So at this year’s flower show, which ends May 25, the popular “brightly-coloured mythical creatures” are being tolerated. The RHS even teamed up with celebrities and eBay for Charity to auction off more than 100 celeb-decorated gnomes to benefit the RHS’ Campaign for School Gardening. Elton John, Helen Mirren, John Hurt and Julian Fellowes (creator of “Downton Abbey”) got in on the action. And while they didn’t design their own, the pregnant Princess Kate and Prince William were gnome-ified by a Madame Tussauds artist, below.

The auction ends in a little over a day, so bid fast!

Photos from eBay

When we shared DSE externally for the first time a couple months ago, we also set a number of performance goals for 2013 and committed to disclosing updates on our progress on a quarterly basis. Today, we’re pleased to share our first such quarterly update with year-over-year comparisons and analysis. You can find the full Q1 2013 DSE results here and click through the dashboard yourself to see the full cost, performance and environmental impact of our customer “buy” and “sell” transactions.

Here’s where we stand on the progress toward 2013 performance and efficiency goals:

• First, our transactions per kWh increased 18% year over year. The growth of eBay Marketplaces and continued focus on driving efficiencies have contributed to this increase.

• Second, our cost per transaction decreased by 23% in Q1 alone, already exceeding our initial goal.

• Third, our carbon per transaction showed a net decrease of 7% for the quarter. As we’re still on track for our Utah Bloom fuel cell installation to go live this summer, we expect this number to continue to decrease and contribute significantly to our 10% carbon reduction goal for the year, even with our projected business growth. Recognizing that our dynamic infrastructure changes each quarter, we’re confident that we’re on track for our 10% net gain across performance, cost and environmental impact for the year.

We’ve seen a few other interesting trends as well:

The New eBay: Over the last year we’ve added numerous new features to our site. Last fall, we rolled out our feed technology that makes the shopping experience on eBay.com more personal to each of our individual users. On the back-end, with this curated site personalization, we’ve seen a jump in our transaction URLs as the eBay feed technology increases infrastructure utilization. This is one example of our customers site use driving a more productive work engine.

Continued Growth and Efficiency: As you can see on the dashboard, we had a significant spike in the number of servers powering eBay.com – a 37% increase year over year. The rise is in direct response to increased customer demand and personalization for our users. And while we added a significant amount of new servers, we were able to limit the increase of our power consumption to just 16% (2.69 MW). Compared to the first quarter of last year, we’ve reduced the power consumed by an average of 63 watts per server; this is a direct result of our efforts to run more energy efficient servers and facilities.

Running a Cleaner Engine: As eBay aspires to be the leading global engine for greener commerce, we’re continually focused on integrating cleaner and renewable energy into our portfolio. In March, our Salt Lake City data center’s solar array came online and though it’s relatively small, it increased our owned clean energy powering eBay.com by 0.17%. Our active projects with fuel cells and renewable energy sourcing will continue to increase this value through the year.

Continuing to Refine Our Approach: When we first announced DSE, one of our top priorities was continued transparency into our metrics, calculations and lessons learned. Along those lines, the greater transparency has also sparked internal conversations at eBay about how our server pools are categorized.

To read more, please go to our DSE Blog. 

We conducted a global study in five large markets: the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Germany.  The results are in and strengthen the notion that carrying around your financial information, credit cards, and cash in a wallet is simply just a pain. At PayPal, we want to remove friction from the financial equation. So we asked 5000 consumers around the world where and when that happens.

Some of the anecdotal data was entertaining, such as… apparently no one wants sand in their wallets. In every market, the beach is the number one place people don’t want their wallets. Maybe you’d expect that in Australia, but in Germany or Northern Canada?

Overall, the data that came back showed that what people want most of all is to lose their wallets. In every country we surveyed, at least 3 of 4 respondents said they wished they didn’t have to carry their wallets around with them.  A vast majority (83%) of respondents across five countries said they wished they didn’t have to carry a wallet. Additionally, nearly one in three Americans (29%) would choose a smartphone over a wallet if they could only bring one item when going out.

For more survey results, please read the full post over at the PayPal: Forward blog.

Across North America, 102 interns started work on Monday. We are expecting more than 500 interns to join us this summer in North America, and more than 700 in our offices around the world.

“We’re so excited to welcome this year’s class of interns, and they’re eager to meet their new colleagues and learn all about eBay Inc.,” Chambers said.

“We’re going to show them ways they can make an immediate [business] impact through their project work, which has been selected through a competitive process to make sure that they’re working on the coolest stuff that the company has to offer,” added Jen Lamorena, senior manager, University Programs.

Both eBay Inc.’s eBay and PayPal divisions are devastated by the tornado’s destruction and have mobilized resources to help assist relief and recovery efforts. eBay Giving Works has launched a disaster campaign page where consumers can shop, sell and donate to non-profit charities supporting local relief efforts. Visitors can also donate directly to four featured charities, including the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, at the PayPal disaster relief page. 100% of donations received through the respective appeals will be sent to the donor’s chosen relief organization via the PayPal Giving Fund.

Additionally, PayPal will credit back transactional fees to any qualifying 501(c)(3)  relief and recovery organizations that utilize PayPal to raise funds through their own websites.  The credit will be applied to donations received through June 21. To request a fee credit for disaster relief donations to your organization, please send an e-mail to nonprofit@paypal.com by June 21, 2013 with the account e-mail address for consideration.

