Overview
This week we chat with Sharon McBride, Senior Director of eBay’s Government Relations Team, about how eBay advocates for ALL sellers across platforms, and how sellers can get involved. We’re also joined by the one and only Theresa Cox who has been a seller advocate volunteer for years and has championed hard to help protect sellers and their small businesses and was recently recognized at eBay’s 2020 Advocacy Leadership Award.
The Seller Community Podcast from List Perfectly is the #1 resource for the seller community across all platforms and hub for information on growing your business with List Perfectly. Find out more at thesellercommunitypodcast.com/podcast, leave a message or ask a question at https://anchor.fm/sellercommunitypodcast, or email us at podcast@thesellercommunitypodcast.com.
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Episode 14 Links
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Schoolhouse Rock “I’m Just a Bill”
Transcript
Intro
Liz:
Episode 14 Doug.
Doug:
Episode 14, Liz. Very exciting. Got a cool episode this week.
Liz:
I’m super excited. I know we’re excited every week.
Doug:
I know it’s super excited, so excited, super excited. Government relations, lobbying, seller advocacy, advocating for all sellers, maybe a couple surprises who might be advocating for all sellers.
Liz:
Yeah. So, eBay Main Street. eBay Government Relations. I don’t want anybody to find this misleading and think that we’re just going to talk about eBay.
Doug:
That’s true.
Liz:
But we will be joined by a member of eBay’s Main Street. Actually, not just a member. We will learn about sharing here in a moment, but that eBay actually has a team that advocates for all sellers.
Doug:
Yeah. And the biggest and most long standing seller advocacy team in terms of government relations.
Liz:
Yes. Do you want to get into it, Doug?
Doug:
Yeah, let’s get into it.
Liz:
All right. I’m Liz
Doug:
I’m Doug. Welcome to The Seller Community Podcast from List Perfectly. This is episode 14. The Seller Community Podcast is produced weekly by List Perfectly for your enjoyment. Show notes are always found at thesellercommunitypodcast.com/podcast. You can go over there. You can listen, you can stream, you can see links, supplemental info, and let’s get into the show. What do we have this week, Liz?
Liz:
So, we have a very special guest, Sharon McBride from eBay and we’re also going to talk to our seller friend, Theresa Cox. Let’s get into it.
Doug:
So yeah, let’s get started with our featured guests, Sharon McBride and Theresa Cox.
Liz:
Set a reminder this Friday, the 21st is the last day you can enter the List Perfectly laptop and ring light giveaway. So here’s your reminder. You have until this Friday, the 21st, follow List Perfectly on Instagram @listperfectly and read how you can enter to win there or join our Facebook group linked below for additional entries and other ways to win. Let’s get on with the show.
Sharon McBride eBay Main Street – Advocating for Your Small Business
Liz:
We are so excited to have Sharon McBride with us today. Sharon started at eBay as the Director of Global External Affairs and Operations for Government Relations in 2003. Over the years, her roles at eBay have included PAC management, legal and GR operations event management, digital advocacy, and merchant advocacy. Sharon is one of the founding members of the Government Relations team. Sharon, thank you so much for joining us today. I am so excited to talk to you about all of the work that you do and that eBay does to help and advocate for sellers.
Sharon:
Well, Liz, thank you so much for having me, I’m excited. Any opportunity I can have to speak to online small businesses, I really always enjoy it.
Doug:
Thanks for joining us, Sharon, and then real quick, can you define what PAC and GR are for us, we get stuck up in the acronyms of sellers and not everybody would know what those are.
Sharon:
Of course. So GR stands for government relations. Many companies have a government relations department. I think eBay’s is unique in that we actually engage our customers and activate our customers in our advocacy work and advocacy. Also another sort of buzzword is really speaking to elected officials at the state, local, federal level. We do this globally around the world and we get sellers to weigh in and make sure their voice is heard on legislation and regulation that would affect them.
Doug:
When did eBay form the government relations team and why was there a need at that time?
