The reason eBay continues to thrive
A New York Times story (registration required) on how various people at all levels of the corporate world have been affected by the downturn...a good example of why eBay continues to do well even as most people aren't:
Then the bubble burst. Mr. Shedden, now 22, lost his job in November 2001, when the Internet company, Digital Club Network, laid off much of its staff. "I don't have a job; I have no money," Mr. Shedden, who graduates next spring, said with an air of resignation. "I'm just treading water until I finish."
He has been able to land sporadic work through school, he said, putting together and dismantling art exhibits. Yet that has not been enough to pay the bills, so Mr. Shedden has resorted to becoming a seller on eBay. His 90-year-old grandfather, who is clearing out his house for sale, has allowed Mr. Shedden to auction some of his possessions, from old liquor bottles to eight-track stereo equipment. His best sale to date: a 1914 Singer sewing machine that fetched $196. "If you get rid of enough stuff," he said, "you can at least eat for a week."