Community: About eBay: Releases: 9909

eBay Great Collections will be the World's Online Passport to Fine Collectibles

Eight World—Renowned Auction Houses Bring Fine Art and Rare Collectibles Online

SAN JOSE, Calif., September 21, 1999—eBay® (NASDAQ: EBAY; www.ebay.com) the world's leading person-to-person online trading community, announced in a letter to its 5.6 million members yesterday afternoon, plans to launch a new and much-anticipated category this fall — eBay Great Collections. This new area, accessible from eBay's homepage, will be devoted to fine antiques, art and rare collectibles offered and guaranteed by many of the world's great auction houses, galleries, and dealers.

"Our mission for eBay Great Collections is to make fine antiques, art and rare collectibles more accessible to people around the world-with no buyer's premium," said Steve Westly, eBay's vice president of eBay and general manager of Great Collections. "This new category will also expand the already extensive selection our site offers the eBay community and collecting enthusiasts."

eBay Great Collections will showcase fine antiques, art and rare collectibles from leading auction houses and dealers from around the world. Already eight leading auction houses have signed up to be part of eBay Great Collections, including:

Alibris, Emeryville, California
Bloomsbury, London, England
Butterfield & Butterfield, San Francisco, California
Dargate, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Dorotheum Auction House, Vienna, Austria
Heritage Coin, Dallas, Texas
Greg Manning Auctions, New York, New York
Lawsons, Sydney, Australia

Featured categories on the eBay Great Collections site include: Books & Manuscripts; Coins, Stamps & Cards; Dolls & Toys; Fine Arts; Jewelry & Timepieces; Memorabilia; Native & Tribal Art; Natural History; and Rugs & Tapestries. Leveraging its relationships with international auction houses and dealers, the items featured in eBay Great Collections will have the same cache found in the traditional auction format.

eBay Great Collections will provide registered eBay buyers with the exciting opportunity to access products that are normally only available via the auction house floor. Registered eBay sellers are invited to apply to become a Great Collections dealer or may consign items to the auction houses to be sold on Great Collections.

eBay Great Collections will bring the excitement of the traditional art and auction world without the perceived formalities. eBay announced the new site to its community yesterday, stating: "Imagine buying a Picasso sketch without actually having to visit the gallery or auction house, which may be several hundred miles away."

"eBay Great Collections will open new doors to collecting for the eBay community, with leading auction houses and dealers bringing outstanding new categories of merchandise online and giving the community access to world-class expertise," said Steve Westly. "Also, with its large and expanding community of users, eBay gives auction houses and dealers a fantastic venue for showcasing-and selling-a large array of art and fine collectibles."

Participating auction houses and dealers will offer authentication services, manage their auction on eBay Great Collections and provide customer support to interested bidders via email. eBay's escrow, insurance and shipping services will also be available to users of the Great Collections site. The format of the auctions in Great Collections will be the same as eBay's.

Items offered through eBay Great Collections will come with the same guarantees auction houses traditionally provide in the offline world. All dealers will offer a five-year guarantee of authenticity, in addition to a thirty-day money-back guarantee that the item is as it was described.

About eBay
eBay (www.ebay.com), the world's personal trading community™ pioneered person-to-person online trading. Founded in 1995, eBay has developed an efficient and entertaining trading site on the Web that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. eBay has more than 5.6 million registered users. Currently, there are more than 3.0 million items listed for sale. More than 300,000 items are added daily in more than 1,600 categories, including: antiques; books, movies and music; coins and stamps; collectibles; computers; dolls and figures; jewelry and gemstones; photo and electronics; pottery and glass; sports memorabilia; and toys. In April 1999, eBay acquired Butterfield & Butterfield, the fourth largest auction firm in the world.

Hundred-Day Countdown to Milleneum on eBay

It's not too late to plan a Y2K party or vacation with deals to be had on eBay

San Jose, CA, September 22, 1999—On eBay, visitors can find vacations, party tickets, New Year's restaurants for hire, performers for hire, and even wedding packages. eBay's community of nearly 6 million buyers and sellers are realizing that New Years 2000 is just around the corner, and eBay is the perfect place to look for that last-minute millennium deal.

Starting in mid-October, eBay will have its own special millennium destination, providing a place on the eBay site where users can find a wide variety of millennium offerings. eBay's millennium page will also celebrate history leading up to the millennium, capturing the spirit and importance of each decade of the 20th century.

