This week the eBay Government Relations team hosted a virtual town hall and roundtable discussion with US Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). Senator Cornyn provided an update on the work he is doing in Congress to support small businesses and to help Texas residents stay healthy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also shared details about the CARES act and how it has benefited Texas small businesses and residents.

The Senator’s update was followed by a roundtable with several eBay small business owners and eBay Small Business Ambassador Network members from Texas discussing their experiences during these challenging and unprecedented times. eBay seller Martha Oberman of MHO Distributors in Dallas talked about her eBay business selling vintage menus and other collectible ephemera. She shared that her eBay sales have been robust during the pandemic but she has had shipping challenges due to COVID-19. eBay small business owner Alec Featherstone of Freaks & Geeks in Denton, who sells vintage comics and video games, shared that his brick and mortar store had to shut down during the pandemic. eBay was traditionally a smaller part of his business but is now how Freaks & Geeks moves the bulk of their products. And Rhea Kimbell of Rhea Music & More in New Braunfels related that her music-centric business is doing well but hopes to take advantage of COVID relief programs to help her business survive and thrive. She also shared how important legal protections are for existing music.

The Senator closed out the town hall sharing where Texas is in the fight against COVID-19. He shared details of his recent trip to the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas and discussed the issues faced by the elderly and the challenges of returning students to school this fall.

The eBay Government Relations team would like to thank the Senator and our 3 sellers for taking time out of their busy schedules to join us today.