eBay is Expanding the Reach of Austin Small Businesses through Retail Revival

Austin is a city filled with boundless creativity. Its rich community of artisans, musicians and innovators have created a distinct, dynamic local culture and put this Texas town on the world’s stage. Austin is also home to hundreds of eBay employees, who are passionate about their city and the small businesses that make it so unique. Today, we’re deepening our longstanding investment in Austin, with the local launch of Retail Revival, our acclaimed small business support program, here in the capital city.

Launched in 2018, Retail Revival empowers independent retailers to “stay local, sell global,” thereby keeping their retail communities intact and thriving. It provides participating small business owners with the in-depth training, tools and promotional support they need to start and grow on eBay. 

Our newest Retail Revival cohort in Austin includes approximately 50 sellers, whose products span across a range of categories, from ceramics to electric bicycles, sustainable fashion and even gourmet cotton candy. They join our global family of Retail Revival sellers who have now opened their digital storefronts on eBay and are continuously reaching hundreds of thousands of new customers around the world. 

“With this month’s Retail Revival Austin launch, we’re celebrating independent local businesses and the vibrant individuality they bring both to their city and our marketplace,” said Marni Levine, vice president of seller operations and engagement. “We’re excited to super-charge their efforts through Retail Revival, helping them expand their businesses globally while staying local.”

At today’s Austin launch event, our newest Retail Revival sellers joined our eBay employees for a full day of networking, trainings and interactive sessions to learn best practices in excelling on the eBay platform. 

eBay has enjoyed a strong presence in Austin since our office was established there in 2007. Retail Revival Austin is a natural expansion of our Austin office’s commitment to community impact — in the last five years, our Austin employees have logged roughly 5,000 volunteer hours in the community. 

“Austin is a flourishing tech and business hub that has seen tremendous growth within the last few years,” said Mike Petersen, head of the eBay Austin office. “Many eBay employees call Austin home; we’re eager to do our part in helping our local small business owners thrive on our global platform through Retail Revival.”

eBay harnesses the power of technology to empower independent small businesses by equipping them with the skills and tools to engage in commerce on a global scale. In Texas, 95 percent of eBay-enabled small businesses export, compared to 1.5 percent of traditional businesses, reaching customers in 16 markets around the world to date. Our hope is that Retail Revival will expose Austin’s one-of-a-kind inventory to our worldwide audience, giving our buyers unparalleled choice. 

The Retail Revival program is core to our mission at eBay: to empower our sellers and create sustainable economic opportunity. The Austin expansion follows successful Retail Revival program launches in Akron, Ohio; Lansing, Michigan; Greensboro, North Carolina; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as well as international programs in six cities around the world, including Wolverhampton, UK, and Halifax, Canada. 

To date, more than 400 participating businesses in the program have generated over $20 million in GMV, and sold to buyers in nearly 170 countries.

Shop small businesses on eBay: While our Austin sellers work to get their inventory listed on eBay, explore the incredible selection of products from other Retail Revival sellers at ebay.com/retailrevival.