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.

Liz O'Kane

About Liz O'Kane

For the two decades she served in the US Air Force, Liz O’Kane was used to taking orders. So, when she was deciding on a post-service career, she knew she wanted to be her own boss. While serving in the U.S. Air Force and raising a family, Liz O’Kane fell in love with eBay and started selling in 2002. After retiring from the military in 2016, Liz decided to turn her passion from a side hustle into a full-time entrepreneurial venture, mastering eBay and expanding to nine platforms.

Katelyn Huffine

About Katelyn Huffine

Raised in DC, Katelyn moved to Oklahoma over six years ago to serve as a full-time caretaker for her three grandparents. She focused on reselling as a way to make an independent income, while still having the time to spend with family. She started selling everything from cosmetics to clothing & accessories. Her storefront, Beauty On Point, took off quickly: within her first six months, Katelyn was able to hit $10K in one month’s sales.

Daviti Gachechiladze

About Daviti Gachechiladze

Daviti Gachechiladze operates eBay storefront MLSource, which specializes in selling name-brand shoes and accessories. He started reselling as a teenager in his home country of Georgia, where he had a successful brick & mortar business selling electronics imported from the United States. After he graduated from university, he immigrated to the United States and decided to invest further in his online sales. He transitioned to an exclusively e-commerce business in 2018. MLSource has sold over 25,000 items to date and has a 99.9% positive feedback rating.

Angie Nelson

About Angie Nelson

Husband and wife team, Angie and Joe Nelson, founded Angie’s GreenGo Surplus on Earth Day in 2008 to divert electronic waste from landfills. Initially, the Nelsons focused on collecting broken and retired electronics from businesses and selling the materials to various scrap recyclers, but they soon realized they could list marketable electronic items for resale on eBay. The business took off and over the years has managed to consistently evolve and increase its profits.

Alec Larson

About Alec Larson

Alec Larson owns and operates Larson Enterprises, an eBay store that sells OEM automotive parts from a 3,400 square foot warehouse. Alec began to sell auto parts on eBay in 2016 after seeing a colleague do the same thing with airplane parts on the platform with success. Before selling on eBay he was a contracted musician at Disney Springs and worked nights, and started his business with the free-time he had during the day. He was able to rapidly grow his business and inventory over the years. Today, Larson Enterprises has 3 employees, and is looking to expand their inventory even further.

Jake Bush

About Jake Bush

Jake Bush considers himself a casual seller on eBay, but he understands the importance of marketplaces for small businesses selling online. While in college, Jake noticed that a lot of people were getting rid of things in his area that could be easily sold online, and he started flipping the items on eBay to generate supplementary income while in school. He even expanded his selling online afterwards, seeing eBay as a tool to learn how to kickstart a thriving business. Today, Jake has sold over 200 items on the platform, and has a 100% positive feedback rating.

Kendall Van Gilder

About Kendall Van Gilder

When Kendall first started selling on eBay, she had another full-time job. She initially saw it as a fun hobby, but found herself thinking about it even when she was at work. She realized that reselling was what she wanted to do full time, and decided to start a small business on eBay in 2023 after she married her husband. Now, Kendall makes just as much money, if not more, than she did at her retail job. She started posting her reselling experience and resources for other sellers on TikTok, and now has an active following of others interested in reselling.

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