eBay Looks For New US Collectibles Leadership Once Again Amidst Internal General Manager Shuffle
UPDATE 10-23-25
Confirmed at today's Winter 2025 Seller Update - Ron Jaiven is taking over leadership of the North American marketplace as Dawn Block moves to a new Seller Advocacy and Support role within eBay.
Liz Morton
Leadership of one of eBay's top categories is once again up in the air as recent job posting shows the company is looking for a new General Manager of US Collectibles.
Per the ad on eBay's careers page:
The Collectibles category is both eBay's historical core, and a dynamic, innovation-driven business providing the greatest contribution to growth within eBay's recent business performance. This role leads the US Collectibles business, covering categories as diverse as Trading Cards, Coins, Comics, Sports, Memorabilia, Art, Antiques, and is responsible for driving the US business performance and strategy of this critical eBay category.
As Sr Director, GM of US Collectibles, you will operate at the center of a complex, matrixed Fortune 500 environment, collaborating with executive leadership, corporate center, and shared services such as Product, Technology, Marketing, and Customer Support. Your leadership will be essential to driving continued business growth and maintaining eBay’s leadership in a fiercely competitive, rapidly evolving marketplace.
The eventual hire to lead the multi-billion dollar US Collectibles business will be expected to build relationships with key industry partners to bring new inventory to the marketplace, and of course no modern tech company job ad would be complete with a requirement to "ensure the power of AI is integrated into both internal operations and customer facing experiences."
They'll report to Global Collectibles VP & GM Adam Ireland, who took over the role last year.
Liz Morton
Strangely, eBay appears to have had a difficult time keeping people in this critical US leadership position - experiencing much turnover in recent years either due to internal promotions or external poaching.
In 2021, then GM Collectibles & Trading Cards, Nicole Colombo left eBay to join competing trading card site ALT.
Colombo's role was then filled largely by Bob Means, whose official title was Vertical Merchandise Director but most people knew him as the face of eBay's trading cards, toys, and collectibles efforts, often appearing at industry events and a frequent guest on hobby related podcasts and blogs.
Means left eBay in 2023 to join Walmart as General Manager Electronics, Toys & Seasonal, becoming a key player in Walmart's efforts to challenge eBay in the collectibles space.
Liz Morton
After Means, Mayank Hajela stepped into the eBay GM US Collectibles role, which he held until 2024 when he left to join Means at Walmart, becoming GM, Head of Collectibles for Walmart Marketplace.
Liz Morton
Once Hajela departed, eBay consolidated US collectibles leadership under the eBay Live livestream shopping division for a time, making then-Global GM, eBay Live Deepak Rangaswami also the GM Collectibles US until he left the company in February 2025.
And finally, previous GM Motors Parts and Accessories, Ron Jaiven, was most recently shuffled to cover the US Collectibles leadership position, which he held for less than a year before being moved to VP & GM eBay North America.
It's not entirely clear if that new title means he is taking over for current US General Manager Dawn Block (whose LinkedIn page still shows she holds that title) or if perhaps the reference to North America means he will be covering the still currently empty GM Canada position.
Liz Morton
Whoever takes on leadership of the US Collectibles vertical will face increasing competition, legal challenges and other problems with authentication services.
Liz Morton
They'll also be put in the uncomfortable position of being accountable for delivering on laughably absurd assertions CEO Jamie Iannone keeps making about no counterfeit items ever making it through eBay authentication.
Liz Morton
And they'll be stepping into the role just as eBay may be losing one of their largest collectibles sellers with mega-seller Rick Probstein saying he will be ending a 21 year run in which he sold almost 6 million sports collectibles and generated $925 million in sales on the platform as he sets out to start his own competing live selling site.
Liz Morton
What suggestions or advice would you have for eBay's next GM US Collectibles? Let us know in the comments below!
