North America

Jessica Pate

Jess Pate first used eBay in 1997 while attending Wake Forest University. The school provided every student with a laptop, and Jess was thrilled to find a favorite out-of-print book on eBay. Feeling lucky, she decided to list an old pair of cowboy boots on the platform and the sale generated an $80 profit. It was then that a light bulb went off and Jess started buying and selling clothes on eBay to make extra money. Jess continued to sell online part-time, until seven years ago when she became pregnant with her first child.

Lauren Ward

In 2008, Lauren Ward founded NOTO Boutique. Prior to jumpstarting her business, Lauren loved to invite her friends and family into her home to shop special finds. Following this passion by officially opening her own boutique was the next logical step. NOTO Boutique has since evolved into a successful business with two stores in Akron, Ohio that offer boutique dresses, locally made screen t-shirts, secondhand clothes and everything in between. Now NOTO Boutique has three employees and summer interns from local high schools and universities.

Melanie Birkholz

Years ago, Melanie Birkholz started an eBay business to help pay for incidentals, like diapers and toys, for her young children. She found the extra income to be beneficial and was proud to help support her family, while still being able to be at home full-time as the primary caregiver for her kids. Over the years, as Melanie continued to sell clothing, accessories and home goods on eBay, she also ran a brick and mortar antiques shop.

Daniel Trujillo

About Daniel Trujillo …

Daniel Trujillo is a filmmaker and entrepreneur who first started selling on eBay casually in high school in 2007, selling everything from books to apparel to collectibles. Over time, his business on eBay grew and he was able to rely on the platform for supplemental income while attending film school. He ultimately registered as an LLC and took his business full-time during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Today, his eBay storefront specializes in selling wholesale and collectibles, operating out of a rented office space and several warehouse spaces.

Polina Levit

About Polina Levit …

Polina Levit exemplifies eBay’s ‘accidental entrepreneur.’ She began her journey as a casual seller in 2018, initially only wanting to
sell a few extra items she had around the house and in her own closet. She found that there was interest for her taste in fashion on
eBay, and quickly turned her storefront into a small side business capable of providing supplemental income for herself and her

Ken Gaitano

About Ken Gaitano …

Ken Gaitano is a Filipino-born entrepreneur with a passion for sneakers and online selling. Born and raised in the
Philippines, Ken obtained his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, specializing in Entrepreneurship. In 2013,
he made the life-changing decision to move to the United States, where he married his girlfriend, Jacy. Ken stumbled
upon the Hustler Hacks YouTube channel and discovered a fascinating opportunity to turn his love for shoes into a
thriving business on eBay. He founded Pursuing Passion LLC in 2017 and has since achieved remarkable success

Ajay Mirchandani

About Ajay Mirchandani …

Ajay Mirchandani, owner of Bleacher Bum Collective, started his business as a brick-and-mortar store selling video games, posters and promotional items. In the early 2000’s he began experimenting with selling his extra product on eBay and was extremely attracted to the idea of e-commerce. He credits his long-term success on eBay from initially having a surplus of posters for a popular video game and seeing a massive profit return and sales across Canada and the United States. Ajay found popular video games and sold merchandise.

While the pandemic impacted people across the US from every walk of life and segment of society, from early on it became clear that women were disproportionately impacted economically and socially. This report explores how selling on eBay, whether to run or build a small business, or just as an individual to earn extra income, proved helpful to women during the pandemic. It allowed women to earn income, support their family or small businesses, and work flexibly and safely from home at a time when many were burdened by increased household and childcare responsibilities.

This report explores how independent small businesses and entrepreneurs across America were able to turn to eBay’s online marketplace during the initial months of the pandemic and use ecommerce to connect with consumers across the country and around the world. eBay helped small businesses, both existing and new to online commerce, meet growing consumer ecommerce demand and compensate for oftentimes declining local, in-store traffic. The report also provides insights into the trade and growth of eBay-enabled small businesses across the United States prior to the pandemic.

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