eBay Live!: No Nonsense Magic
by Claire
eBay Staff Member

When members and staff returned from eBay Live! 2002 last year, we used terms like "magic", "phenomenal", "amazing", and "experience of a lifetime" to try to describe what happened there. More than 5,000 people connected in a powerful way, and we didn't want it to end. gmandel spoke for nearly all of us last year when he posted, "I've fallen in love with eBay Live!, and I don't want to get out!"

Ah, but what if you weren't there? eBay is about business, after all. Is it going to help your business? Is it really worth the time and expense it will cost to put your business on hold, fly or drive to Orlando, and spend a few days convening with other eBayers?

Was last year's event really valuable to us all? Or was it just a summer romance - beautiful to remember, but fleeting, meaningless in the end, without impact on real life?

The test, of course, is whether there was substance and learning along with all the connecting with others and warm-fuzzy feelings. Whether or not the dazzle still colors our eBay lives, did it pay off in stronger businesses? Did people gain in both profit and motivation?

We looked at the eBay Live! Board to see what people are saying now, nearly a year later, in answer to sensible questions by pragmatic people. Their words tell the story better than we could!

"eBay Live! 2003 would be perfect for a new seller or a new eBayer in general. And I hear the Pink Staff at eBay Live! go out of their way to make you feel at home while attending. You wouldn't be out of place if you went. The majority last year said they had such a wonderful time they wished it never ended." edconnect

"If anything eBay Live! is for the little guys. There aren't as many big guys as you might think. We went to eBay Live! in California, had a great time and met a lot of great people. Almost all the seminars are aimed at eBay users that are getting started or those that don't have a lot of experience. You can learn a lot, meet a lot of people and have a good time. They put on a first rate convention. This one can only get better. Sign up for any seminars as soon as you can as most fill up fast." zumo

"When you see some of the 'BIG GUYS' you get to thinking 'HEY, if they can do it so can I', and you will! Then you'll be free of your 9-5 or pension-only income forever and you'll learn how to have fun and that ALL eBayers are actually human beings which is definitely something that all eBayers need to understand." homerbegeoryahoocom

"Is it worth it? Well that depends on you. Are you serious about making money selling on eBay or just play around with it in your spare time? Do you know everything there is to know about the business or are you like the rest of us with more to learn? The main reason I'm attending eBay Live! is not to have fun but to become a better seller and make more money." ssorgsoft

"Last year I came in as a rookie, not knowing what to expect, but I was a POWER SELLER just a couple of days into it, and I registered as one. Today.... we are API developers with eBay. We sell over a million dollars a year. The knowledge I received while networking with other PowerSellers in the lounge could not be translated into dollars!!! We have grown from a 900 sq. feet facility into a 6,000 ft facility in one year, and guess what???? It's too small….[About eBay Live!] Go for it. You'll see me there every minute I can spare in the PowerSeller's Lounge." miacom

"I attended last year's eBay Live! (2002) and it was fantastic! I felt I was pretty knowledgeable regarding selling and buying on eBay, but I learned a whole lot more. The entire event was filled with so much great information that I found invaluable. I was able to bring my selling up to a Power Seller status because of it." rcchopshop(dot)com

"I was not a PowerSeller last year and loved it. Overall, I had the best time, as I was able to put a face on the business - if you can go do it! The best was the Pinks Lounge - I still have my pink fortune cookies!!" tradrmom

Finally, jimwarden had this to say about his experience at eBay Live! last year in Anaheim, CA:

"I was there everyday from start to finish. It was so much fun meeting the shooting stars and the powersellers and picking their brains.

"I guess the most fun was meeting the wonderful eBay employees. You wouldn't know they have stressful high-paced internet jobs, as they were so nice and took so much time talking and having fun with us all. Of course, these same eBay employees had a blast with each other and that was so much fun to watch also.

"I grew up in Oak Ridge, TN in the 1950's with so many smart classmates, and this was the same feeling I had being with all the eBay employees. They are so smart and clever, and to us, they were so giving of their time.

"Finally there was that fantastic CEO, Meg Whitman, talking to everyone the first night and signing cards and dancing with us at the Gala and signing more cards. She takes the time to tell me her husband is from Sweetwater, TN, and what her favorite fly for trout fiashing is.

"I came away so fired up about eBay I have moved to PowerSeller status since then. It is the first time I had done that since a brief time in 1998 when I sold a lot of expensive Beanie Babies.

"You guys are in for a treat and I know there will be some who won't like it, and I can't explain what they must expect. I have been to so many conventions and never was one so well-planned and executed. See you there!"

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See you in the Pink Lounge at eBay Live! 2003!

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