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) started as a two-phase United Nations (UN) summit in Geneva in 2003 and in Tunis in 2005. Since then a WSIS Forum is held each year around the World Information Society Day attracting thousands of WSIS stakeholders from over 140 countries. The goal of WSIS is to “achieve a common vision, desire and commitment to build a people-centric, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information”

UNCTAD chaired a panel on e-commerce and development with Hanne Melin of eBay’s Policy Lab, the International Trade Center, the Universal Postal Union, the Mission of Ecuador to the WTO, and the Khalifa Fund.

Melin provided a snapshot of the new commerce that eBay see enabled by the Internet and technology solutions. The picture emerging is one of micro multinationals taking advantage of “glocalism”: small businesses sustaining local operations through access to global markets. Our Commerce 3.0 economic research findings and case studies illustrate this evolution. But Melin also emphasized that specific trade barriers need to beaddressed to realise the opportunities within sight.

This post was originally published on the eBay Main Street Blog.

Photo: Pinterest

Race car driver-turned-TV presenter Justin Bell is back for a third season of “The World’s Fastest Car Show,” the web and mobile video series dedicated to all things automotive. The program — available exclusively on the eBay Motors app and the Motor Trend YouTube channel — returns this Friday and will feature 25 original episodes. The app also offers bonus footage of Bell walking through each vehicle featured on the show.

This season, the show — which celebrated its return with a party in Los Angeles Wednesday night — will have a more expansive format and push the limits in terms of vehicles and locations featured. In the premiere episode, for one, Bell travels to an airplane graveyard in an SRT Viper to pay homage to the “speed society” — test pilots, racecar drivers and other speed demons united in their love for muscle cars. The episode also showcases the Porsche Cayenne GTS, Fiat Abarth 500 Convertbible, Aston Martin Vanquish, Mercedes C63 Black Series and more.

“The World’s Fastest Car Show” — which attracted over one million views last season — was developed with mobile viewing in mind. Its’ short, roughly three-to-five minute videos are a good fit for gearheads looking to “snack” on quick-hit material on their smartphones.

“eBay has large vertical categories – such as motors and fashion – and we want to create reasons for users to engage even when they don’t have a purchase in mind,” said Steve Yankovich, VP of New Ventures and Innovations for eBay. “One of our most well received collections of original content has been the ‘World’s Fastest Car Show.’ This season, we’re looking forward to delivering more amazing footage of unique vehicles and locations that enthusiasts can view anytime, anywhere through their eBay Motors App.”

Tune in Friday to watch, in the words of Bell, “the best and baddest the automotive lifestyle has to offer.” 

(Photos: eBay Inc.)

New features within the updated apps include the introduction of  multiple search views so iPhone app users can see search results in table, grid or tile view, and an iPad and iPhone-accessible Shopping Cart. Previously only available on desktop and Android, the new Shopping Cart functionality helps U.S. and UK users buy items from multiple sellers with a single payment and delivers on eBay’s promise of an intuitive and consistent buying experience.

“We want to provide seamless shopping experiences across all kinds of devices and platforms. It’s what our most engaged customers want from eBay,” said Kevin Hurst, VP of Mobile Products. “With the Shopping Cart now available on desktop, Android, iPhone and iPad, consumers can start shopping on one screen and easily finish on another.”

Other features included as part of the iPhone 3.0 and iPad 2.3 updates are an improved user interface (in particular, the iPad gets a more customizable home screen), new photo editing tools for the iPad-version of the app and driver license scanning technology — to help sign up new users in most states — for the iPhone version. All features are meant to ensure a consistent experience, no matter where a user interacts with eBay.

The app updates speak to eBay’s determination to make every screen shoppable and is the next logical step in improving the pace of mobile innovation at eBay. The company’s last significant mobile update — introducing the ability to start a listing on a smartphone or tablet and finishing on the web, and vice versa — was introduced in January and has already helped increase first-time listing on the site by 67%.

Photo: eBay Inc. 

From May 16 to May 26, StubHub and eBay are teaming up to host an instrumental art auction, with all proceeds benefitting the Musical Youth Foundation at the 7^th annual Dublin City Soul Festival. As one of StubHub’s Rising Stars, the Musical Youth Foundation is dedicated to providing every child on the Island of Ireland with access to a musical education.

StubHub’s Rising Stars program supports non-profits that are improving access and opportunity for at-risk youth through sports and the arts. The program goes beyond funding support to pair non-profits with employee talent and other company resources.

“We are proud and excited to work with the Musical Youth Foundation to host a charity auction on their behalf,” said StubHub Customer Support Supervisor Emma Jean Reay, one of the employee volunteers helping to spearhead this program. “Working with our eBay colleagues and leveraging eBay’s own platform to help raise the funds makes this project that much more rewarding.”

Musical Youth Foundation Founder and Chief Executive Chris Maher said, “We are thrilled to be working with StubHub and eBay to help us raise funds in a unique new way, giving even more children in Ireland access to music education and all its many life-changing benefits.”

The auction has already begun so bid now! Head to www.stubhubcharityauctions.co.uk and check out the selection of pieces from the charity’s Instrumental Art collection, including the ‘Guitar of Note’ by billioneurohouse.com artist Frank Buckley (pictured above). The guitar, donated by Buckley, is covered in decommissioned euro currency and is just one of ten unique pieces going for online auction as part of the festival.