Cobb Businesswoman Honored By eBay

From EBAY: Local Powder Springs-based Reflections of Trinity has been recognized by online e-commerce giant eBay as one of the corporation’s Small Business Ambassadors, and as a result was invited to participate in the 14th Annual United States of eBay Seller Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill.

As part of the event, Laurie Wong, owner of Reflections of Trinity, traveled to Washington, DC May 6-8 to meet with elected officials on various issues important to her business, including the way that the Internet, technology, and platforms like eBay have revolutionized the way that small businesses operate, discuss why it’s important that lawmakers keep small Internet-enabled entrepreneurs in mind when considering various public policy initiatives, and showcase how eBay has led to her dramatic growth as a small business in Powder Springs.

“To say eBay has changed the quality of my life is an understatement,” said Wong. “It’s so much more than that. We would not be where we are today without eBay.”

Just this week, eBay released its annual United States Small Online Business Trade and Inclusive Growth Report, which found that 96% of eBay-enabled small businesses in Georgia export outside of the country, compared to only 1.3% of traditional businesses. These sellers also reach an average of 16 different foreign markets, which is four times that of traditional businesses in Georgia.

Among the issues that Small Business Ambassadors like Wong discussed during their meetings on Capitol Hill were the need for an affordable, universal, and reliable postal service as well as reduced trade barriers, and cross-border frictions.

High shipping costs disproportionally impact small business sellers, consumer sellers, and entrepreneurs who cannot take advantage of scale or their own logistics network. Additionally, because many buyers and sellers live and work in rural and underserved areas, small businesses operating through the eBay platform depend on a postal service that delivers to every corner of the country. And as consumer expectations and industry standards for e-commerce delivery increase, fast and reliable delivery is critical to enable small retailers to compete against larger companies.

Concerning trade policy, the Small Business Ambassadors highlighted the ways that barriers to trade disproportionally impact small businesses who cannot absorb higher costs or uncertainty as easily as larger companies. These barriers include low international “De Minimis” customs thresholds, which exempt low-value packages from tax and duty collection. Another barrier is tariffs, which hurt small businesses who cannot always adjust their inventory easily to react to them. And finally, sellers urged elected officials to increase the reliability of the international postal system, which is critical for greater and more broad-based small business commerce opportunities.

Reflections of Trinity currently employs 15 individuals operating out of a community resource center. More than 70 percent of those Reflections of Trinity serves are either over 65 years old or under 18 years old.

In total, 24 small businesses from across the United States were selected to participate in the advocacy day. Each of these businesses will tell their small business story directly to their Representatives and Senators, as well as their Congressional staff members.

Additionally, as part of the advocacy events, eBay will host a seller showcase at the National Postal Museum where each Small Business Ambassador will have a booth displaying a sampling of their items. Last year’s showcase was widely attended by Members of Congress and congressional staff.

In September of 2003, Laurie Wong opened a small, non-profit thrift store that served not only as a self-sustaining business, but also as a resource center in the local community, providing free items for those in crisis. Sales were mediocre, so Laurie knew she needed to look elsewhere to bring in more revenue. In 2005, despite knowing absolutely nothing about eBay, her friend helped Laurie join this online platform. Laurie went on a risky adventure with eBay, where her uninformed, skeptical self, quickly became a power seller with an anchor store. In 2012, Laurie added a food pantry as additional community service, and soon after, the business became known as Reflection of Trinity. This nonprofit charity provides resources of clothing, shoes, accessories, and food to those in need. In 2018, Laurie’s eBay sales allowed her to distribute 1,609,520 lbs. of food, which equates to $3,025,897. This served 36,951 people in need, and Laurie expects these numbers to continue to grow in 2019.