We’ve given a lot of thought to how eBay and our Community can make an impact on relief efforts in the affected areas. I want to give you update on what we’re doing, and how you can join in.

To assist the eBay Community directly, we’ve set aside $1 million which we’re putting into the hands of eBay business owners in the region. From talking with a number of them, we know that some were very fortunate and suffered minimal impact, while others were devastated. Within the next few days, we’ll deposit $1,000 into the PayPal accounts of our top 1,000 sellers who reside in the affected areas. They can either use these funds to help get back on their feet or – if their needs are met – we’ll ask them to share this money with others in their local community, either directly or through local or regional charity organizations. They know best what their community needs, so we’ll rely on them to make these dollars work as hard as possible. And we believe that getting these funds to them via PayPal will enable evacuees to access it faster.

In addition:

• When you sell an item via eBay Giving Works with 100% of the final sale price benefiting a certified nonprofit organization, eBay will continue to donate Insertion and Final Value Fees to your selected organization. Some Community members have asked us to expand the number of listings eligible for the eBay Giving Works Fee Donation Policy to enable you to set aside some of the final sale price to cover your selling fees – so effective immediately, if you donate at least 90% of the final sale price of an eBay Giving Works listing and the item sells, we will donate the Insertion and Final Value Fees to the organization you specify within your listing. We’ll soon be updating our site information accordingly.

• We ask that you continue to be patient with buyers and sellers who may live in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. To help ensure that eBay members in the region aren’t unfairly penalized for not completing transactions in a timely way, a message will appear to users about to leave negative feedback, reminding them that their trading partner may be impacted by this disaster.

• In case you missed Rachel Makool’s announcement board post last week, the eBay Foundation made a $250,000 donation on behalf of the eBay Community to the American Red Cross and is matching employee donations dollar for dollar up to $500 per employee. We also dedicated a section of the eBay homepage to relief efforts and information – including how to make a cash donation using PayPal and how to buy or sell an item with eBay Giving Works to support a relief organization. We also established a Natural Disaster & Relief Information discussion board.

The Hurricane Katrina crisis is horrific, and its toll continues to grow. This is an opportunity for the eBay Community to demonstrate how we can mobilize to help others in need and make a difference in their lives. I know many of you already have taken up this cause, and I hope many more will, too. Along with our efforts as a company, I’m enormously proud of the eBay Community.

Sincerely,

Bill Cobb
President
eBay North America