eBay kicked off a campaign promoting the anniversary of its founding 30 years ago with the launch of an “eBay’s ’95 Shop” online and a pop-up shop in New York. In Wednesday’s announcement, eBay explained the shop focuses on pop culture from the 1990s:
“Curated by actress and ’90s icon Sarah Michelle Gellar, the shop celebrates eBay’s 30-year legacy of shaping culture, fueling recommerce, and connecting people with the things they love.
“Drawing on eBay data, the collection features “greatest hits” that defined the decade and remain cultural staples today — from Jordan XI sneakers and Pokémon cards to vintage Gucci and a ’97 Land Rover Defender.”
The pop-up shop will be open on September 4 from 11 am to 7 pm at 45 Grand Street in New York City. “Top eBay fashion and collectibles sellers will also offer an extensive selection of unique finds from the era for immediate purchase at the pop-up, reflecting eBay’s unbeatable inventory of fashion, collectibles, and motors,” eBay announced.
The online ’95 Shop features auctions – each with a starting bid of 95 cents – with all proceeds benefiting Make-A-Wish. eBay will also host “eBay Live” auctions on September 3 and 4, which are live-streamed auctions where bidders bid in real-time.
eBay also issued a second, related press release touting its role in creating economic opportunity and revealing its plans to be on hand to open Nasdaq with a bell-ringing ceremony, which can be viewed in this video.
It also linked to a timeline of eBay’s history including photos and embedded videos – an interesting reminder of its evolution over the past 3 decades.
eBay CEO Jamie Iannone was quoted in the announcement. “eBay’s 30th anniversary is an important milestone we share with our global community of buyers and sellers, who’ve been with us every step of the way. Looking ahead, we’ll continue to leverage innovation and AI to make eBay simpler and more trusted, while building a stronger marketplace for the decades to come.”