The eBay Government Relations team recently hosted 20 eBay small business owners from around the country in Washington, D.C. for our annual U.S. of eBay Advocacy Day event. On the heels of eBay filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court on Internet Sales Tax, these eBay sellers from 16 states advocated for sound Internet sales tax and trade policy for all U.S. small businesses that sell on the eBay marketplace. The sellers were joined by key eBay executives, including Scott Cutler, SVP for the Americas region, Marie Oh Huber, eBay General Counsel, Cathy Foster, VP of Government Relations & Public Policy, Bob Kupbens, VP of Seller & Marketplace Operations, Damien Hooper-Campbell, VP & Chief Diversity Officer for eBay and and Chris Librie, Sr. Director, Global Giving.
The historic W Hotel in D.C. served as event headquarters and the day started with a panel featuring the Co-Chairs of the U.S. eCommerce Caucus, Rep. Brett Guthrie (R/KY) and Rep. Pete Aguilar (D/CA). The sellers and staff then left for the White House to discuss ecommerce public policy with key members of the Trump administration. Following a lunch presentation by Scott Cutler sharing the strategic vision for eBay as a global marketplace, eight groups of sellers, executives, and government relations staff headed to Capitol Hill and met with over 50 influential members of Congress and staff.
The Advocacy Day event culminated with our eBay Celebrates Small Business gathering. This highly anticipated party featured our 20 Small Business Ambassadors stationed at customized kiosks with their products on display and their eBay stores open. Over 300 people attended the event, including Members of Congress, congressional staff, tech company executives and other D.C. eBay stakeholders.
