One of the best parts of my job is hearing the amazing stories of our eBay sellers. I’m constantly inspired by the dedication, passion, and enthusiasm of our seller community. Our sellers come from all walks of life – they are entrepreneurs who have turned great ideas into successful businesses and helped make eBay into the vibrant marketplace it is today.
Last year, to recognize the role sellers play in powering our marketplace, we launched the first annual SHINE Awards for Small Business. From a single mom who built a multi-million dollar motorcycle parts and accessories business, to the community resource center that started selling online to expand the number of people it could serve; we received thousands of inspiring entries from eBay sellers across the nation who shared their small business stories and told us how eBay helped them pursue their dreams. With the help of our community, we named five category winners and one grand prize winner that truly exemplified what it means to grow a best-in-class business on eBay.
This year, with support of its sponsor, the United States Postal Service®, we’re excited to continue the tradition and launch the 2017 SHINE Awards for Small Business at the start of National Small Business Week. We’re looking for shining examples from our community that have a passion for selling on eBay. If you’re a U.S. eBay seller, you can enter to become eBay’s Small Business of the Year. You could win $10,000, a VIP trip to eBay’s OPEN seller celebration, a 1-year Anchor Store subscription and much more!
This year we’re looking for rockstar sellers in the following categories:
- Rising Star: A small business owner new to selling on the eBay platform (joined within the last 24 months) or with significant positive growth in the past 12 months.
- Global Business: A small business that sells a portion of their inventory on eBay internationally.
- Minority or Woman-Owned: A female small business owner or a small business owner from a racial or ethnic minority group including: Native American or American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian Pacific American, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Asian-Indian and Subcontinent Asian Americans, Middle Eastern & North African or Arab-American.
- Charitable Business: A small business or organization that leverages the eBay for Charity program to donate a portion of their profit to charity.
- Young Entrepreneur: A person between the ages of 19-35 that owns or has a major role in the business operations of a small business selling on eBay.
Applications will be accepted May 1 – May 19. Starting June 26, we’ll be asking you, our community of sellers, to vote on who most inspires you and help us determine the most deserving winners among the 15 finalists. Finally, we’ll all celebrate our winners in style at this year’s eBay OPEN!
Ready to share your story and win big? Head over to ebay.com/shineawards to learn more about the eBay SHINE Awards for Small Business, read tips for drafting a successful submission and enter the contest.
We can’t wait to read your success stories and once again celebrate our incredible community.