eBay Open 2026 On The Road: Smaller In Person Events, No Live Virtual Access
eBay is significantly scaling back annual seller conference as eBay Open goes on the road for 2026 with multiple smaller in person events across the country but no live virtual access, leaving many sellers with no option but a delayed recorded replay.
Open went virtual during the pandemic, only returning to in person last year as part of eBay's big 30th anniversary celebration - but in those past years the virtual option was at least still offered "live" for the broader seller community to tune into during the event.
Liz Morton
But for 2026, eBay has announced rather than one big event, they'll be holding four smaller "on the road" events with "limited spots" spaced out over the course of the year, with virtual programming only available as a replay at the end.
eBay Open hits the road!
We’re thrilled to share that our biggest seller event is hitting the road this year for eBay Open: On the Road!
This one-day, in-person experience is built to deliver practical tools, clear guidance, and real conversations about what’s next for your eBay business. Start the day with a mainstage presentation and brunch before diving into hands-on workshops, networking, and more.
Throughout the day, you can:
- Book a one-on-one Seller Clinic with eBay Marketplace Advisors to ask questions and get personalized account support
- Learn about the power of eBay Live and the opportunities it’s creating for sellers
- Get hands-on guidance from product and policy experts
- Build real connections with other sellers and raise a glass together at happy hour
Join us at one of our four stops—each city will feature the same experience, so please only register for one location:
- San Diego, CA – May 15
- Chicago, IL – June 25
- Dallas, TX – September
- South Florida – October
eBay Open: On the Road is intimate, practical, and designed to help you grow—today and into the future. Spots will be limited at each location.
Registration will open roughly two months prior to each event date, so be sure to follow us @eBayforSellers on Instagram for news on each city’s event.
eBay says the same information will be presented at each stop, so sellers should only pick one city to attend, and for those who cannot make it to one of the in person events, a recorded replay will be provided as part of the Winter Seller Check In on October 8, 2026.
The agenda for the in person events has also been significantly scaled back from past eBay Open conferences, and unsurprisingly it looks like AI and eBay Live will be the main topics of discussion.
Tickets for the events will be $25 and registration is currently open for the first one in San Diego:
Sellers were absolutely ecstatic last year when eBay announced a return to a large in person event in Las Vegas, so this year's stripped back Open will likely be a let down for many.
The move away from engaging with the broader seller community is disappointing but not surprising as eBay has also recently shut down their most popular social support channels, official participation in the eBay community forums continues to wane, and eBay's latest strategy pivot is clearly aimed at consumer to consumer (C2C) and Live selling even at the risk of alienating small, medium, and large business sellers from the platform.
Liz Morton
Unfortunately, the writing was on the wall when Director Seller Community and Engagement, Rebecca Michals, departed the company last month amidst broader layoffs and Xiaodi Zhang, who returned to eBay in 2022 as VP Seller Experience - a role that "spanned across all aspects of a seller's journey including C2C, B2C, and shipping - has been "promoted" to VP Global C2C.
With no replacement yet taking on the broader VP Seller Experience role and a significantly reduced eBay Open experience, it would appear eBay is happy to leave their business sellers of all sizes on the sidelines in 2026 as they race to catch up to competition from Vinted and Whatnot.
What do you think of eBay's Open On The Road plans? Will you attend one of the in person events? Let us know in the comments below!
