eBay Seeks General Manager of Trading Cards Category

eBay will pay an annual salary of between $160,400 – $254,100 for a “strategic thinker and seasoned operator” to head its Trading Cards category. It’s looking for a General Manager to support the launch of new innovation, technology, and partnerships in the category.

Trading Cards are one of eBay’s “focus categories”; in August, it acquired TCGplayer for nearly $300 million, and in June it had acquired Known Origin for an undisclosed sum as part of its investments in the vertical. During eBay’s 4th-quarter earnings call this week, CEO Jamie Iannone said focus categories grew more than seven points faster than the rest of the marketplace during the quarter.

According to the job description on LinkedIn, “The Director/GM of Trading Cards will be both a strategic and operational leader responsible for driving category growth through owning the end-to-end customer experience. This includes optimizing marketing and onsite merchandising, attracting and retaining key inventory, and developing integrated solutions and services for our customers.”

It’s interesting to review the requirements of the position:

• 10+ years of experience in an online marketplace, digital platform, or related e-commerce business
• 5+ years in a collectible or trading cards related business
• 5+ years of responsibility for P&L and/or revenue goals
• BA/BS required, MBA or similar graduate degree preferred but not required
• M&A or Management Consulting experience preferred

Applicants must also have a passion for operating ecommerce businesses and/or two-sided marketplaces; experience in and passion for the Trading Cards category; and knowledge of key players and dynamics in Trading Cards and Collectibles markets; as well as “excitement to engage with customers directly, and a strong desire to help eBay win!”

In the job posting, eBay called itself one of the largest online marketplaces for Trading Cards where it offers a wide selection across Sports Trading Cards, Collectible Card Games including Magic the Gathering and Pokemon, and Non-Sport Trading Cards including Star Trek, Garbage Pail Kids, and more.

Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.