eBay Looks For New Canada Leadership With Focus On US Cross Border Trade & Market Dependencies
eBay is once again looking for new leadership for their Canadian marketplace with an eye toward strengthening North American cross border trade.
In a recently posted job ad, eBay lays out what they're looking for in a new Canada General Manager - and it's 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 show 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.
This particular position has seen significant turnover in recent years and Canadian eBay sellers sometimes complain that they feel a bit like the forgotten stepchild of the site as it's often the last to gain access to new tools and features or just seems like an afterthought compared to US, UK, Australia, and Germany.
Liz Morton
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
Yesterday, Bigler announced that eBay is 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, eBay's previous Global GM for Sneakers and Streetwear, Garry Thaniel, was promoted to take the GM Canada spot.
Liz Morton
Thaniel's LinkedIn page still shows him actively in the GM position and he has not posted anything about leaving the company or moving to a new position, so it's not entirely clear what his future may hold and eBay has not responded to request for comment as of time of publishing.
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 uncertainty around tariffs and the de minimis exemption impacting cross border trade and ongoing Canada Post service disruptions and worker strikes.
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
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!
