eBay Elite Kicks-off eBay Live with "The Seller Spectacular"
by Anonymous

PITTSFIELD, NH (June 16, 2004) – The eBay Elite, a preeminent group of approximately 520 high-revenue, high-volume, top eBay sellers, today announced it is kicking off eBay Live with the "The Seller Spectacular," which takes place from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., June 24th at The Aquarium of The Americas in New Orleans. "The Seller Spectacular" is the foremost reception to gather eBay enthusiasts for a vibrant evening of networking, auctions and fun. Proceeds from the event's auctions will benefit the Disabled Online Users Association (DOUA), a first-of-its-kind organization dedicated to helping differently-abled individuals start their own eBay businesses and become financially independent.

The event will feature the "eBay Community Celebrity Auction," which is being coordinated by buySAFE (www.buysafe.com). buySAFE offers one of the highest levels of protection from online auction risks through the buySAFE with The Hartford program and is an active participant of the eBay community. The eBay Community Celebrity Auction allows reception guests to bid on having lunch or dinner with a high-profile community member at a New Orleans restaurant during eBay Live. The auction will enable the winners to exchange ideas and stories with some of the most successful and well-respected personalities in the eBay marketplace. The auctioneer is Skip McGrath, founder of the Auction Seller's Resource Web site, author of several books about successful selling on eBay, and an eBay PowerSeller. Participants include:
•    Ina Steiner, editor of AuctionBytes
•    Scott Samuel, founder of Honesty.com and CEO of Ethical Technologies, L.L.C.
•    Marsha Collier, author of eBay for Dummies and Starting an eBay Business for Dummies
•    Jeff Grass, CEO of buySAFE
•    Marjie Smith, founder and executive director of the DOUA
•    Scot Wingo, CEO of ChannelAdvisor
•    Marie and Jay Senese, known on eBay as ‘jayandmarie' and renowned for having the highest eBay feedback rating
•    Bill Bogardus, eBay shooting star PowerSeller known as "biggbill".

Restaurants that have donated lunches and dinners for the celebrity auction include La Lousiane, Michaul's, Napoleon House, Mulate's, Bayona, GW Finns, The Bombay Club and Commander's Palace.

The event also will include a silent auction in which guests can bid on a variety of items donated by eBay Elite members and sponsors. Items up for bid include a six month advertising campaign on the eBay Radio show hosted by Jim "Griff" Griffith provided by wsRadio.com; a one-ounce gold bar from Western Union; a pair of ½ karat diamond stud earrings; a case of fine wine; and gift certificates for a variety of merchandise. Proceeds from the silent auction also will benefit the DOUA.

"The eBay Elite conceived The Seller Spectacular as a supercharged opportunity for the eBay community to interact and build relationships with top eBay sellers and celebrities," stated Joe Cortese, founder of the eBay Elite. "It is the first of several efforts to give something back to the community."

"We feel it is of the utmost importance to actively participate in the eBay community, and orchestrating the eBay Community Celebrity Auction as part of The Seller Spectacular is just one of the many ways buySAFE is reaching out to this important group," remarked Steve Woda, founder and senior vice president, buySAFE. "buySAFE is about making the online auction process more secure, enjoyable and profitable for all participants. We're pleased to be joining with the eBay Elite to kick off eBay Live, while supporting such a worthwhile cause as the DOUA."

"We are thrilled that the eBay Elite and buySAFE are organizing The Seller Spectacular and the eBay Celebrity Community Auction to support the DOUA," said Marjie Smith, founder and executive director of the DOUA. "The funds raised will literally help change the lives and livelihood of many DOUA members."

"The Seller Spectacular is all about sellers helping sellers," remarked Shelly Hudson, eBay Elite member and organizer of the event. "It's such a rare treat for so many great eBay sellers to gather in one place at the same time. Demand for the event has been unprecedented. I fully expect that this will be a sell-out event before we get to New Orleans."

The event is open to all eBay Live participants, but attendance is limited. eBay Elite members and sponsors should contact theebayelite@hotmail.com to request tickets and DOUA members should send their requests to marjie@doua.info. In the email message, be sure to indicate that you are an organization member and provide your best contact email address. All other participants can bid for tickets on eBay from seller "nestegg2001 until tickets are sold out.

To donate an item for the silent auction, please email silentauction@evanp.com.

About The eBay Elite
The eBay Elite is a professional alliance of more than 500 extremely experienced, knowledgeable and successful eBay sellers that works to expand the eBay platform and community for accelerated growth and global success. Members include the highest revenue and highest volume sellers for most eBay categories. The group researches, debates and reports on matters that are identified as important to members of the alliance and the entire eBay community. The group conducts summits and works directly with eBay executives to address topics such as fraud, feedback, fees and general policies.

About The DOUA
The Disabled Online Users Association (DOUA) was established as a way to bring hope and technology to the differently abled by means of one-on-one support, resources, motivation, and whenever possible, financial assistance. The organization's main focus is to assist people with disabilities in becoming financially independent – a hand up, not a hand out. The eBay Web site is our teaching platform and the community is our biggest resource. For more information, please visit www.doua.info.

About buySAFE
buySAFE makes online marketplaces safer, resulting in reduced risks for buyers and increased profit opportunities for sellers. buySAFE with The Hartford is the first and only service to guarantee online transactions for buyers by using surety bonds to provide protection from risks, such as fraud, misrepresentation, refund failure and seller default. Using the latest advances in business assessment techniques and technologies, buySAFE comprehensively qualifies online sellers and provides the buySAFE Seal to approved sellers for display on their auction listings, which informs buyers that they are dealing with a reputable and trustworthy seller. Approved sellers can guarantee their online transactions with surety bonds issued by The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, buySAFE is on the Web at www.buysafe.com.






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