Some of the upcoming unique Millennium items on eBay will include:

Millennium New Year's Eve Party at Left Bank Restaurant - Located in Menlo Park, CA, Left Bank will host a 'the party of the millennium' for 150 guests. Chef/owner Roland Passot will create a delectable multi-course feast. After dinner, guests can kick up their heels to the Deb Winters Band. All-inclusive decorations, hats, noisemakers, open bar, and of course French champagne. Starting bids $50,000. Net proceeds exceeding $45,000 to go to Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation.
"Wedding of the Millennium" at the Turtle Island Resort - Located in the Yasawa Islands of Fiji, this award winning 5-star resort will host nuptials that will make history - for the first wedding of the millennium, available to just one couple in the world. All-inclusive 10 nights accommodations, RT airfare from Los Angeles, meals and beverages, and all wedding and honeymoon activities. Starting bids $95,000. Half of net proceeds to fund the new hospital/medical clinic on Turtle Island.
ENTROS Y2K New Years Eve Party - San Francisco ENTROS in the heart of South Beach, and Seattle ENTROS on Lake Union feature playful, imaginative games for grown-ups. Offering a completely unique Y2K New Years Eve party venue, ENTROS will have a Southwest/Asian fusion cuisine, great music, a full-bar and festive happenings in their hip, cutting-edge facilities. San Francisco Magazine named ENTROS one of the best places to throw a party. San Francisco ENTROS holds up to 600 people; Seattle ENTROS holds up to 300. Starting bids for San Francisco: $35,000; starting bids for Seattle: $25,000.

"eBay is the perfect place to promote the ENTROS Y2K Millennium Parties," said Nasreen Wills, vice president of sales and marketing at ENTROS. "Our best customers are those who have fun playing and working in teams - a great match for eBay's person-to-person trading community."

"Part of the eBay experience is the discovery of unique, eclectic and hard-to-find items. What's hot right now on eBay is the millennium, be it tickets to a hip party, an unusual fancy dress costume or a wedding vacation," said Brian Swette, eBay's senior vice president of eBay U.S. "Thanks to our ever innovative community, eBay is becoming the hottest destination on the Web for the entire holiday season."

About eBay
eBay (www.ebay.com), the world's personal trading community™, pioneered person-to-person online trading. Founded in 1995, eBay has developed an efficient and entertaining trading site on the Web that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. eBay has more than 5.6 million registered users. Currently, there are more than 2.6 million items listed for sale. More than 300,000 items are added daily in more than 1,600 categories, including: antiques; books, movies and music; coins and stamps; collectibles; computers; dolls and figures; jewelry and gemstones; photo and electronics; pottery and glass; sports memorabilia; and toys.

eBay Introduces Platinum Visa Card

eBay Teams Up With First USA to Offer Convenient and Collectible Way to Pay

SAN JOSE, Calif. September 22, 1999—eBay® (NASDAQ: EBAY; www.ebay.com), the world's leading person-to-person online trading community, and First USA, the world's largest Visa credit card issuer, today announced the availability of the eBay Platinum Visa credit card. The eBay credit card is an ideal method of payment for both online and offline purchases and can be applied for online at http://card.ebay.com.

"The eBay credit card is a passport for collectors that allows them to travel throughout eBay and the offline world with special benefits and discounts," said Brian Swette, senior vice president of marketing at eBay. "We designed the card to celebrate the eBay community's passion for collecting and to simplify the trading experience for eBay's millions of users."

Benefits of the eBay Platinum Visa Credit card include:

Automatic payment, allowing card holders to have their monthly eBay invoices billed directly to their eBay Visa credit account. Card holders who file for automatic payment receive a one-time $10 credit towards their eBay account;
Two creative designs featuring either the eBay Apple-man character or the distinctive and colorful eBay logo, making the card a sure-fire future collectible;
Five percent discount on books and magazines published by Krause Publications, the world's leading hobby publisher. Krause offers 37 periodicals in 12 collectible and hobby fields, including the new eBay Magazine, and more than 500 books in those same fields. This offer is available only to eBay Visa card holders who order online at www.krause.com;
Five percent discount on tickets for eBay and Krause trade shows and on merchandise at the online eBay store (www.ebaygear.com) for purchases of $25 or more;
Choice of a free watch, featuring eBay's Apple-man character or an eBay retro-radio, after the completion of the first transaction using the card;
Online shopping guarantee that protects card holders' from unauthorized online transactions being charged to their account;
Quick and easy online application procedure that can have the customer conducting e-commerce transactions in minutes, if the applicant satisfies eligibility requirements.

The eBay Platinum Visa card also includes low introductory APR of 3.9 percent on purchases and balance transfers; travel accident insurance with coverage up to $1,000,000; auto rental collision insurance; emergency airline ticket replacement; and $3,000 lost luggage protection.

About First USA
First USA (www.firstusa.com), a subsidiary of Bank One Corporation, is the world's largest Visa credit card issuer. First USA offers credit cards for consumers and businesses under the First USA, First Card and Bank One names and on behalf of more than 2,200 marketing partners. Bank One Corporation is the nation's fifth largest bank holding company with assets of more than $256 billion.

About eBay
eBay (www.ebay.com), the world's personal trading community™,pioneered person-to-person online trading. Founded in 1995, eBay has developed an efficient and entertaining trading site on the Web that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. eBay has more than 5.6 million registered users. Currently, there are more than 2.6 million items listed for sale. More than 300,000 items are added daily in more than 1,600 categories, including: antiques; books, movies and music; coins and stamps; collectibles; computers; dolls and figures; jewelry and gemstones; photo and electronics; pottery and glass; sports memorabilia; and toys.

Copyright © 1995-2009 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy.

eBay official time