Posts Tagged ‘Chicago’

While in Chicago, I got around to see a little of the city. No, I didn’t go to the Oprah show, but I did head out to some stores and soak up the city vibe. Chicago is known to have some great shopping.

The Gold Coast Restaurants- Great people watching as you dine alfresco. Had tea and cappuccinos with Shawn Henderson, eBay Design Director, before going back to the energy of the convention center.

Jake – A cool, pared down store for women and men. Resisted the fab Barbara Bui platform sandals even though Shawn mercilessly urged me to get them. I stuck to my guns and passed while admiring the chic looks from Doo. Ri, Adam Kimmel, Phillip Lim and Chris Benz… OK I did get amazing nu-buck platform sandals. We all loved a pair of citrus shorts that Shawn found, but alas they did not have the size he needed.

Ikram– Michelle Obama shops there - though the discreet staff didn’t want to admit it. Opulent without being too precious, Ikram has the most amazing array of well-picked fashion pieces and rarified labels like Azzedine Alaia, Comme des Garcons, Isabel Toledo and Tom Binns.

The Chicago Waterfront– great for jogging, bicycle riding, boating or just a relaxing, scenic walk. I bounced out of bed - OK, I slouched out of bed. As soon as I saw the amazing water view though I perked up and started my 2-minute jogs.

*Photo licensed to: wireimage.com

My first eBay Live! experience was memorable. I’ve been to Chicago before, but this was different, like going on a trip and touching down on planet eBay.

The convention center was exciting and energetic, awash in eBay colors and more importantly, eBay buyers and sellers.

It was great to see so many real, “live” eBayers from all over the country and from around the world.

Of course, I was particularly interested in the style purveyors. Miuccia Prada and her tie dyes have nothing on Uncle Joe. Just in time for the hot tie-dye trend, Uncle Joe was giving away $5 gift cards good on his site that specializes in tie dye. He himself was wearing a most fabulously vivid T as he whizzed around eBay Live! in his wheelchair.

I loved the ShoeMetro guy, Phuoc Huynh; he picked up an award that included a donation from eBay to his favorite charity, for their stellar footwear sales.

Listened in on a fascinating talk by some of eBay’s top sellers on how to improve sales. Ann Wood shared tips on what had made her store Willow Wear such a success.

I’ve bought gorgeous African necklaces from Africa Direct and there was Elizabeth Bennett, the owner, in the flesh. We had a chat and compared notes on the beauty of glass beads which actually originated in Venice – not Ghana nor South Africa nor Nigeria. Funny how the world works.

I also learned about how her business on eBay, AfricaDirect benefits craftsmen and women in these countries providing them with a small but invaluable income.

So many of eBay’s users are involved in giving back to the community. Stacie Sefton told me how she and her husband/partner took time from their business, BH Factory Outlet, to help when the devastating floods hit their hometown of Cedar Rapids, IA.

Their business was affected too, but as of eBay Live! they were back on track and doing well as one of eBay’s top style sellers.

I just got back from eBay Live! and wanted to give you a quick overview of my experience. On my way there, I sat next to a woman who raved about how eBay has been an amazing resource for building her figurine collection. Her experience was one of many seller stories I heard that made me have a deep appreciation for the site that we all know and love.

I got to Chicago on Thursday night and walked around the showroom floor, learning about the seller tools that were being demonstrated at the show. An interesting tool you should check out is called zippi. It’s a service that makes it super easy for people to sell their stuff on eBay. You just call a number and someone will head over to your house, pick up the goods, and list them on eBay for you!

On Friday, the keynote rocked me when I heard about the no-limit PayPal protection plan and amazing PowerSeller discounts. In my opinion, those are pretty radical moves in the right direction.

That night, I went to the Top Member event, where I kicked it with folks that were rated well into the 60,000+ feedback range. Can you imagine? I felt like I was amongst royals. I met the #1 seller of iPods, a large computer refurbish dude, an RC car and boat seller, and an intense saw-and-drill bit chick. What a room that was!

All in all, I had a very informative time and can’t wait to go back in 2010!