All Ears On: eBay Awards 2023
Ready for the eBay Awards 2023? In this podcast episode, we’ll guide you through the application phase for one of the coveted eBay Awards. Our hosts, Isabell and David, discuss the key details of this year’s award ceremony and have all the important info ready to help you put together a strong application.
How long does the application phase last? Which categories are there this year? And what’s actually up for grabs? The two hosts answer these and many other important questions in the new episode of our eBay podcast for sellers. You’ll learn all about the renowned jury and what winning the award means for other winners.
Isabell and David share exclusive tips for the application process to maximize your chances of winning. Your journey to the eBay Awards 2023 starts here! The next stop is the awards ceremony at the eBay Campus in Dreilinden – just one podcast episode away!
**Important Links**
eBay Awards 2023 including all info and the application form
eBay Awards 2023 jury and winners from 2022
Isabell: Today: All eyes on eBay Awards 2023. I mean all ears on eBay Awards 2023. In today’s episode, we’ll discuss important facts about what’s up for grabs, who’s on the jury this year, which categories you can apply for, and we’ll give you helpful tips and tricks for the application.
Isabell: Hello, dear listeners, and a warm welcome to a new episode of our eBay podcast for our sellers and of course for everyone who wants to become one. I’m Isabell Butterwegge, Seller Engagement Manager at eBay Germany, and today I’m back here in the podcast studio with my colleague David Philippe. Hi David!
David: Hello Isabell, I’m very happy to be here, but I have to admit, it’s kind of unusually quiet in here, because beside us there’s only our production team sitting in the studio and no guests at all, and that feels very unusual.
Isabell: Yes, I actually find it a bit unusual too. Over the past few weeks, the two of us have almost been a little investigative, gathering all kinds of information about the eBay Awards, because today the application phase for the eBay Awards 2023 starts, and so today we want to give our listeners everything they need to know. So, which categories can you apply for, what are the prizes, who is part of the jury, and much more. And right at the beginning, a quick note on all the points I just mentioned: there will also be chapter markers in the show notes so you can jump straight to the relevant info.
David: In general, you should just check the show notes. That’s where we’ll also link to the page where you can apply for the eBay Awards. But yes, we’ll first give tips for the right application. We’ll explain exactly what you should pay attention to when filling out the form, and in the six years of the eBay Awards, I have to say, the jury often had to disqualify applicants because there simply wasn’t enough information provided to properly assess or categorize them. And that’s why we’re saying: pay attention to what we say about the eBay Awards now so you can increase your chances.
Isabell: Yes, that was nicely said, David. Of course it’s a shame when someone puts effort into an application, but then it fails over a small detail. Maybe you can start right away with the hard facts about the application.
David: Yes, of course, as you already said earlier, the application phase starts today, on May 24, 2023.
Isabell: Exactly, and then it runs until July 16, so you still have a few weeks to finish the application, and there will also be a separate landing page at eBay where you can learn about the six different categories and ultimately apply for one. We’ll put the link to this landing page in the show notes as well.
David: Exactly, and one more note here: we mentioned this last year in the podcast episode about the awards from last year: it’s actually not necessary to apply on the first day; it can also be on the last day. There’s no difference in the chances — you really have the entire application phase available to fill everything out at your own pace, and we’ll come back to that in a moment.
Isabell: David, maybe can you briefly explain what the goal of the Awards actually is.
David: Yes, that’s a good point. So the eBay Awards are only for our business sellers, not private sellers, and the goal of the Awards is actually to recognize the success stories and commitment of all our sellers. Because we keep hearing about the great stories they have, how much effort our sellers put into giving their customers a great experience, and how much passion they bring to their work. And we just want to honor that. It’s not just about saying, okay, you’ve got the coolest new sales idea, because we also have categories that are about long-standing sellers and so on. But we’ll get to that in a bit... I don’t want to get ahead of myself. In the end, we just want to show the great stories our sellers bring with them, and appreciate how much our sellers make our marketplace what it is.
Isabell: Exactly, and quite a few success stories have come together over the last six years. But who could better say what winning an eBay Award means than the winners themselves? So let’s listen in to what former winners have to say about it.
Carolin Langer: I was very happy that I won the eBay Award in the Young Entrepreneur category. For me, that is confirmation and also a reward for the daily hard work you put into your own business. And also a very good recognition from eBay, which honors young sellers and rewards the courage to start a company at a young age.
Geigers: So, we were very surprised by this prize. To this day, we are still very, very proud of having won this incredible award. Yes, we were also very happy to travel to Berlin, and yes, all that public relations work naturally brought us an enormous amount of media interest and attention, which we still feel to this day.
Mona Hinghaus : Our award naturally has a place of honor in our office, and I really look at it every day, precisely because, as mentioned before, sustainable business and then in tires, that really is like being knighted. I can really only recommend to everyone to apply for and take part in the eBay Award, because it’s truly an experience you won’t forget.