Sharon:
So, we started it in the year 2000. We opened our DC office and started our GR team with really one person and I was hired soon thereafter, 2003, and it’s grown. We have about 30 people now, I think globally that work on these issues on behalf of sellers. The need is at that time, our CEO, Meg Whitman was very forward-thinking. Microsoft had made the mistake of not having a GR team and then had a lot of challenges because they had not developed those relationships and educated members of Congress and other elected officials on what, when, what they did and what, and how they serve their customers. And so it really started to teach people what eBay is. And, we still continue to do that, that we’re really a platform that enables small businesses. We don’t compete with our sellers. We don’t hold inventory. You know, there are still folks out there that believe that eBay has warehouses and so that really was the reason Doug, we started, it was purely for education. Now, as the internet has become more regulated over the years, the need for GR has grown and therefore our team has grown.
Liz:
That’s amazing. So the eBay government relations team, me as a seller, I knew it as eBay Main Street. It’s not just eBay that’s advocating for sellers, it’s kind of sellers that you get involved also. Can you talk to us a little bit about that?
Sharon:
I’ve been at eBay over 18 years and the reason I find such joy in my work is that I feel like I’ve got the best job in Washington because eBay spends, I would say, 80 to 85% of our time advocating on issues that affect sellers directly. We don’t spend very much time on corporate tax reform or, you know, that sort of thing that affects eBay as a company. Because, as you all know, when sellers succeed and there are less barriers and obstacles to your success, eBay succeeds, and that’s why it’s such a, it’s amazing, we operate really more like a trade association. I explain that to people who, particularly in DC, they, they are always asking me, you know, how, how do you get customers to engage with you? How do you, how do you do that? Right? Most government relations teams really only have their employees engage either in grassroots campaigns, letter, writing campaigns, that sort of thing, but because our success is so intertwined that I meet, as soon as I came to eBay, I knew that we were only going to be successful if we helped our sellers have a voice.
Doug:
Interesting. And so over all these years, what’s the single biggest challenge that you think you’ve faced?
Sharon:
I think internet sales tax was our biggest public policy issue that we worked on for many years and frankly, you know held it off under some very difficult circumstances and that the retailers, the big box retailers were on the other side of the issue as were some of our other competitors. And so it was challenging. But I do think that the voice of the close to a million Main Street members that we have really made the difference to be able to tell the story of how eBay enables, you know, Theresa and Liz and all the other sellers on our platform and other platforms really makes a difference because a member of Congress really, that has much more impact when they’re, when they’re hearing from their constituents and their voters, then maybe, you know, Sharon, the eBay lobbyist, you know, who’s paid to do that.
Liz:
Yeah. And as a seller that internet sales tax is huge, it was, you know, a huge impact. And in my mind that is still so recent because there are still sellers that don’t realize where they left and they came back or new sellers coming online that don’t realize this to me, that is still recent, but has there been anything more recently, but any more recent things that are going on?
Sharon:
Yeah, I’d say our biggest issue currently is the various forms of what we call the Inform Act, which is, is at the state level right now. Arkansas is the only state who has passed it. We’ve held it off in many other states. And even now this week, working with North Carolina and Ohio to fight it off and, what that act would do would, would require eBay and its sellers to publish their business addresses, which is a problem, particularly for eBay sellers, who, you know, a lot of them do work from their home. You know, we’ve been really fighting that and, and the message is getting clear. And again, we’ve engaged in letter writing campaigns and meetings in many states with our small business ambassador network, which is our grass tops group, which, you know, Theresa is a part of to meet one-on-one with legislators. And once they hear that story of what that would do to a small business in their district it’s a very powerful message. And then they better understand, you know, how this will affect their constituents.
Doug:
And so obviously you have some very active sellers and very vocal and very involved, the sellers can also get involved at different levels too. So you do a lot of letter campaigns, a lot of petition campaigns. And how does that work and how can sellers get involved in that way if they’re interested?
