We've Arrived

The eBay on the Road team arrives on the first stop of its cross-country Canadian tour - St. John's, Newfoundland. On their first day in St. John's, the crew braved high winds to enjoy the gorgeous view from the top of Signal Hill and later enjoyed fish & chips and a pint of the local brew, "1892", at Bridie Molloy's on George Street.

Cape Spear

Members of the eBay on the Road team take in The Rock's scenic vistas and high-velocity winds. Pictured here on the rocky shoreline of Cape Spear, the most easterly place in North America, the team gets a glimpse of a rather large, flat iceberg floating in the harbour. The team says the view of the iceberg, along with the clear blue sky and the spray from the waves crashing against the rocky shoreline, was "breathtaking".

The Van

Settling into the driver's seat of the official eBay on the Road minivan, the on the road crew makes their way around the east coast singing along to tunes from Great Big Sea. Easily recognizable with its official eBay on the Road decals, the bright-red minivan has become a conversation piece among many of the locals who encounter the eBay on the Road team on their adventures.

The eBay on the Road crew took advantage of the Victoria Day holiday to hop in the van and checkout some of Newfoundland's picturesque small towns, cozy coves and cliffs. While in the town of Brigus, near Conception Bay, the road crew stopped for lunch at a local shop and enjoyed the famous chowder and blueberry crisp with blueberry ice cream and homemade blueberry sauce for dessert - part of the team is pictured here, showing off their new blue teeth.

Over 100 people turned out in Halifax to experience eBay.ca on the Road. Pictured here, the advanced class was full of eBay sellers who enjoyed a great day of sharing tips, best practices, and great eBay success stories, including one woman who earned $1200US for a teacup she had purchased for $2. What a deal!

The New Users session was also full of energetic and eager eBay-ers and all enjoyed meeting other members of the eBay family. A special thanks to our two volunteers, "greenguardianstables" and "knarf1969", for all their assistance and terrific hard work.

A sold-out crowd in Saint John overcame the cloudy Maritime skies to get in the eBay mood. Over 120 people showed up to learn about eBay, share stories, and pass along outstanding recipes showcasing New Brunswick cuisine.

Ottawa/Hull, Ontario

Upon their arrival in a sold-out Kingston, the eBay.ca On the Road team were met by a great gang of people who were full of energy and great questions. There was much excitement as our five volunteers - the most to date! - met in person for the very first time. Users Jazznut2, o*pillar, bibbithca, ckyoung99, and skeeters_den knew each other from the Community Discussion boards on eBay.ca but had never met in person. There were lots of hugs and squeals of delight as the group met for the first time at eBay.ca On the Road.

Throughout the day-long sessions, discussions among the group unearthed some amazing user stories including one woman who bought a lampshade for $14 CDN, sold it for $100 USD and then saw her buyer sell it on eBay Italy for $1,000 USD. Another user told the group about two Pool pottery pieces they bought at a garage sale for a 25 cents each and then sold them for $100 CDN each on eBay. The stories were fantastic and the group voted on a winner who received an eBay.ca knapsack.

As a special treat, skeeters_den arrived with Baywinkle, a stuffed replica of the eBay.ca Moose mascot which she designed especially for the On The Road tour. The moose, who was named Baywinkle by the community, came complete with 12 outfits for his travels across the country - here he is pictured in his jammies.

As the eBay.ca On the Road team headed west towards Sudbury, they were thrilled to catch a glimpse of eBay.ca’s mascot and one of the most recognized animals in Canada - a moose who was strolling through a marsh next to the highway.

Once in Sudbury, the team sought refuge from the hot summer sun with a trip to the beach while some other members opted for the cool air conditioning at Science North where they learned about global warming. Meanwhile, our eBay.ca On the Road videographer, Nenad, met up with an eBay.ca user who traveled all the way from Spanish, ON so that Nenad could film her terrific user story.

