It seems eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) is a source of one charity auction after another these days. From the famous Warren Buffett Power Lunch auction to benefit The Glide Foundation to this recent news of Eminem collaborating with Nike to create limited-edition autographed sneakers to be auctioned for charity on eBay.
Uppers designed by Eminem will be laid on eight sets of Air Max original blueprints shoes to create some 64 pairs of unique Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) Air Max sneakers. These will be autographed by Eminem and auctioned at Nike stores across Europe as well as on eBay. The first auction is scheduled for Thursday, September 12, at both Niketown London and eBay.
Proceeds of these auctions will benefit Eminem's Marshall Mathers Foundation and ninemillion.org. The Marshall Mathers Foundation is a non-profit organization set up to provide funds for groups working with troubled youth in southeast Michigan (Marshall Mathers is Eminem's name). UNCHR's ninemillion.org campaign aims to bring education and sports programs to children in refugee camps across the globe.
While these charity auctions may not affect eBay's bottom line much, the publicity that comes with them is positive as is the assertion in eBay's dominance that is implied by the choice of eBay as a venue for the auctions. I wish all these auctions great success as their causes are often remarkable.
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