eBay Still Looking For New Canada Leadership As GM Garry Thaniel Moves Back To US To Lead Fashion Category
It's official - eBay GM Canada Garry Thaniel is moving back to the US to take on fashion initiatives, leaving leadership for Canadian marketplace up in the air.
Thaniel broke the news on his LinkedIn page today, though it appears he may have been juggling both his GM Canada and new US GM Fashion roles at the same time since April.
That fits with the timing of eBay publishing an ad on their careers page looking for a new General Manager for the Canada marketplace.
Liz Morton
eBay laid out what they're looking for in new Canadian leadership back in May, making it clear that tariffs, trade wars, and US market dependencies are top of mind in the current political and economic climate.
The key responsibilities and requirements for the role also showed that eBay is looking for someone who can handle both localized and global objectives, with strong knowledge of the interplay between the US and Canada markets.
Thaniel did not name his successor in his LinkedIn post and that job ad is still active on eBay's career's page, so it would seem the company has not yet found a suitable replacement, leaving leadership of the Canadian site up in the air.
This particular position has seen significant turnover in recent years.
Going back to 2018, Andrea Stairs had been Promoted to Canada GM before then being bounced around to several other positions at the company - including a relatively uninspiring stint as VP Seller Community and Chief Marketing Officer before being replaced in the CMO role by Adrian Fung in 2022 - then finally winding up as VP Global Regulatory Trust and Monetization.
Her replacement as Canada GM in 2020 was Robert Bigler.
Bigler served in that role until April 2023 when he was promoted to take over as CEO of then newly acquired subsidiary TCGPlayer after former founder/CEO Chedy Hampson abruptly stepped down, along with eBay Chief Account Officer Brian Doerger, following due diligence failures and escalating labor relations issues which led to the formation of the first US union in eBay history.
Liz Morton
Bigler announced in May that eBay would be closing down the TCGPlayer authentication center, laying off over 200 unionized workers in Syracuse, NY and moving the whole operation to Kentucky.
Liz Morton
And when Bigler was promoted to TCGPlayer in 2023, Garry Thaniel was promoted from his role as then Global GM for Sneakers and Streetwear to take the GM Canada spot.
Liz Morton
Whether it eventually goes to another internal promotion or eBay brings in some new blood, the next Canada GM will have their hands full with ongoing Canada Post labor disputes and disruptions as well the end of duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value shipments from Canada to the US.
Liz Morton
And as revenue and GMV pressure mount and eBay looks for new opportunities to monetize the platform, Canada could be next market to see introduction of buyer fees and Simple Delivery managed shipping.
Liz Morton
The new GM may also have some work to do repairing relationships with Canadian sellers, who've felt like the neglected stepchild of the platform over recent years as they've consistently behind other eBay sites in gaining access to seller tools, can't get answers about the fate of the previously monthly community forum chat with eBay staff, and have to fight to retain some of the basic perks that sellers in other markets receive.
Not to mention the embarrassing ball dropping by Thaniel and his Canada leadership team at last year's Entrepreneur Of The Year awards.
Liz Morton
eBay has not responded to request for comment as of time of publishing - stay tuned for updates in this developing story.
If you're an eBay seller in Canada, what are the top priorities you'd like to see a new General Manager tackle? Let us know in the comments below!