The next day, everyone gathered together for the new user and advanced seller programs. The team shared some good laughs with our two volunteers, craften_kerri and katicksupplies who were a much appreciated pair of extra helping hands during registration and lunch. In the new user session, eBay.ca On the Road team member Daryl managed to raise some money for the Children's Wish Foundation when she listed a eBay.ca On the Road trading card which ended up selling for $20.

Flying high over their next destination, the eBay.ca On the Road crew took in the huge tracks of wilderness and spectacular views of Lake Superior as they made their way to Thunder Bay.

Upon arriving at 8 p.m., the group was surprised to see that the sun was still shining as if it was mid-afternoon! All the better to take in the view from the shores of Lake Superior and the dozens of freight ships in the water.

The next day, it was show time and everyone was up early to greet our volunteers - Clark, Vera and Alene - who were in great spirits so early in the morning. As the sessions got underway, the team heard some incredible user stories from the Advanced Sellers group including one woman who bought an inspirational painting on eBay seven years after the death of her son. When she emailed the seller, she learned that he had also found the painting an inspiration after the death of his mother 20 years earlier. They were both amazed at how this painting and eBay had brought them together and two and a half years later they remain friends and email often.

Continuing on their westward journey, the eBay.ca On the Road team took some time out to be tourists in Winnipeg. Exploring the city and taking in the Fringe festival, the team enjoyed all the city has to offer including a wonderful evening on the patio of Colleseo on the Corso Italia.

On Saturday morning, everyone gathered on the eighth floor of the Ramada Marlborough Hotel where the team registered over 200 people for the New User and the Advanced Seller classes! Our volunteers were a fantastic help in keeping the crowds moving and directing traffic to the Advanced room. The energy in the sessions was fantastic!

Our western users enjoyed meeting one another and shared some fabulous eBay success stories. One gentleman told how he traded his neighbour a garden shed in return for a commercial corn on the cob cooker. He decided to list the cooker on eBay and sold it for US$585. Another user earned US$150 when he sold four ammunition boxes that he had originally purchased for $2.

As the final stop of eBay.ca’s On the Road prairie tour, Regina made the eBay.ca On the Road crew feel right at home with a warm and welcoming reception. Up early to prepare for the Monday morning sessions, the eBay.ca On the Road team was thrilled to greet an army of volunteers.

Full of energy, the volunteers helped to hand out class kits, register guests and direct people to their classes so that all were ready for the 9 a.m. start time.

As everyone settled in to their classes, the usual exchange of incredible eBay user stories began to take place. In the advanced class, the group heard from a woman who sold her grandson's rusted 75-year-old toy trunk for US $375, to an ailing elderly gentleman who had owned the same trunk when he was a young boy. Another user, who began on eBay by selling used fur and leather coats, told the group about her expanding business on the site. Her business was doing so well that her husband had quit his job to help her increase her listings and the couple had moved their business from the basement of their home to a newly renovated funeral parlour that had gone out of business. They now have over 50 racks of product and have hired five staff members.

At the end of the sessions, the newly renovated Ramada hotel graciously hosted a party for all of the eBay.ca On the Road guests with hot hors d'oeuvres and cold canapés. During a draw, hosted by the hotel, one lucky user won a free hotel brunch, and was delighted to invite her sister, who was also at the On the Road session. Coincidentally, this same sister won a free night stay at the hotel in the next draw! The sisters said they will be making a weekend trip back to Regina to enjoy the city's 100th anniversary and a delicious brunch. (Pssst! Try the blueberry pie - it's heaven!)

Back on the road again, the eBay.ca On the Road team headed west with visions of the Rockies and delicious Alberta beef in their heads. Arriving in the beautiful city of Edmonton, the team took in the incredible street performers at The Fringe Festival and the great spirit of the city.

The day of the seminars proved to be a busy one as the eBay.ca On the Road team greeted over 250 people - the biggest crowd yet! Thank goodness for our volunteers who arrived early and helped to make registration a breeze.

The eBay.ca team learned that community spirit is alive and well in Edmonton when the advanced class listed a collectable "eBay.ca On the Road" trading card and it sold for US$15.81. The largest amount raised from the sale of a card so far, proceeds from its sale went to benefit The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada. And, in true eBay.ca community spirit, the beginner class sang "Happy Birthday" to one of the eBay.ca On the Road team members.