Sharon:
So, eBay Main Street, so www.ebaymainstreet.com is the government relations website. It is a, it’s again, a global website where you can learn about all of the issues affecting eBay and its sellers. And if you join, it is very hard not to just spam you, we do have a monthly newsletter that comes out that keeps you informed of what’s going on in different regions, in the legislative and regulation space. But once you join that, then if something happens in your state, like for example, working on North Carolina and the Inform Act right now, you would get an email. You know sellers, we need your help. Please write to your member. It literally takes 10 seconds. You put in your name and your address. Then the letter gets sent off, it’s completely automated. And that makes a huge impact particularly in a state rep’s office, which is smaller. If they get, you know, 20 or 30 letters that is impactful for them. So I really encourage your listeners, eBay sellers or non-eBay. I mean, we happen to have a little bit more sophisticated seller engagement program than sort of some of the other, you know, maybe newer platforms. So many of these issues really impact all online businesses, not just, not just eBay sellers. So just hit that join button and join the, you know, nearly 1 million folks that are already members.
Liz:
I’m a member. I’ve been a member for years, as soon as I heard about it, I’m pretty sure it was eBay Open when I really started getting involved with eBay. No, it’s not spammy. The information you get is so legit, I follow you on Twitter @eBaymainstreet. And I love that because when something is going on and I can help in my state, I’m going to help eBay advocate for me. And like I said, not just eBay for all of the platforms, which is something that I absolutely love. So you’re at nearly a million users hoping to grow. Of course. So definitely, and we’re going to put that link in the show notes. So if you come to the podcast, go to the show notes, there’ll be a direct link also.
Doug:
So Sharon, so sellers would go to Main Street and mainstreet.com. And again, we’ll put the link in the show notes, what else should they do to stay involved? What’s the best way to stay aware, what other resources are out there for them?
Sharon:
Yeah. So besides becoming a Main Street member, which is a low, low level of engagement, I really encourage sellers to apply to be a Small Business Ambassador. So our Small Business Ambassador network are, hand selected eBay sellers who live in certain congressional districts, right? So due to the nature of our work, we’re looking for, you know, two to three sellers in every congressional district who are willing to engage at a, let’s say a higher level and a little bit more of a time commitment maybe. So you might be asked to meet with a member of Congress or state rep in a one-on-one meeting. We’re doing those virtually now, but hopefully soon we’ll get back to in-person meetings. You might be asked to do a seller round table with, you know, a number of sellers in your community in a congressman’s district office. You might be asked to write an op-ed or a letter to the editor to, you know, make sure that you’re representing, you know, eBay sellers in your community. We do have one of, I think the favorite events of our span network is we invite about 20 to 25 sellers annually to Washington DC, for what we call the Seller Fly-in or USofeBay Advocacy Day, the official name of it, something we started 2003, and it’s been an annual event, which is a very special, special event for our sellers. So I really encourage you. That’s ebaymainstreet/sban, SBAN. The application, again, very, very easy application, really one page. But if you’re interested in getting involved in a little bit of a higher level and, you know, particularly if you’re very involved in your community and maybe even politically involved and interested in that sort of thing, please apply.
Liz:
Yet I will tell you I was afraid. I was like, oh, I don’t know. I felt very intimidated. And then I learned that Theresa Cox was a member and I talked to her a little bit and so now she’s encouraging me to apply, so I will be applying. And you know, I can’t wait to, Theresa’s going to kind of fill in the blanks on that aspect in just a moment. But Sharon, is there anything else that you would like to add something that we didn’t ask or cover? I really want to hear you talk for like the next three hours.
Sharon:
Well, I think I’ll just leave it where I started is that it really has been the joy and honor of my professional career to work with eBay sellers, to get up every day and say, how can I help in the halls of Congress and state capitals and world capitals? Because we also do these programs in Brussels with the European Union, we are going to be doing an advocacy day in Canberra, which is, you know, Australia’s capital this year. So what an, I feel so blessed and honored to do this work every day. And I would look forward to meeting, you know, more of your listeners and I encourage them all to get involved.
Liz:
Oh, I hope they do. Sharon on behalf of myself and our listeners, me as a small business owner, I just want to say, thank you to you for everything that you do for us. I know you said you love doing it. You find pleasure in that, but so grateful. Thank you so much.
Sharon:
Thanks so much Liz.
Doug:
Yes. And thanks for what you do. And thanks for coming on the show and helping spread the awareness to what you are doing for sellers across the board. And so speaking of that, you can stay if you want, I’m sure you’re very busy.
