businesses as well as valuable networking opportunities.

Tools for Small Business Owners

As an increasing number of people turn to eBay to recognize their dreams of entrepreneurial success, eBay continues to encourage further expansions, adding new small-business friendly services such as Seller Central at http://pages.ebay.ca/sellercentral/. At Seller Central, members can find a number of tools to help them scale their businesses including, a Merchandising Calendar, providing sellers advanced notice of upcoming seasonal promotions on eBay and a "What's Hot" section outlines categories and products that users search for and bid on, and categories where demand is outpacing supply. Additional services include, tools to help small business owners improve their listings; post-sales management; inventory management; and other tasks associated with the typical eBay sales cycle. Small business owners with questions or concerns receive ongoing support through eBay's community chat boards, which offer counsel on everything from best practices on photographing items, to shipping information and packaging advice.

"What makes eBay such an ideal tool for people who are just starting out is the flexibility it provides," says Banks. "At eBay we have a saying - crawl, walk, run - build your business at your own pace while taking advantage of the support available from the eBay community."

Canadian Success Stories

For many eBay entrepreneurs, what started out as a weekend hobby or pastime has become a full time enterprise that exists solely online. Richard and Andrea Strang began using eBay in 1999, as a way to sell discounted books from their home in Georgetown, Ontario. In less than five years, their business "Richard's Discount Books" has gone from a small, part-time venture, to a thriving eBay-based business employing one full-time and five part-time staff. Today, 90 per cent of the Strang's business transactions occur through eBay, with 95 per cent of sales occurring internationally, either to the U.S. or abroad.

Adam Franklin is the President of Autogrilles, a retailer of after-market chrome grille insert kits for automobiles. Based out of his home in East York, Adam began selling his merchandise on eBay over two years ago. In doing so, Adam met another entrepreneur from Chicago with similar interests and they formed a partnership. There are now three members on the Autogrilles' team and the company operates completely in cyberspace - Adam and his partner have never physically met. Autogrilles' merchandise is sold almost exclusively on eBay, with 95 per cent of total sales occurring through the website.

About eBay Canada

eBay is the World's Online Marketplace®. Founded in 1995, eBay created a powerful platform for the sale of goods and services by a passionate community of individuals and businesses. On any given day, there are millions of items across thousands of categories for sale on eBay. eBay enables trade on a local, national and international basis with customized sites in markets around the world. Through an array of services, such as its payment solution provider PayPal, eBay is enabling global e-commerce for an ever-growing online community. In Canada, eBay was visited by more than 9 million Canadians in May 2004.