My eBay Open 2023 Adventure

Hey there, party people! It's your Chief Mischief Maker, Hannah Daragon, from Hannah's Games Ltd., and boy, do I have a story to share with you. In September 2023, I had the absolute pleasure of attending eBay Open 2023, not once, but twice! Yep, you read that right. This blog post is all about my whirlwind adventure at eBay Open in Manchester and London. So, grab your favourite party game, settle in, and let me take you on a journey through the world of eBay and online selling.

Double the Fun in Manchester and London

Location & Date:
- Manchester: Emirates Old Trafford on Thursday, 15th September 2023.
- London: Hilton London Wembley, Lakeside Way, Wembley Park, on Thursday, 22nd September 2023.

Event Name: eBay Open 2023

 

The eBay Open Agenda

I had a blast at eBay Open 2023, and I want to share my highlights and experiences with you.

Main Stage Highlights

**Morning Kick-off: Intro to eBay Open**
- Kicked off by Arjang Salehi and Hannah Hardiman.

**Eve's Morning Keynote**
- Featuring Eve Williams.

**Seller Success Stories: How I Grew My Business**
- A panel featuring yours truly, Hannah Hardiman, and five other amazing sellers.

As the day unfolded, we delved into the nitty-gritty of eBay selling:

**Maximising Your eBay Shop**
- Presented by Samuel Zwaan.

**Seller Clinic: Expert Advice on Improving Your eBay Shop and Listings**
- Featuring insights from Emma Simpson, Jane Bell, Katie McGarry, and yours truly.

**Insights into Consumer Behaviour Shaping Retail in 2023**
- Presented by Carla Puttini.

Networking breaks and coffee sessions allowed for valuable connections and conversations among attendees. After lunch, we returned for an afternoon filled with more informative sessions:

**Overcoming Customer Issues**
- Another panel featuring yours truly and five incredible sellers.

**Boosting Your Sales on eBay**
- Tips and tricks from Torben Schwanke.

**Web 3.0: The Future of the Internet**
- Presented by the insightful Andy Gray.

The event concluded with closing remarks from Eve Williams and a well-deserved networking session at the open bar (my favourite 😉).

Engaging Workshops

Throughout the day, there were workshops covering a range of important topics:

- Intellectual Property: Protecting Your Brand & Tackling Counterfeiting, led by Debbie O'Kelly.
- Strategies for Recovering from a Drop in Seller Performance Level, presented by James Carty & Katie Dudley.
- Using Terapeak to Stay Ahead of the Competition, insights from Alan McColgan.
- Customising Your Global Shipping Programme (GSP) Settings, a session by Joshua McWilliams & David Fletcher.
- Maximising Sales with Promoted Listings, featuring Alex Farberov and Nesha Saini.

My Favourite Sessions

1. **Eve's Keynote**: Eve Williams set the stage on fire with her insights into the eBay landscape. The new feature she announced about upfront payment on buyer offers had my mind buzzing with possibilities!

2. **Intellectual Property Discussion**: As someone who creates my own intellectual property, this session was gold. Learning about IP protections was incredibly valuable.

3. **Seller Clinic**: This was like eBay therapy. Experts delved into real-life listings, showing how the knowledge from other sessions was applied (or not). It was a blast!

4. **Web 3.0**: Andy Gray's session opened my eyes to the future of the web. If you missed it, you've got some reading to do!

My Panels

I had the privilege of being on two panels at the event:

**Morning Panel: 'How I Grew My eBay Business'**
- I shared the stage with Ross McGill, Yinka Omodayo, Nikki Morton, Daniel Hague, and Troy Bustamante. Our host, Arjang Salehi, kept the conversation lively as we discussed our eBay journeys.

**Afternoon Panel: 'Overcoming Customer Issues'**
- Once again, I joined forces with Ross, Yinka, Nikki, Daniel, and Troy, along with Arjang Salehi as our host. We tackled the nitty-gritty of dealing with customer challenges.

The Real Value of eBay Open

Don't get me wrong; the sessions were fantastic. Still, the true treasure of eBay Open 2023 was the connections I made. Online selling can be isolating, but being part of a vibrant business community, even for a short time, was rejuvenating. eBay truly knows how to make its sellers feel valued.

Meeting fellow sellers and eBay employees, sharing stories, and learning from each other was an experience I'll treasure. Your network really is your 'net-worth,' and I'm grateful for the friends I've made in the online seller community. Thanks to eBay for inviting me, and it was an honour to speak and be part of such an amazing event.

Until next time, keep the party spirit alive, and let's keep rocking the world of online selling together! 🎉🛒✨