Brian Wallace, Founder & President, NowSourcing

eBay always strives to support their creative and passionate community of sellers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.  In 2020, the pandemic brought with it multiple challenges that affected the society and economy, such as job loss, reduced income, and increased household and childcare responsibilities.  However, selling on eBay, whether to maintain a small business or earn extra income, helped women earn money, support their family, and work flexibly at home during these difficult times.  

Although people from all walks of life have been impacted by the pandemic, studies show that women suffered more negative impacts compared to men during the first few months of economic downturn.  This was due to the fact that several businesses that were affected the most had mainly female employees, such as in-store retail, hospitality, and non-emergency health care services.  Women also were the ones who took on more of a drastic increase in household and family burdens that came with remote-school, childcare disruptions, caring for sick family members, and other hardships.

eCommerce opportunities on eBay have helped women with various backgrounds deal with the economic and social challenges of the pandemic.  According to eBay’s  Empowering Women Through eCommerce Report, 69% of women have stated that the ability to sell on eBay was a benefit with 82% of women who began or increased their selling in the past year saying they did so because of a hardship like job loss, reduction in income, and loss of childcare among others.  Additional benefits that were important to women selling on the eBay marketplace include the flexibility of working from home as well as being their own boss.  eBay’s eCommerce report further shows that many of the women behind the numbers are located in towns and cities across the U.S.  

The ability of sellers using eCommerce to reach a more global audience beyond their local markets became significantly important during the pandemic when in-person retail and various kinds of face-to-face work became restricted.  In the first six months after the pandemic hit, the number of small businesses in the U.S. on eBay increased by 34% while sales by U.S.-based small businesses on eBay grew by 38%.  Furthermore, 97% of U.S. women-owned, eBay-enabled small businesses exported in 2019 and reached an average of 16 different countries which surpassed the reach of traditional export reach.  

The eBay marketplace has helped women across the U.S. facing economic and social challenges become more resilient and able to move forward, and continues to use technology to promote entrepreneurship nationally and globally. 

About the Author: Brian Wallace is the Founder and President of