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eBay and GE Business Credit Services
Introduce New
Small Business Financing Program
Program Allows Small Businesses
That Buy and Sell on eBay to
Qualify for Credit Lines With No Fees
Washington D.C., May 6, 2004 - eBay, The World's Online Marketplace,
and GE Business Credit Services, a leading business credit provider,
today announced a new financing program designed to make it easy
and affordable for small businesses to obtain credit.
The new program allows small businesses that buy and sell on eBay
to apply for GE Business Credit Services' unsecured working capital
credit lines up to $50,000. Secured credit lines over $50,000 are
available for purchases, when those purchases are used as collateral.
As part of the agreement, GE Business Credit Services will waive
its application fees, account opening fees and first year annual
fees for businesses that apply for its credit programs through eBay.
"One of the biggest hurdles many small business owners face
when establishing or expanding their businesses is a lack of financing
options - including access to capital at favorable interest rates
and terms," explained Jeff Jordan, senior vice president of
eBay North America. "With a simple online application process,
the GE Business Credit Services programs provide eBay small businesses
an easy way to get the money to be successful."
Small businesses are utilizing eBay to start, grow, and expand
their businesses. Today, more than 430,000 individuals make a living
by selling on eBay, and thousands of small businesses purchase goods
on the site. Using eBay as a platform, small businesses have access
to tools and resources to open their doors, reach customers and
create new jobs.
"eBay is now home to hundreds of thousands of small businesses,
and we're thrilled to be able to provide those business owners tools
that they need to help their companies grow and succeed," said
Chris Little, Vice President and General Manager of GE Business
Credit Services. "The unsecured credit GE Business Credit Services
provides can be used towards everything from unexpected or seasonal
expenses, paying off high interest loans or credit card debt, or
any great opportunity that a business owner otherwise would not
have been able to afford."
The GE Premier Line of Credit, the unsecured credit option, provides
interest rates as low as 5.75 percent. Businesses that qualify for
the secured credit line must sell new, nonperishable consumer goods
purchased directly from a manufacturer or wholesale distributor
and have been in business for at least three years, among other
criteria. For those who qualify for secured credit, GE Business
Credit Services will pay manufacturer or distributor invoices while
providing the business with convenient, flexible repayment terms.
GE Business Credit Services also provides qualified eBay business
applicants other financing solutions, depending on the business'
needs.
Under the terms of the agreement, eBay will market the GE Business
Credit Services financing programs to small businesses on eBay,
as well as PayPal merchants, who are also eligible for the program,
through emails and other direct marketing programs.
About GE Business Credit Services
GE Business Credit Services, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is the
commercial unit of GE Consumer Finance. The company provides receivables
management programs and marketing solutions in the business-to-business
arena that support the distribution of product throughout the supply
chain. Its solutions include Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
of open account trade credit, private label revolving credit programs,
receivables financing and secured sales financing for national and
regional clients. More information can be found online at www.gebcs.com.
GE Consumer Finance, a unit of General Electric Company, with $107.4
billion in assets, is a leading provider of credit services to consumers,
retailers and auto dealers in 38 countries around the world. GE
Consumer Finance, based in Stamford, Conn., offers a range of financial
products, including private label credit cards, personal loans,
bank cards, auto loans and leases, mortgages, corporate travel and
purchasing cards, debt consolidation and home equity loans and credit
insurance. GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified services, technology and
manufacturing company with operations worldwide. More information
about GE can be found online at www.ge.com.
About eBay
eBay is The World's Online Marketplace®. Founded in 1995, eBay
created a powerful platform for the sale of goods and services by
a passionate community of individuals and businesses. On any given
day, there are millions of items across thousands of categories
for sale on eBay. eBay enables trade on a local, national and international
basis with customized sites in markets around the world. Through
an array of services, such as its payment solution provider PayPal,
eBay is enabling global e-commerce for an ever growing online community.
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