Be a part of one of the most exciting & rewarding charity events to ever hit eBay! The eBay Traveling Lab has taken the eBay community by storm with no sign of slowing down. This guide will give the history of the lab coat as well as outline how you can participate in this growing phenomenon.

HISTORY

The idea of an eBay Traveling Lab Coat came out of eBay Live 2007 in Boston, MA. A select group of employees wore a white lab coat with the label "Help Hall" indicating you could approach them & ask questions about eBay. One of those employees, Brandon, had the other employees sign his coat & then sold it for charity. The winner of that auction took the concept a bit further & decided to resell the coat herself with the stipulation that from then on, every lab coat winner must agree to do the same...all for charity!

From that first auction in August 2007 the lab coat has been sold 5 times & has raised $1,927.00 for various charities around the country. Here is a breakdown of past lab coat auctions including the amount raised & for what charities:

August 2007 - Item #250136757735 - $5.85  for  Primary Childrens Medical Center

September 2007 - Item # - 150156342747 -  $163.15  for  Disabled Online Users Association

October 2007 - Item # 250176447162 - $646.00  for  Challenged Athletes Foundation/Bob Hebeler Memorial

December 2007 - Item # 180187536627 - $325.00  for  AIDS Services of Dallas

January 2008 - Item# 120206541002 - $787.00 for St. Louis Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure

February 2008* - Item# 160207240515 - $???.?? for St. Louis Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure

*Currently running as of 2/10/08

PARTICIPATION GUIDE

First things first...be on the lookout for a lab coat auction. It is recommended that all sellers include at least "Traveling Lab Coat" in their auction title so eBayer's can find it easily. Why not perform a search now? You never know when the coat will come around again! eBay has a category especially for eBay Memorabilia. You will find "eBay-ana" under Collectibles --> Advertising

As the winner you must agree to resell the lab coat on eBay & donate 100% of the proceeds to a charity of your choice. While not required, it is recommended you offer free shipping as well...in the spirit of giving. You may sign & add your website or eBay store name to the coat before you resell it. Past sellers have also added their own personal touch by creating videos or fun pictures featuring the coat. The current seller is a truck driver & has taken the coat over the road for 2 weeks to put the "travel" in the traveling lab coat! He offers photos, a travel journal, route map & trip statistics in his auction.

The point of the whole thing is to have some fun & raise money for a charity you support. If you wish to be a part of this cause, feel free to link to this guide as a way of providing history & participation guidelines to your auction visitors.

More on this & other eBay buying & selling topics at my blog

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