Sharon:
I’m going to mute.
New Speaker:
You’re going to see what Theresa has to say.
Sharon:
Make sure she says all the right things.
Liz:
Feel free to jump in any time. Thank you, Sharon.
Theresa Cox eBay Main Street – Advocating for Your Small Business
Liz:
Also joining us today is our friend Theresa Cox. You may remember her back, way back from episode four, when we chatted about seller mentoring and seller resources. That was a total blast. So of course we had to have her back. Theresa shares a ton of knowledge with our community. This episode is such an important episode for all sellers to realize that marketplaces and seller advocates are out here working hard for them to maintain their small businesses.
Doug:
And Theresa is an active member of eBay Main Street and a seller advocate looking out for small businesses everywhere, participating in multiple meetings with us legislators as part of eBay’s advocacy day and appearing as a panelist on behalf of eBay for various small business webinars throughout 2020. She also participated in the 2018 Fly In, which we’ll ask her about in a bit.
Liz:
And with all of Theresa’s volunteerism to our community, her hard work did not go unnoticed and eBay awarded her with the 2020 advocacy leadership award. This is a huge award, huge honor to be recognized for her contributions from this extremely important team at eBay. We know Theresa as “clubred97” around here at the podcast. We just like to call her friend. Welcome back, Theresa.
Theresa Cox:
Happy to be here. Love this subject, love this topic, love everything about eBay Main Street in government relations. So, thank you for having me.
Doug:
Jumping right in. So how did you get started with eBay Main Street?
Theresa Cox:
I’m pretty sure it was at an eBay Open. eBay Open has, I think they probably had a little booth and I’m walking through the hall and I was probably tired and they probably had something, some cool swag and maybe some chocolate and I stopped and I was chatting and I was like, what? eBay has an office in the DC area? And so, you know, that started going to, what you’re talking about this? And, and so just that introduction, going to the website, signing up and doing all the things that you guys have talked about already is how I got started and got involved with it and learned more about the program.
Liz:
So what really, so you learned about the program, what really drew you in and said, “Hey, I think this is something that I need to be doing as a seller?”
Theresa Cox:
It was about the internet sales tax. It was the year that I did the DC Fly In, I was invited to do that was the, was a big year for that. And that’s the topic that we were focused on. And I knew that I knew a little bit about it, but let me tell you, when I got to DC, I realized I didn’t know anything about it. And so you do feel a little intimidated. If you do get a chance to go to the DC Fly In, the government relationship team is very good at educating the sellers that are there on the topics that are going to be discussed in and the talking points. And if you have any questions, like what about this? And how does this do?They will answer all those questions so that when you get in front of your local Congressman or Senator, that you can speak intelligently about the subject. So, I was very grateful to be educated by the best on the subject. And I started reading more and paying more attention. So what drew me to this was learning that I didn’t know what, I didn’t know.
Doug:
What are some of the items that you’ve worked on with the government relations team? What’s really stood out for you and your seller advocacy?
Theresa Cox:
Well, the internet sales tax, because it was the first thing that I worked on. And it was like, when I got there, it was like a deer in headlights. Like what? I had no clue all of this happened or how it happened. I mean, my probably education of government was from fifth grade and Saturday morning cartoons. But, I was very grateful and appreciative for Sharon and her team to take the time to educate us and to explain to us how this, if this bill passes, this is what it will mean for sellers on eBay. If this bill is defeated, this is what it will mean, and this is what we’re advocating for. And they didn’t ever tell me what my point of view had to be. They told me both sides and I could decide which way I wanted to talk to my local representative. And so, that was the first thing I worked on. And that was the big one. And then last year, I got a little passionate about it. I was on a call with my local senator’s office about the USPS getting funds for the COVID package. I got a little passionate, I was surprised I got a little passionate about that because I realized that it was, I was literally, I’ve lived with my elderly mom. I wasn’t going anywhere. I was so grateful and appreciative for this elderly mail carrier that came to my door every day to pick up packages. And he was brave enough to come out, help me run my business, and when I was being cautious, overly cautious about staying home with my mom. And so I was very passionate about that. And yes, I did think that they needed more resources and more funding and all that sort of stuff. So, I got involved in that and I was grateful to have, you know, to learn about what was going on and the hurdles that the government that the post office faced with trying to get those funds. USPS is the fastest service out there for the, you know, their prices for the most cost effective, and they deliver to every address in the United States. So, if they can do that with two broken legs, imagine what some funding would do if they could work without crutches. And it was like, yeah, give them support, give them some money, give them some funding. I don’t really know all the issues involved and what that would solve. I know that they can’t be funded at the level they needed to be funded by increasing our postage 4 cents every five years, or whatever it might be.
