Gadgetell Interview: Karl Wiley Senior Director, eBay’s technology and media category

Karl Wiley is the Senior Director of eBay’s technology and media category. He is responsible for developing and executing long-term strategy, and implementing marketing and promotional programs to drive increased seller and buyer activity. Since joining eBay in 2001, Wiley has most notably created and manage eBay’s Preferred Solution Provider Program and was one of the founding members of eBay’s business-to-business initiative one of the company’s fastest-growing categories today.

Karl, thank you for taking the time to give our readers a greater insight into the world of eBay. Please tell us a little about yourself and your role at eBay?
Currently, I am the senior director for eBay’s technology and media category. I am responsible for developing and executing long-term strategy, and implementing marketing and promotional programs to drive increased seller and buyer activity in that category.

2. What are the most popular categories in eBay?
The most popular categories on eBay are: Motors, Clothing & Accessories, Consumer Electronics, Computers, Books/Music/Movies, and Home & Garden.

3. What sort of data can you share about the growth of the tech business?
As of Q1, 2006, the following eBay technology and media businesses delivered $1 billion or more in worldwide annualized GMV (gross merchandise volume): Consumer Electronics, Computers, Books/Music/Movies, Cameras & Photo.

4. Why do you believe tech is such a large business on eBay?
eBay is well-suited for the sale of tech products. Sellers (retailers, manufacturers, independent entrepreneurs) have access to a huge global community (more than 200 million registered users) and buyers can easily comparison shop for not only new, in-season merchandise, but for used and refurbished goods.

eBay also enables consumers to upgrade to the latest models by selling their existing products on the eBay marketplace.

5. How does eBay deal with grey-market products being sold, such as a Japanese Sony PSP prior to it being released in America?
eBay follows the same laws as the offline world. We develop our policies in partnership with our community, government agencies and industry associations. Also, eBay is a marketplace, not a retailer. We do not sell goods and can’t confirm the origin of items on the site. As a marketplace, we seek cooperation and rely on the expertise of rights owners to inform eBay of listings in violation, which then are taken down.

6. Do you believe eBay has a positive or negative affect on retailers like Best Buy?
eBay offers a complementary sales channel that allows sellers (retailers, manufacturers) to reach more and different customers than they could through traditional distribution channels – their brick-and-mortar locations or through their own Web sites. eBay also enables sellers to liquidate returned, refurbished or out-of-season merchandise, which they generally would not be able to do cost-effectively through their existing channels.

Currently, many retailers run successful storefronts on eBay.

7. Do eBay sales increase or decrease in times of a recession? In a boom?
eBay sales have shown consistent, steady growth, regardless of changes in the overall economy.

8. What was the least popular product ever sold? Most popular?

Judging the least popular product would be difficult, but popular items (and by that I mean items with the most searches) include Sony PSP, Xbox360 and iPods. In fact, as of today (7/17) those are the most popular searches on eBay overall (according to eBay Pulse, http://pulse.ebay.com/).

During holiday 2005, the Xbox was one of the hottest items sold on eBay
– it caused quite a frenzy!

Karl, thank you for taking the time to give our readers an insight into the world of eBay. We are looking forward to the PS3 and Wii listings as well as all the Blu-ray and HD-DVD products as they become more popular and available.