We can’t wait to introduce you to the newest member of our Government Relations team, Dan Martini! Dan is our new Director for Federal Government Relations in the US, based in Washington DC. He’ll be working closely with our seller advocates moving forward, and we’re so excited to welcome him to the team.
Q: Hi Dan! Could you start by telling our seller advocates a bit more about what you were doing prior to starting this role at eBay?
Thank you for having me. Prior to joining eBay, I most recently worked at Bank of America, where I spent three years on the Government Relations team. I have more than 18 years of experience in Washington, D.C., including time on Capitol Hill working for a couple of Pennsylvania members of Congress. I also worked at the National Federation of Independent Business, where I partnered with small and independent businesses across the country. I’m thrilled to now be with eBay.
Q: How do you think your past work impacts how you see eBay’s policy issues now?
I think I’m coming in with a fresh perspective. I’m transitioning from the financial services sector—where banks and money are often considered the “blood” of the economy—to eBay, where our sellers represent the “body” of that same system.
Having worked in payments systems, I’ve seen firsthand how people leverage financial tools to succeed. Now at eBay, I can use that experience to help show stakeholders—such as Members of Congress and the Administration—how our sellers truly drive the American economy.
Q: Can you explain what your current role within eBay’s organization and our team entails? What will you be working on?
I serve as the Head of Federal Government Relations. Many sellers in SBAN have worked closely with Ashley over the years—I’ve stepped into her former role now that she manages the broader Americas team. Our team works directly with Members of Congress, the Administration, and their staffs at the federal level. Every day, we advocate for eBay’s priorities and our sellers’ priorities, ensuring sellers are positioned to compete and succeed.
From a federal policy perspective, I oversee the full range of issues we engage on, so I’ll have visibility into—and involvement with—a little bit of everything. That said, I’m here to complement the strengths of our existing team. Given my background in financial services, I’ll focus heavily on payments—working to make the experience more seamless for both sellers and buyers. That includes exploring innovative and emerging technologies, such as faster and real-time payments, to help get sales dollars into sellers’ accounts more quickly.
Q: Where do you see value in advocacy programs like SBAN? How does it relate to your actual work day-to-day?
I would argue that sellers in our advocacy network are central to my job because they are the constituents of the Senators and Representatives we engage with. I often say that Members of Congress don’t necessarily care what I personally think—they care about the real-world challenges their constituents face.
Being able to share human stories and real-world examples makes a tremendous difference. It allows us to demonstrate the practical impact of proposed legislation and helps lawmakers understand how policy decisions affect small businesses. The advocacy network is a critical part of our work, and I’m excited not only to continue it but to help grow it.
Q: And what’s one thing you wish seller advocates knew about your work or the issues you work on every day?
It’s easy to read a headline or see a social media post about a new policy announcement and assume immediate impact. But those headlines don’t always reflect the full legislative process. Not to date myself, but like Schoolhouse Rock explains, there’s a long journey from idea to law.
There’s a lot of noise in Washington, and not everything that’s introduced or discussed will become law—or even move forward. A big part of our day-to-day work is cutting through that noise, identifying real threats, and working to prevent them. At the same time, when opportunities arise that would benefit our sellers, we work to help move those forward and get them enacted.
Q: Okay, most important question. Before you joined the eBay team, had you ever sold or bought anything on the platform?
Yes! I was a regular eBay user throughout law school and during my time on Capitol Hill. I bought a lot of electronics. I’ve never sold anything, but I’m hoping to change that soon.
One of the most fun parts of joining eBay has been telling people I work here—and encouraging those who haven’t visited the platform in a while to check it out again. It’s evolved significantly, and there’s so much to discover.