Doug:
I’m going to hop in too, because Theresa and the postal issue is very important, but Teresa also dropped a ‘School House Rock’ reference to me, “I’m Just a Bill.” We did a lot of, it was mostly like grammar and things like that, but they had the, “I’m Just a Bill” and I think that basic, I mean, I was political science in college, and that basic segment there, I think, taught a lot of us how the basics of how a bill gets pushed through works.
Liz:
Doug, that is so funny because as soon as she said that, that’s the first thing that went through my head.
Theresa Cox:
The thing that comes to my mind is “Conjunction Function” and it’s like, oh, so I knew that wasn’t referenced, but yeah, “I’m Just a Bill.” I mean, I could see the little guy on the Congress steps.
Liz:
School House Rocks, absolutely. Oh my gosh, Theresa, you have done so much for this community. That’s how I met you is through our community. You know, this recently, I didn’t even know that you were a part of this until recently, which is super cool. Clearly you’ve done a lot more than just,’ Hey, this is how you should do this listing.’ I mean, you’re in here, you’re in the weeds fighting for us, talking to Congress, you have to have like, what is your proudest moment with seller advocacy on this government relations team?
Theresa Cox:
The initial experience of going to the DC Fly In was I just was a sponge. I was just absorbing it and I was just sitting there listening to the other sellers, speak and talk and like learning. I think I really had some good talking points and made some good points when I was talking to my local senator’s office about the USPS in the pandemic. So I felt better. I felt more educated. I felt more passionate about it. It was something that impacted me on a daily basis. And it was something that I really need, like, I know that USPS delivers to every address in the United States and not every carrier does that. So just more general knowledge about it, I guess. And that is from spending the last three or four years on eBay Main Street, learning this kind of stuff, and just absorbing more of the stuff that you, we all see it, we just don’t absorb it. So just absorbing where that, so I think that was a proud moment for me, and I enjoyed talking to you.
Liz:
You were one of 20 that they selected and that’s for good reason.
Theresa Cox:
The DC Fly In is an experience that I wish every seller could have at least once in their career, because it really is. That’s when my eyes were opened about, wow, like eBay puts some serious resources into doing this for us.
Doug:
So tell us a little bit more about the DC Fly In experience. How did that, how’d you become aware of that? What happened when you were there?
Theresa Cox:
eBay selects sellers from different congressional area districts and depending on what the issue is that they’re advocating for. And like I said, in 2018, when I was there, it was the internet sales tax. You fly into DC and you stay at a local hotel, there is a lot of walking, which is fine, but you just have to be sure if you ever get chosen, be sure you wear the right shoes. I thought I had the right shoes on, but it turns out I really didn’t have the right shoes on. But, you know, even just from an, I don’t know, the buildings like I should, but we were in a senator’s building, and then we went to, I got to ride in the little under underground cart. What is that train thing under the Senate side?
Sharon:
The Senate side has a train.
Theresa Cox:
Yeah, the Senate side. So, I got to go on the Senate side and we got to get on the train. And that was a little like, wow, this is kind of cool. I mean, it’s just stuff you don’t know about, and it, you know, meeting other sellers, I met Colleen Rast who was from Wyoming, and she was kind of front and center on this issue. We communicated back and forth and last year she moved to Gilbert, Arizona so now we’re neighbors. So, a couple of the other sellers that were there, you know, just kind of communicate and make that connection. It’s the socialization side, the community side, the advocacy side, it was just a great opportunity to see what this team that you didn’t even know existed does.
Liz:
Theresa, what do you want sellers to know about eBay and marketplaces and advocacy? I know this is a loaded question.
