LiveAuctioneers, eBay Extend Charity Campaigns Through May 31

NEW YORK and CALIFORNIA — To continue to help COVID-19 relief efforts, LiveAuctioneers and eBay have extended their charitable campaigns through May 31.

LiveAuctioneers CEO Phil Michaelson said his company’s campaign, which started in April, has been an overwhelming success and confirmed that an estimated $50,000 donation is expected to be made as a result. Michaelson said that the campaign is being extended as LiveAuctioneers continues to experience a surge in new bidders.

In celebration of its campaign, #GivingTuesdayNow, a new global day of giving and unity, eBay will continue to match dollar for dollar, up to $1 million, through May 31 for any US donations made to Feeding America, Direct Relief and The Opportunity Fund, and is encouraging sellers and shoppers to continue to support causes on the frontlines of the COVID-19 relief efforts. Additionally, eBay’s Charity Shop has teamed up with Nyjah Huston, Adam Lambert, Jim Lee, and more on exclusive charity auctions for fans.

Michaelson said LiveAuctioneers wanted to quickly use their growing revenues from new online bidders to start helping with relief efforts and donated $20,000 to the Meals on Wheels COVID-19 Response Fund last month. While the total donation will be determined when all auction-house final sales are reported, he said they anticipate contributing at least another $30,000 to charity.

With the goal of assisting and supporting local auction houses that have been severely impacted by regulations governing public gatherings, LiveAuctioneers created a stimulus package that was in effect from mid-March through the end of April. During that period, all first purchases made by bidders who were new to LiveAuctioneers automatically generated a charitable contribution.

Michaelson said the program attracted more than 100,000 new bidders, who placed more than $55 million in bids, with web traffic surpassing 4 million monthly visits. Additionally, the number of new buyers on LiveAuctioneers nearly doubled year-over-year, growing by 97 percent.

Through May 31, LiveAuctioneers will donate 15 percent of its proceeds from all first purchases made by bidders who are new to LiveAuctioneers exclusively to the Meals on Wheels COVID Response Fund.

To further support auction houses during this time, LiveAuctioneers is extending waived listing fees for any auction company’s first automated, online-only auction listed on its platform, also through May 31. LiveAuctioneers is also offering complimentary, custom-designed online-bidding websites as part of the package.

“The auction industry is still challenged by restrictions on gathering in person. Online bidders, and reliable mobile and web bidding technology, are critical to keeping thousands of local auction houses in business responsibly during this period,” Michaelson said.

For more information about automated online-only auctions, call 888-600-2437, ext. 2; or email support@liveauctioneers.com. Upcoming auctions of art, jewelry, collectibles and more can be viewed at liveauctioneers.com.

Over at eBay, sellers and shoppers can visit eBay.com/DoGood to learn how to support organizations doing critical work right now as part of the company’s matching pledge campaign. From decluttering and donating a percentage of your sales to charity, to donating as little as $1 at checkout, or buying a “gift that gives back” for just $5, there are many ways people can come together with eBay’s community to make a difference:

Sell for charity: With people stuck at home during spring cleaning season, decluttering and selling from home is a great way to give back. eBay allows sellers to donate a portion of their sales to charity, with the option to donate between 10-100 percent.

Give at checkout: When you purchase on eBay via PayPal, you can donate between $1 and $25 during checkout. Each week eBay is featuring a different charity working on relief efforts.

Gifts that give back: You can also buy a direct charitable donation when you’re shopping on eBay. These donations range in value from $5 to $100, and benefit Feeding America, Direct Relief, The Opportunity Fund and many more.

Shop: Browse eBay’s Charity Shop for items that benefit charity, from one-of-a-kind collectibles to electronics and celebrity memorabilia including work by Jim Lee, DC chief creative officer, publisher and world-renowned comic book artist, who is auctioning 60 original sketches of DC characters in 60 days to benefit The Book Industry Charitable Foundation’s Comicbook United Fund supporting struggling comic book stores.

To date, according to eBay, the community has raised more than $1 billion for charities with more than 83,500 global charities registered on the platform, and is enabling $211 every minute in charity funding by eBay buyers and sellers.