The University of Idaho Argonaut

With 276 million registered users in 39 markets including the U.S., eBay has generated a record $1.5 billion in annual net marketplace revenue with an annual growth rate of 21 percent.

For those who want in on it, Linda Sundstrom can show how it’s done.
Sundstrom, postmaster of the Genesee Post Office, will be presenting “Selling on eBay and USPS.com” at 7 p.m., April 7 in the Latah County Library.

During the free workshop, Sundstrom will visually walk participants through sales transactions, using her own eBay account as an example.
She will outline typical auctioning and shipping procedures through eBay.com and then through USPS.com.
“When you think about what you’re selling it’s really a wide open field,” Sundstrom said.

As a cross-promotional agreement between eBay Inc. and the U.S. Postal Service, postal districts throughout the country have elected representatives to educate those interested about how to effectively do business through the two Web sites.

There will also be coupons available at the event allowing new eBay users to make their first three sales without paying enlisting fees.
The workshop will cover features of the eBay and USPS partnership that many consumers overlook, including how to get free packaging materials through USPS.com and how to print labels at home.

She added that many USPS users do not realize their packages can be picked up by a carrier at their own doorstep.
Sundstrom also mentioned the potential fundraising opportunity that eBay could offer, especially for a college community.

“Representatives from living groups really can earn some extra money this way,” Sundstrom said. “When you guys move out in May and the Dumpsters fill up with what you don’t want or don’t want your parents to know you have, you could be listing your stuff to make money for next year’s programs.”

Sundstrom said eBay classes available to the public charge substantial attendance fees, so a free tutorial is a rare opportunity.
“It’s a public service that probably wouldn’t happen anywhere else,” said Chris Sokol, Latah County Library Adult Services Manager.

Sundstrom has been the official eBay representative for the Spokane postal service district for two years. With a degree in education and experience teaching in public schools, Sundstrom was excited for the opportunity to volunteer for the lecturing job.

“I do (eBay) myself, but there’s so much involved that I always learn a new tip every time I talk to somebody,” Sundstrom said.
Since she began, she has been hosting the workshops primarily in the Spokane and Boise areas.
“She approached us,” Sokol said. “She’s a library patron in Troy, so she’s familiar with our library system. She came to me and explained it, and it sounded like a good idea.”

The county library routinely hosts other public service presentations and historical society discussions.
“It’s always something we think the public would be interested in,” Sokol said. “It’s usually people in the community or elsewhere in the state who want to talk for an hour about what they know about sharing information. It’s usually a contemporary topic.”