eBay community raises cash for Haiti

We still don’t know how many people lost their lives when an earthquake hit Haiti on Tuesday. And maybe the sheer numbers are just incomprehensible. Can you get your head round 200,000 dead? I can’t.

In situations like this, it’s the individual human stories that have the most impact – the father still holding his lost daughter, the families searching for each other, the baby pulled, miraculously alive, from the rubble – and it’s those stories that make us ask the most important question – what can we do to help?

There’s only one thing, for most of us: put our hands in our pockets and give them our money. And we are.

According to eBay, by Saturday $373,000 had already been raised by eBayers, and the eBay Foundation has given another $100,000. eBay UK currently has 348 charity listings for Haiti – and yes, there are a few big ticket items, but most of them are just ordinary people selling their stuff, giving a few pounds where they can. Go bid.

If there’s nothing you want to bid on, you can donate through eBay for Charity – and it’s here that I have to do my churlish bit. Why isn’t this link on the home page? It’s not even on the front of eBay for Charity, and I don’t think that’s good enough. If eBay.com has a banner link on the front page, why doesn’t eBay UK?

This would be such a superb opportunity to show that the UK eBay community is live and well and caring about people who have lost everything – we shouldn’t be having to dig to find the link to donate to DEC (which, I might add, didn’t even exist until Friday!). It should be in our faces: not just at checkout, not just on the SYI form, but everywhere – so that those who just don’t have cash to give at least get told that look, you could sell a CD, sell a DVD or that sweater you got for Christmas that you can’t stand – sell it and give the money away, there’ll be no fees to pay.

One more bit of housekeeping: organisations collecting for disaster relief Haiti are eligible for fee waivers from PayPal: mail nonprofit@paypal.com for full information.

I think we should have a target here. How does a million dollars sound? We could manage that, right?

Picture credit: Daniel Barker, U.S. Navy, via Wikimedia Commons

10 Responses on "eBay community raises cash for Haiti"

1. 1
   Glenn says:

   January 18, 2010 at 6:08 pm

   Well done Sue

   The earthquake and struggle to survive is one news topic which should be covered in as many forums as possible

   Please post updates as to progress on funds raised.
2. 2
   Sue Bailey says:

   January 18, 2010 at 6:11 pm

   Giving Works has a total at the top of this page: http://donations.ebay.com/charity/event.jsp?NP_ID=-52
   $497,000 so far. Brilliant. Now let’s double it

   BTW, if anyone’s running any auctions for any of the Haiti charities, do feel free to leave us a link.
3. 3
   Sue Bailey says:

   January 18, 2010 at 7:13 pm

   Pleased to see eBay UK now has a Haiti banner on the top of the home page.
4. 4
   John Pemberton says:

   January 18, 2010 at 7:38 pm

   I am going to switch some listings to 100% donations (about £200 will come from me)…i just can’t imagine having to go what these poor people have gone through
   • 4.1
     Sue Bailey says:

     January 18, 2010 at 7:40 pm

     Post a link when they’re up then JP.
5. 5
   Joger says:

   January 19, 2010 at 4:14 am

   Start listing some 100% donation items today.
6. 6
   Philippine Real Estate Owner says:

   January 19, 2010 at 7:22 am

   I am from Philippines. I would like to donate to the earth quake victims but I dont want to pass it through my government here as to they are corrupt. It’s a good thing to know that
   • 6.1
     northumbrian says:

     January 19, 2010 at 4:19 pm

     erm its not just the Phillipines
     politicians expense accounts over here, are not considered to be quite what they should be
7. 7
   northumbrian says:

   January 19, 2010 at 6:08 pm

   if money were the answer everything would now be solved
   the charities alone have millions if not trillions invested and in reserve,
   governments have vast amounts of money to throw away at the finacial sector
8. 8
   northumbrian says:

   January 19, 2010 at 6:14 pm

   the Fire and rescue guys out there are the ones who would get my money ,they should have medals as big as dustbin lids