eBay Main Street

eBay Inc. applauds the most recent cosponsor of H.Res. 95, supporting the "Preservation of Internet Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses." Congressman Cliff Stearns (FL-6), a Senior Member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has joined the bipartisan effort to oppose new tax requirements on small e-tailers. Read eBay Inc.’s position on the Internet sales tax issue here. And click here to read H.Res 95 in its entirety.  You may recall, H.Res. 95 calls on Congress to protect small online retailers from onerous new sales tax burdens.

Click here to listen to an interview by Dusty Brighton, head of StubHub Government Relations, with North Carolina’s WTPF radio station.  Brighton was recently interviewed on the topic of “paperless ticketing,” an initiative by the major ticket brokers to maintain control of event tickets…even after they’ve been purchased.  Read more about eBay Inc.’s position on ticket reselling.

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"High street retailers complain that allowing online businesses to escape without paying sales tax gives them an unfair advantage, but eBay says the introduction of a federal sales tax affecting all US states would be unfair on small traders involved in domestic and international shipping. Brian Bieron, senior director for federal government affairs at eBay, said: ‘We believe that putting a tax burden on small businesses and treating them the same as giant retailers is unfair. This would add a new cost.’"  Read more

Our friends at the Fan Freedom Project want to hear your story.  Have you ever seen the band or sports team of your dreams thanks to a last-minute ticket purchase for a sold-out event? Have you experienced a kiddo coming down with fever the morning of a long-anticipated event…leaving you with two pricey tickets for the opening show of Dancing Squirrels on Ice? By sharing your story – no matter how big or small – we can show legislators the importance of preserving our right to control the tickets we buy. Share your story today.

eBay Inc.’s Government Relations team in Asia is excited to announce the launch of the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC). The AIC is an industry lobbying group eBay has founded with Google, Nokia, Skype and Yahoo. Through information sharing, it aims to provide an industry communications platform for government agencies and thereby help to facilitate the development of the internet economy in Asia Pacific.

'eBay Inc.’s Government Relations team in Asia is excited to announce the launch of the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC). The AIC is an industry lobbying group eBay has founded with Google, Nokia, Skype and Yahoo. Through information sharing, it aims to provide an industry communications platform for government agencies and thereby help to facilitate the development of the internet economy in Asia Pacific.'

Three years ago, the French Parliament proposed a draft bill aiming to subject eBay to the same regulation and licensing requirements as traditional auctioneers. This law would have put at risk the company’s liability, but more notably, our professional sellers’ businesses. Finally, on June 1, 2011, the French Parliament adopted the final draft bill which excludes eBay from the scope of traditional auctioneers.

Eleven California sellers recently visited the State Capitol in Sacramento to meet with elected officials and promote protections for online entrepreneurs. Representing a broad range of businesses and product categories, the sellers met with more than 13 state legislators and Governor Jerry Brown\'s office.

Ever wonder what goes into creating an eBay commercial? Check out this YouTube video, which takes you behind the scenes of the making of an eBay TV ad in Germany. The commercial is part of a new print, TV and social media campaign to increase awareness of the wide range of new goods by professional retailers available on eBay.