[Ex-Ithacan]

A rather odd bit of info about Ithaca.




Ithaca leads U.S. with international eBay sales in 2007
By Timothy Cama
Special to The Journal

ITHACA — A three-month study conducted earlier this year by the online marketplace eBay found that eBay sellers in the 14850 ZIP code sold more than 8,800 items totaling more than $1.2 million in the first three months of this year — the most international sales of any U.S. ZIP code, the company recently announced.

The majority of Ithaca's international sales during the period were to Canada, according to Jim Griffith, eBay's dean of education, but sales were also completed to the United Kingdom, Australia, Russia, French Polynesia and other nations.

The study, which looked at trends from January through March of 2007, identified only trends, so eBay officials can't really say why Ithaca sellers do so many international sales.

“We have no idea what any of this means,” said Griffith, adding that other organizations may have a use for the data. Griffith couldn't speculate as to why Ithaca received its distinction.
The study used what Griffith described as a “rough per capita” comparison among communities. For example, if a community's sellers were to sell an excessive number of items more than $100,000, the study would put more weight on those sellers than usual. Nonetheless, the results are primarily per capita.

EBay's study, which was made possible by technology known as eBay Marketplace Research, identified eight ZIP codes, including that of Ithaca, with unique, superlative selling behaviors.

Among the study's findings: buyers in the 33674 ZIP code of suburban Tampa, Fla., bought the most dolls during the three-month study, buying more than 2,200 dolls for almost $80,500, according to Griffith.

“It helps us to identify the make-up of certain communities,” Griffith said of the study, adding that he always finds it interesting to uncover these trends.

The most expensive item sold by an Ithaca seller to an international buyer during the study period was a 2005 Crownline 192 BR Runabout Boat, according to a news release from eBay, for $14,100 to a buyer in France.
Originally published July 6, 2007