Betsie Bolger (known in the eBay community as “eBetsy”) is a Top Rated Seller and eBay instructor (formerly part of eBay’s now-retired Education Specialist program), scriptwriter for eBay Radio, and she makes good use of the eBay colours in her hair for eBay events. She was also a professional equestrian, competing internationally as well as training horses and riders to national and world championships, and nowadays runs agility with 2 of her dogs. Today Betsie reports from eBay Open 2018 in Las Vegas:
eBay Open 2018 Seller Celebration
When it comes to selling on eBay, what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas. Some 2,000 avid eBay sellers are currently attending the eBay Open 2018 conference at Mandalay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, and they’ll be returning home at week’s end armed with fresh new information and inspiration – as well as plenty of eBay and sponsor swag — to help them grow and improve their businesses on eBay.
And they’re not all from the USA; sellers also came to Vegas from Canada, Germany, Israel, and India. The eBay Open 2018 conference runs from Tuesday through Thursday, 24-26 July.
An unofficial meet & greet sponsored by the Dallas eBaybes & eMales seller meetup group got the party started on Monday night, so eBay spirits were running high on Tuesday, the opening day of this 3-day seller celebration. This year’s theme is “Say hello” – as in, “Say hello to inspiration/innovation/connection/collaboration”.
Early-bird registration was offered both Sunday and Monday, but there was still quite a line to pick up the free T-shirts on offer with each goody bag as well as to purchase eBay-branded shirts, hoodies, bags, and assorted chotchkes from the on-site eBay Swag Shop. Priciest item on offer: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star trainers bearing the eBay logo, a very special order at US$120 (about £90).
A general session keynoted by eBay CEO Devin Wenig kick-started the conference at 1pm. During “A Conversation with Devin Wenig”, attendees were introduced to the 3 tracks (and overall messages to be driven home) at eBay Open:
- eBay will continue to grow as a modern marketplace in the forefront of ecommerce, and they will help their sellers to remain competitive. Front and center in this initiative is eBay’s change-over to a product-based shopping experience rather than one that is listing driven; workshops also feature buyer insights, photography, shipping tools, and seller panels.
- You probably want your business to enjoy profitable growth, and eBay does, too. This track includes workshops on Google SEO, pricing, social media, marketing tools, and inventory management.
- As for purpose, Wenig said, “Sellers are at the center of everything eBay does, and that will continue to be the case.” Workshop topics include small business best practices, tax guidance, and eBay for Charity along with pop-up sessions re: Community.
Wenig also spoke about eBay’s Retail Revival initiative in Akron, Ohio, USA.
Following a networking break, a second general session keynoted by Scott Cutler, Senior Vice President, Americas, was titled “Our responsibility to you”. A Welcome Reception in the Expo Hall featuring open bars and finger food came next on the day’s agenda; also on offer were a pop-up session “New Ways to Get Paid on eBay” (the platform now accepts Apple Pay) as well as a live broadcast of eBay Radio from the eBay Open Studio.
Then it was off into the Vegas night, with some attendees heading out on the town while others planned an early night to rest up for Wednesday’s chockablock schedule of workshops, pop-ups, networking, and general sessions, starting with breakfast in the Expo Hall at 7:30AM. To be continued…