Not to be outdone by the Edmonton sessions, eBay users in Calgary turned out in full force for eBay.ca On the Road.

On Sunday, the eBay.ca On the Road team welcomed close to 290 participants at the Sheraton Cavalier in downtown Calgary. Once again, our volunteers did a spectacular job of assisting the eBay.ca team with logistics.

A special mention to Patrick and his wife Dorota who made a special trip from Edmonton to volunteer in Calgary. Originally scheduled to help volunteer in Edmonton, Patrick was unable to keep this date when he was unexpectedly called to Toronto to help his company's IT department recover after the power blackout in much of Ontario in mid-August. Everyone was amazed at their dedication and was very excited to meet them!

With the wind still howling, the eBay.ca On the Road team traveled to the Okanagan Valley for the next session in Kelowna, B.C. Greeted by beautiful blue skies, the team was overwhelmed by the size of the surrounding mountains set against the gorgeous backdrop of Lake Okanagan - all untouched by the summer's terrible forest fires.

The people of Kelowna turned out in great numbers for the day's sessions, over 350 participants!, and provided the eBay.ca On the Road team with a very warm welcome. In both the New User and Advanced Seller classes, the eBay.ca On the Road team was excited to show everyone the charity listing designed to help raise money for the Red Cross BC Forest Fire Relief Fund. The framed set of 10 of the eBay.ca On the Road trading cards, each signed by Meg Whitman President & CEO of eBay Inc., (pictured below) was well received and earned a round of applause from the classes.

Later in the day, some of the participants had the chance to be interviewed by Shaw Television including two-month old Cadence who hung out with her mom and dad at the back of the New User classroom for the entire day without ever making a sound.

With just one stop left, the eBay.ca On the Road team made their way to Vancouver with mixed emotions - excited for the session ahead of them but also a little melancholy knowing that this would be the last stop on the year's On the Road tour. Upon their arrival, spirits were lifted as the team welcomed over 900 people to the Vancouver classes - far and away the largest group ever on our eBay.ca On the Road tour.

With the assistance of a group of awesome volunteers, the On the Road team managed to get the very patient crowd registered and ready to start the day. Volunteers including members from the eBay Customer Support Centre in Burnaby, our very own Powersellers and other friends visiting from PayPal offices in Mountain View and Omaha all pitched in for a true team effort.

A group shot of all our volunteers including Powerseller your-chic-shopper, eBay employees from Burnaby and PayPal as well as representatives from A & A Contract Customs Brokers Ltd.

With the assistance of a group of awesome volunteers, the On the Road team managed to get the very patient crowd registered and ready to start the day. Volunteers including members from the eBay Customer Support Centre in Burnaby, our very own Powersellers and other friends visiting from PayPal offices in Mountain View and Omaha all pitched in for a true team effort.

After 11 Canadian cities and more than 6000 kilometres, eBay.ca On the Road made its way to British Columbia for the last leg of its cross-Canada tour. Braving one of the biggest windstorms of the year in B.C., the eBay.ca On the Road team boarded a plane for beautiful Victoria, B.C. where over 450 people turned out to take part in the beginner and advanced sessions - it was the biggest crowd the team had seen yet!

Pictured here, the New User group listened attentively and enjoyed a special guest presentation from A & A Contract Customs Brokers Ltd. who rode the ferry all the way from Vancouver to share their knowledge about customs and shipping issues in Canada.

Over in the Advanced Sellers session, the eBay.ca On the Road team members heard some incredible user stories including one from a man who reunited distant relatives when he put a book up for sale. The author's daughter and another relative each contacted the seller about the book and he in turn put the two of them in touch. The group also heard from a man who successfully sold toys that he bought at a major toy retailer - purchased at just $5 Cdn each, the toys sold for over $60 Cdn.

Pictured here, the eBay.ca On the Road team takes time out to get to know some of the advanced sellers including anthony_sukow pictured here with Moira and Andrew.