Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY) toured eBay’s San Jose campus Tuesday to see how eBay is helping small businesses break down international trade barriers and enabling a new era of global commerce.

As a former attorney with experience in customs law, Owens is a leading voice on trade and customs issues in the House of Representatives. He is the co-chair of the House Northern Border Caucus, a congressional body that works to promote stronger border security and trade opportunities for states like New York that share a border with Canada.

The Congressman is also a co-sponsor of the Low Value Shipment Regulatory Modernization Act, which would increase the de minimis threshold in the U.S. from $200 to $800 and encourage the United States Trade Representative to seek increases in international de minimis thresholds through trade negotiations. Increasing de minimis thresholds reduces customs hurdles and enables small businesses to engage in the global economy. More specifically, an increase in the U.S. de minimis threshold would improve the ability of U.S.-based eBay sellers to offer their international customers returns.  Additionally, an increase to international de minimis thresholds would reduce customs barriers facing U.S. exports.

According to surveys, 97% of eBay’s commercial sellers in the U.S. export globally, reaching 19 different countries on average. Traditional barriers to trade like language, currency, and marketing, are less a problem for eBay users who can now reach customers in markets around the world with a simple click of the mouse, as compared to offline merchants.