Bill Cobb

Hi everyone...this is Bill Cobb, President, Marketplaces North America. I'd like to invite you to our next Town Hall event on Thursday, February 22, 2007 from 4:00pm to 5:30pm Pacific time. I've asked eBay's Chief Technology Officer, Matt Carey, and some of our Town Hall regulars to join me in answering your questions live on the air.

Ask us your question on the air
We've extended this Town Hall to 90 minutes so we can answer more questions live on the air. If you have a question for me or one of the other leaders on our panel, you'll be able to call us at our toll-free number – 877-474-3302 – to talk to us in person. We'll be broadcasting LIVE via Internet radio with the help of our friends at wsRadio (the same folks that produce Griff's eBay Radio show). As always, you'll be able to listen in via Windows Media Player or Real Player.

If you'd prefer to type us your question, you can post your question to our new Town Hall forum. We'll be answering some of the questions posted there, as well.

So, I hope you’ll join us to let us know what's on your minds and to hear what other Community members have to say. Visit www.ebay.com/townhall for more information.

Sincerely,

Bill Cobb
President, Marketplaces North America

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When can I use my five free listings? Starting Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 00:00:01 ET (one second after midnight on February 18, 2007) and ending Saturday, February 24, 2007 at 23:59:59 ET (one second before midnight on February 24, 2007).

Who is eligible? Any Canadian resident who lists on eBay.ca who has never listed any item for sale as well as those who have tried selling on eBay.ca and never been successful. Only your first five listings will be eligible. This promotion is on eBay.ca only. Please ensure to check the promotion exclusions.

How do I get my five free listings? Click the "Start Selling" button located at the top of this page and register to sell on eBay.ca. Next, create a listing for your item during the promotional period February 18 to February 24, 2007. eBay.ca users who meet the eligibility requirement listed above will receive up to five insertion fee credits PLUS users can add the Gallery upgrade to all five qualifying listings for additional credit.

How do I sell my item? For tips and information on how to make your first listing a success, check out eBay Explained.

What are the fees? For Auction-style and Fixed Price listings the insertion fees for your first five listings will be credited back to you. In addition, if you choose the Gallery option, you will receive up to five credits as well.

Please note: The discounted fees will not be immediately reflected on the site. You will see a credit to your seller's account by April 15, 2007 at the latest. Learn more about why this fee gets credited back to you as opposed to being immediately reflected on the site.

What is excluded? Motors Vehicles, Store Inventory Listings, Business and Industrial Capital Equipment, Real Estate Auction Format listings and Real Estate Ad Format listings will not be included in this promotion. The feature fee for the Value Pack feature bundle (which includes Gallery) will remain unchanged. The promotional rate does not apply to listings that start before the promotional period, but are then revised between February 18 to February 24, 2007. The promotional rate also does not apply to listings created during the promotion February 18 to February 24, 2007, but scheduled to start after the promotion ends.

Click here to learn more.

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Albert Lee

Hi, I'm Albert Lee. In the next few days, we'll be launching Customized Question Subjects, which will make it easier for sellers to manage buyer questions about their listings.

Currently, when a buyer uses the Ask Seller a Question feature on the item page to send you an email, they have to select a standard subject such as "General question about this item" or "Question about shipping for this item." Starting in the next few days, sellers will be able to create up to 9 additional customized subjects, so you can more easily categorize and sort the types of questions your buyers are asking.

For example, if you offer a Return Policy and want to easily identify questions about it, you could create a "Return Policy Question" subject that buyers could select.

Outside of this customized subject line, the email sellers receive will look exactly the same as it does today. If a seller decides not to create any custom subjects, buyers will see the same default choices they do today.

To customize your question subjects, follow these steps:

• Go to your Preferences in My eBay.
• In the Selling Preferences section, click on "Show" next to "Ask Seller a Question."
• Click "Edit" next to the "Customize the question types that buyers can choose from."

For more information about Customized Question Subjects, please see our Help page.

Sincerely,

Albert Lee
eBay Product Management

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When is it? One day only, starting Wednesday, February 14, 2007 between 00:00:01 ET (12:00 AM plus one second on Wednesday, February 14, 2007) and ending Wednesday, February 14, 2007 at 23:59:59 ET(11:59 PM plus 59 seconds).

How does it work? Insertions fees for Auction Format will be revised on the Canada & U.S sites as reflected in the fee table in the link below. This includes listings created prior to the promotion and scheduled to start during the promotional period February 14, 2007. All other fees (Final Value Fees and all other optional listing upgrade fees) will still be charged.

Who is included? All users who list their items in Auction Format will be eligible for the promotion. Items re-listed that match the above eligibility will qualify for the promotion. Items listed in two categories will receive the promotional fee for each item.

What is excluded? Fixed Price listings, Motors Vehicles, Buy It Now feature upgrade, Business and Industrial Capital Equipment, Store Inventory Format, Real Estate Auction Format listings and Real Estate Ad Format listings will not be included in this promotion. The promotional rate does not apply to listings with a start date prior to February 14, 2007 - including those listings revised during the promotional period. The promotional rate also does not apply to listings created on February 14, 2007 and scheduled to start after the promotion ends.

Click here to learn more.

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Abby Green

Hi everybody, I'm Abby Green, and it's my pleasure to announce that registration is now open for this year's eBay Live! event in Boston, MA from June 14-16.