Melanie Halfmann: We didn’t really expect to win later on, especially because we were such a young company that had only been selling on eBay for a few months more or less, and so we decided relatively spontaneously to submit an application to eBay, and were correspondingly surprised that we won.
Paul Jonas: Yes, so we used the award win itself in the media. Of course, that has a pretty good external effect when you’re recognized for your performance. Plus, of course, the prizes you get with it, the cash prize, sales fee credit, and all sorts of other nice things you’re happy to take along. The award was just a very, very cool certificate for us, because it’s totally tied to eBay. revive and eBay are so closely linked in a positive way, and the award put a seal on that marriage. That now... I’ve put that beautifully, a real love story.
David: Oh yes, Paul and Melanie were here with us in the podcast studio too, and it was just really great to talk to them. I also always love being able to meet the winners personally and get to know them, and to learn even more about their story and their business. And I can assure everyone that literally everyone at eBay is looking forward to the Awards.
Isabell: I can only confirm that, and I’m already looking forward to inviting the winners to our podcast studio. But that’ll still take a while, and I think there are still some questions open that we want to clarify about the eBay Awards. Right, David?
David: I can tell, Isabell, you want to get to the point a bit and step on the gas so we can keep going. But okay, let’s just start. What can you actually win? I think that’s the most important question of all.
Isabell: Now we’re finally getting to the really interesting part, so we’ve summarized it here. All winners each receive a cash prize of 5,000 euros, and there is also a credit toward eBay selling fees in the amount of 1,000 euros. Our eBay experts will provide three months of intensive consulting to help expand the eBay business. And what I find especially great is that we invite all winners to the eBay Awards ceremony on November 8 this year at our eBay Campus here in Dreilinden, of course including overnight accommodation, a campus tour, and dinner. So I think the prize package is definitely worth applying for.
David: Absolutely, I can remember that exactly. There was a dinner with the eBay Award winners last year, and I spoke with several of them, and many of them were obviously happy about the cash prize. But even more important for many of them was simply this invitation and this personal exchange with eBay, and I know Oliver Klinck, for example, our Managing Director, was also there at the dinner with the winners. He really spoke with everyone there, and that was simply incredibly valuable and important for the winners too.
Isabell: Yes, that was really great, and we also heard that while the prize and the whole package are great, what mattered most or meant the most was really the appreciation around it, and now we know what can be won and where the prize will be received. Let’s talk about the jury now. This year, eBay Managing Director Oliver Klinck is back again, as you already said, he was there last year too. Also back is Andreas Haentsch, Senior Director Seller Engagement at eBay Germany. Some listeners will probably already know him. He has been a guest on our podcast several times before. Joining them again is Dr. Kai Hudetz, Managing Director of the IFH Cologne, and Ingrid Lommer, who is an editor at Internet World and a platform specialist.
David: Yes, and in addition we also have two new jury members, both of whom I think are really, really cool — not only because they’ve both also been guests here on the podcast. One is Carolin Langer from Lacatho; she is the founder of Lacatho and an award winner, and Dr. Peggy Keller, who was also here on the podcast. She is Deputy Managing Director of Regional Management Erzgebirge and did a very exciting episode with us about eBay. Your Town.
Isabell: Exactly, if that’s not an expert and exciting jury, I don’t know what is. Let’s talk about the categories now. We’ve already said a few times that there will be different categories you can apply for. But what does that actually look like?
David: Exactly, let’s just start with the Founder of the Year category, and as the name suggests, this is about founders who started in that year. Last year, by the way, there were two who founded something together, Matthias Jonas and Alexander Deutscher from Jonas und Deutscher, and at that time they had only been active for one year, but in that time they had already sold almost 50,000 products in the fastening materials and connectors segment on eBay. I have to admit, I didn’t really know the category that well myself, but I find it impressive that they were able to sell so many products in such a short time, and by now they are a leading provider of these products. So, what are we looking for in this category? It’s simple: we’re looking for courageous entrepreneurs of all ages who founded their business within the last three years. So not everyone has to have founded their business just one year ago to take part here, and it doesn’t matter at all whether someone is 18, 35, or maybe 75 years old. What really matters is that you have an innovative business idea, maybe a clever sales strategy, or some kind of inspiring company story, and of course that you share it with us. And it’s also important not just to have steady growth, but above all to have many positive reviews from satisfied customers, because that is one of the most important criteria — of course not just that you sell a lot, but that customers are satisfied in the end.
Isabell: Exactly, in this category the jury will mainly look at strong numbers, but of course always measured against how long you’ve been selling on eBay. In addition, they will look at the business idea or even the product itself.
David: Exactly, those are definitely the most important factors that should be visible from the application. Isabelle, you can go on with the next category.
