68 We Are eBay – eZine One struggling Dad makes a home run on eBay When his life and health suffered a series of setbacks, James Phillips turned things around click-by-click As the saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again. James Phillips knows this better than most. Ten years ago, he began selling on eBay for a bit of extra cash, but after losing his job, going through a divorce, and developing a mystery illness, eBay offered him a lifeline. No longer able to work a normal job, James expanded his eBay business to a full-time career. It allowed him to work from home in Midvale, Utah, USA, caring for his son and taking time off when his health deteriorated. Baseball fan James describes eBay as his ‘home run’, admitting: “It’s allowed me to pay the bills and be there for my children. It’s literally saved my life.”