Whether you're new to the eBay Community, or a seasoned veteran, eBay Live! has something for you:

• Network with over 10,000 enthusiastic eBay Community members;
• Learn how to be more successful buying and selling on eBay at over 150 sessions taught by staff and other eBay experts;
• Hear from eBay's leaders at the Keynote Address given by Meg Whitman, eBay President and CEO, and Bill Cobb, President of Marketplaces North America.
• Have a ball at the Closing Gala – which, as always, will feature world-class entertainment.

Plus, we've added some new twists this year:

• The Help Hall — get personalized, one-on-one attention from eBay experts. Learn how to use eBay tools, get tips on how to spruce up your listings, receive advice on how to grow your business, and more.
• The eBay Live! Book Store — relax with a good book on your favorite eBay topics, and maybe get it signed by the author!
• Learn from personal finance expert Suze Orman. We're excited to have Suze as a guest speaker. She will share her strategies for mastering your money and achieving your financial goals.

Register early and save $$
Register before April 6th and you'll get all this for only $60 — a savings of $40 off the regular price! Last year's event sold out early, so go to www.ebay.com/ebaylive now and reserve your spot.

I hope to see you in Boston!

Sincerely,

Abby Green
Senior Manager, Events

PS: To view stories and pictures from last year’s eBay Live! in Las Vegas, visit the eBay Chatter!

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When is it? Starts Monday, February 5, 2007 at 00:00:01 ET (12:00 AM plus one second) and ends Tuesday, February 6, 2007 02:59:59 ET (2:59 AM plus 59 seconds).

How does it work? Insertion fees for Auction Format & Fixed Price listings will be revised on eBay.ca only. Please note the exclusions below. Listings created prior to the promotion and scheduled to start during the promotional period of February 5, 2007 will be eligible for the promotional fee. To create a Fixed Price listing you must have a feedback rating of 10 or more. If you accept PayPal as a payment method on the listing, your feedback rating needs to be 5 or more. Please note that items originally listed on eBay.com cannot be re-listed on eBay.ca.

Who is included? All Canadian resident users who list their items in Auction Format or Fixed Price on eBay.ca only will be eligible for the promotion. Items re-listed that match the above eligibility will qualify for the promotion. Items listed in two categories will receive the promotional fee for each item.

What is excluded? Motors Vehicles, Buy It Now feature upgrade, Business and Industrial Capital Equipment, Store Inventory Format and Real Estate Ad Format listings will not be included in this promotion. The promotional rate does not apply to listings revised during the promotional period. The promotional rate also does not apply to listings created during the February 5, 2007 promotion, but scheduled to start after the promotion ends.

Click here to learn more.

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Jim Ambach

Hi everyone, I'm Jim Ambach, Senior Director with eBay's Seller Experience team. It's my team's job to ensure we provide the tools our sellers need to list their items efficiently. In 2006, we made significant investments in our lineup of tools to ensure that they continue to meet the evolving needs of our sellers. We launched the new Sell Your Item form, the new Turbo Lister, and our Blackthorne products, each of which is designed to meet different needs for different sellers and businesses.

Has your business evolved? Revisit our tools to find the best fit
As businesses evolve, needs change. The new year presents a great opportunity for sellers to evaluate the current tools available and assess how well they meet their current business needs, or future growth plans.

Using the right tool for the job is key to running your business efficiently. For example, our Sell Your Item form is a great way to list relatively low numbers of items every day. But sellers listing hundreds of listings a week, or large numbers of similar items, will find that using a tool like Turbo Lister is essential in helping you stay productive and profitable.

Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro both give you advanced features to manage your listings within My eBay, along with helpful functionality like having feedback automatically left upon payment. Other sellers who are looking to scale their businesses may need a total end-to-end solution that helps them manage multiple User IDs with various account permissions, inventory tracking, etc. These features are available through our Blackthorne product line.

For more information about the selling tools available on eBay, I invite you to visit our Seller Tools page.

Selecting the Right Listing Tool – Online Workshop
We know that figuring out which tool is right for you can sometimes be a little daunting. To help guide you, our selling tools team will be hosting an online workshop on Thursday, February 1st at 12:00pm PT which will focus on helping sellers assess which tool is right for you. Stop by, let us know where your business stands and where you want to go, and we can help you figure out which tools will help you the most.

Retirement Plans for Old Versions of Turbo Lister and Seller's Assistant
Finally, I want to remind our sellers that the old versions of Turbo Lister and our Seller's Assistant tools will be retired in early April 2007. Although many sellers have transitioned to the new tools, those still using the old ones will no longer be able to submit listings to eBay with these tools after they are retired. (Sellers still using these out-of-date tools will receive reminders about the retirement when they log in.)

Sincerely,

Jim Ambach
Senior Director, Seller Experience

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Christophe Gillet

Hi...I'm Christophe Gillet with eBay Stores. I'm pleased to introduce a new tool called Markdown Manager that is now available for our eBay Stores subscribers. This free tool allows you to offer discounted pricing to your buyers by putting your Fixed Price and Store Inventory items "on sale." Your Sale items will display special strike-through pricing on the item page, along with a "Sale" logo, so buyers can easily see the discount offered.

Key features of Markdown Manager include:

• A quick, easy process to create a Sale item.
• Easy management and scheduling capabilities.
• Ability to apply discounts to specific listings, categories, or across all your Store Inventory or Fixed Priced listings.

I will be hosting an online workshop on Thursday, February 8th at 2:00 p.m. Pacific time with some of my colleagues from the eBay Stores team. We'll review the Markdown Manager tool in more detail and give you tips on how it can help you grow your sales. I hope you stop by with your questions!

Sincerely,

Christophe Gillet
eBay Stores

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