Isabell: Yes, the next category is Sustainable Business. Last year, Mona Hinghaus from proReifen won, which, for me, isn’t exactly the most obvious product in connection with sustainable action. Her goal was to reduce the 600,000 tons of used tires that have to be burned or otherwise disposed of every year in Germany alone, in part. They do this, for example, by retreading car tires, and we learned that they’re at least as good as new ones. So, in this category we’re looking for a seller who demonstrates outstanding environmental awareness. Most therefore sell sustainable products, for example, or specialize in the sale of B-stock, used, refurbished, or reconditioned products. But we’re always open to new innovations here.
David: Exactly, here the jury mainly looks at whether things are manufactured in a resource-saving way or, to put it simply, whether — keyword circular economy — they aren’t just wasted, but maybe recycled, upcycled, or used again.
Isabell: Exactly!
David: Then let’s move on to the next category: Social Business. Last year, Ariane Dykiert from La fraise rouge won here. She specializes in handmade personalized gifts for babies and children and sells them from Kreuzberg, and above all, through the sale of the distinctive strawberry pendant — that’s the logo of her brand, since La fraise rouge is French for the red strawberry — she supports aid projects in Bangladesh. The aid project helps girls get the chance to complete training as seamstresses. That means in this category we’re looking for sellers who are especially committed to charitable causes, who maybe take responsibility with their company in their region but also beyond, and who also perhaps stand up for diversity, equality, inclusion, and other social aspects. That means we’re looking for social businesses that truly live these values in their day-to-day work and ideally also support public-benefit projects, foundations, or associations beyond that.
Isabell: To summarize, in this category the jury wants to know exactly to what extent you support some charitable cause. That’s why it’s super important to provide as much information as possible about the organization you support and to say exactly how much you do, or how you actually live those values in your day-to-day work.
David: Exactly, applicants in this category should explain more precisely why, for example, they support a local football club or other institutions, and not just that they do — really justify why you’re doing it. And to win here, we really recommend presenting your own commitment in as much detail as possible and explaining why you deserve this award.
Isabell: Next up is the eBay Veteran category, I also really like the category name.
David: What could be hiding behind that name?
Isabell: Last year, Philip Codausi from Recambo Car Shop won this category. Since founding his eBay shop in 2006, Philip has already sold 2.1 million items in the car tuning and accessories segment and shines with 99.3 percent positive feedback. So here we’re looking for genuine online evergreen sellers who have been successfully selling on eBay for many years and have developed alongside the online marketplace into a major player in German e-commerce. Winners in this category impress with strong business figures and several thousand sales per year, and with their strong assortment, they’re indispensable on eBay.
David: To win in this category now, you don’t have to have been around since 1999 or 2000 or, in this case, 2006, but you do have to have been around for at least eight years and have really good sales figures.
Isabell: Yes, that’s really important. Thanks for emphasizing that again, because if someone has been around since eBay was founded but has only sold 5,000 items since then, their chances here are rather poor.
David: Absolutely right! Then we move on to the next category, which also existed last year: Local Hero. Last year, the Geiger family from Musikhaus Geiger and Geiger won, because for decades they have supported numerous music clubs in the Ortenau region with their instruments, extensive on-site advice, and super local service, and a few years ago they also moved into online retail, and since then they’ve been shipping instruments all over the world. So who are we looking for in this category? We’re looking for sellers who are deeply rooted in local retail, who have a successful brick-and-mortar business that contributes to preserving vibrant city centers and regions, who genuinely care about local matters, and who get involved in different ways regionally or locally, for example in the community, or who support local clubs or carry regional products in their assortment.
Isabell: So, to have a chance in this category, as the category name Local Hero already suggests, you absolutely need to have a local, physical store — it’s obvious from the title, but I still wanted to emphasize it again here.
David: Better safe than sorry. But now let’s move on to the last category.
Isabell: Exactly, and the last category is also a new one, namely Service Hero. In this category, we want to recognize sellers who not only have outstanding reviews, but always go the extra mile when it comes to customer service. The winners in this category know the needs of their buyers inside and out. Competent advice over the phone or directly in the store comes naturally to them.
David: That means we’re looking for sellers who offer special services, of course matching their category. These could be special delivery services, assembly services, repair services, exchange services, and much, much more, naturally always fitting the category in which they mainly sell and the items they sell.
Isabell: Exactly, true service heroes. And for everyone who is still unsure which category they fit into, we’ll link once more to the page with all the information about the Awards, where you can find all the descriptions of the individual categories, as well as an overview of last year’s winners. That’s also a good reference point, and here’s a little tip: take a look at the winners’ eBay shops. But you can also win an Award in a category you didn’t originally apply for. So applying in one category doesn’t automatically exclude you from all the others. That’s why it’s so important to provide as much information as possible in the application. I don’t think we can stress that enough.