Theresa Cox:
Whenever I have a chance to brag on Sharon and her team, I just want people to know that there is a group of people in the DC area. This is their job. They do it day in and day out, work tirelessly for us, weekends nights, you know, government stuff comes up and it doesn’t matter if it’s Saturday and it’s their day off. They have to jump to do whatever needs to be done. So I’m a huge advocate for getting the word out because most sellers don’t know that they exist, and just sign up on ebaymainstreet.com and sign up for the newsletter. That’s the ‘dip, your toe in the water’ is by signing it and just getting the newsletter and then reading it when it comes through your mail.
Liz:
Oh my gosh, Sharon and Theresa, thank you so much for joining us today. I really appreciate it.
Sharon:
I’m really grateful to have been asked. So thanks so much.
Liz:
Anytime you have anything that you would like the community to know about, please reach out to me, reach out to Doug and we’ll make sure that that gets out.
Sharon:
Thank you so much. Really appreciate it.
Doug:
Well, thanks, Sharon and Theresa. It was great. Thank you.
Outro
Liz:
Doug. That was super awesome.
Doug:
Yes, it was.
Liz:
So, one of the things that we talked about, eBay Main Street, go sign up, get your monthly newsletter, you know, get your feet wet in that. See if this is right for you and follow the steps if you would like to become a seller advocate and join over a million members of eBay Main Street. One of the things that we talked about was pass and pass is a coalition and it stands for Protect America’s Small Sellers. And this was something that we kind of talked about, and this is actually a website it’s protectsmallsellers.org. It exists to help small sellers. It is a coalition. So, the coalition members are eBay, Etsy, Mercari. Offer up and Poshmark. So all five of these platforms have joined together to collectively get their resources, to make a more powerful team to advocate for sellers. You can actually go on this website and there’s a spot for you to share your story so that you can be heard for this coalition on top of being heard for Main Street. So, I want to encourage you to also do that.
Doug:
Yeah, definitely check that out. All the big platforms working together or most of them, and benefiting sellers across the board. So, we’ve brought out the big guns this week, Sharon McBride from eBay who runs up the government relations team and then Theresa Cox, who’s very heavily involved in government relations at eBay and has done the DC Fly In and all that. So, great episodes, something that a lot of sellers aren’t aware of. Thanks everybody for joining us this week. As you know, this is the seller community podcast from List Perfectly. Again, we talked with Sharon McBride from the eBay government relations team and our friend Teresa Cox told us all about what the eBay government relations team and their seller advocates do to advocate for you in the hallowed halls of the government. And to throw back to that we all learned about how government works with Schoolhouse Rock, “I’m Just a Bill.” I wonder if that’s on TV, if the newer generations of children, or if it’s just us? If you’re not familiar with that, you have to go to YouTube search for Schoolhouse Rock, and “I’m Just a Bill” and you’ll learn the whole process.
Liz:
There you go. Or take the actions in this podcast, join eBay Main Street, they’ll walk you through it.
Doug:
Do all that all at the show notes. Where can we be found Liz?
Liz:
So, you can find us at thesellercommunitypodcast.com/podcast. Leave a message or ask a question to anchor.fm/sellercommunitypodcast. You can also email us at podcast@thesellercommunitypodcast.com. You can post a question in the List Perfectly Facebook group use the hashtag seller community podcast and mention me or Doug.
Doug:
Remember, you can listen to us anywhere that you listen to podcasts, you can go to your site, your favorite site and subscribe, or you can go to thesellercommunitypodcast.com/podcast. On each episode page, there are links to each of the streaming sites. Be sure and subscribe, tell your friends, leave a review. Follow us on Instagram. Liz is @coloradoreworn. I’m @snoop.dougie and then of course follow @listperfectly. Anything else, Liz?
Liz:
No, I’m actually out. I have nothing else to add.
Doug:
Well then I guess everybody, we will…
Doug and Liz:
See you next week.
Liz:
Wait, they don’t actually see us.
Doug:
I think we did it though. That’s what I’m more excited about.
Liz:
Yeah, you’re right.
Doug:
Hear us next week.