David: Isabell, have we already clarified all the important points about the eBay Awards? Is the episode over?
Isabell: Well, almost — we still promised a few tips for filling out the application form. First, I’d like to note that you don’t need to write a scientific paper to apply for an eBay Award. We’ve simply gathered everything so you know what the perfect application would look like.
David: Yes, perfect — let’s say we’re helping you maximize your chances as much as possible. Yes, we thought it would simply be helpful to go through the application form with you and give a tip here and there on how to fill it out, and above all, don’t forget that this should still be fun in some way and not suddenly raise hundreds of new questions.
Isabell: Yes, I think the beginning of the application form is clear: the email address where you can best be reached, and your full name. After that, you need to provide the link to your eBay shop.
David: One more note here: of course this only applies to business sellers on eBay, meaning that if private sellers enter their URL there, it won’t be accepted. The same goes if business sellers enter their private account link instead of the shop link. Please make sure to use the shop link, otherwise it unfortunately won’t be accepted.
Isabell: Exactly, and then you tell us how long you’ve been selling on eBay, if you’re unsure about that. You can find that information in your shop profile under Info.
David: Yes, that’s relatively simple: just state the year your company was founded and how many employees you have.
Isabell: Everyone probably knows that. Next, you need to specify which categories you mainly sell in, for example Motors, Collectibles and Rare, Home and Garden, Refurb, and so on.
David: Exactly, and next it’s about getting to know you better. It helps to provide the links to all your social media channels, because that way the jury can get a better picture of you. If you don’t have any social media channels: that’s absolutely no problem, that’s not disqualifying at all.
Isabell: It’s also important to pull a few key figures from the eBay profile, such as the number of reviews, the review rate, the number of followers in the eBay shop, and the number of sales.
David: Now it gets a bit more involved, because here we want to learn more about the company. You have 1,000 characters to tell us more about you and your business. Please pay close attention to the description of the text field here, because we really want to learn everything important about the company. You definitely don’t have to use all 1,000 characters, but you can.
Isabell: At this point we’d like to give you a few guiding questions, and it also shows once again that the goal of the eBay Awards is to highlight the people behind the businesses. What did you do before founding the business? How did the idea for founding the business come about? Why did you start selling on eBay, and were there any important milestones? What were the biggest challenges and successes for the business? And these questions are meant as guidance, as inspiration for what you could put into those 1,000 characters.
David: Exactly, you don’t have to answer the questions one by one. What matters more is that you understand which information is important for the jury’s decision. So we recommend taking some time to really think about it. Okay, what information could help the jury get a really good picture of me and my business? Because the jury naturally only knows what you tell them.
Isabell: Yes, and if writing really isn’t your thing, you could also add a YouTube link with an audio file or a video application. The only important thing here is that the videos aren’t too long, because of course we want to give every application the appreciation it deserves, and making some applications long mini-films while others aren’t would simply not be fair. Otherwise, you can also ask friends and acquaintances for help, since they might see your business from a different angle.
David: Exactly, and now it’s about indicating which of the six categories fits you best. This selection is also only guidance for the jury. As Isabell said earlier, that doesn’t exclude you from winning in another category. It does happen from time to time that someone applies for one category but, because the criteria for others are also met, ends up winning a completely different one. And that’s why it’s so important once again to provide as much comprehensive information about your business as possible in order to maximize your chances.
Isabell: And then we’re already at the last question. Why does your business deserve the prize in the specified category? Here you can explain what you do to stand out in the selected category and why you set yourself apart from the others in that category. Make sure all the important details are there, because they won’t do any further research. That means, as David already said, they only know what’s in the application. Here you can also link to an audio file or a YouTube video if you prefer speaking to writing, but remember: short and snappy, not a short film or a podcast.
David: Exactly, that’s basically it for the form. In the show notes, as already mentioned, we’ll link you directly to the application form so you can get started with your application. We said you have time until July 16, so you don’t need to rush and fill everything out right away — take your time, focus, gather your thoughts, and fill it out calmly so that you really have all the information in there.
Isabell: Maybe one last note at the end: apply even if you’ve tried in previous years and it didn’t work out. Maybe there was simply a missing metric somewhere, or someone else convinced them a bit more with a small detail. Every year the cards are reshuffled, and maybe the new category is relevant for you too. So we hope this episode helps you — don’t give up!
David: That was a nice closing remark. I really appreciate you listening, and maybe see you on November 8 at the awards ceremony here in Dreilinden.
Isabell: Yes, see you then and good luck with your application! And don’t forget, we always appreciate feedback on our podcast. Feel free to write to us in the eBay Community or on our Facebook page to let us know whether you’ll be applying, and while you’re there, please leave us a subscription or a like where you’re listening right now. That helps us keep growing. Goodbye, and until next time!
David: Goodbye, until next time.
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