Washington, D.C. - eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:eBay) today announced that Paul Jones, former vice president of asset protection at the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), has joined eBay as global director of retail partnerships.  Jones will work with eBay’s team of more than 2000 Trust and Safety professionals to bolster eBay’s ongoing efforts to prevent the sale of stolen goods through vigilance and strategic partnerships with law enforcement and retailers.

“I look forward to working with eBay’s outstanding team,” said Jones, who will add his decade of experience managing loss prevention efforts for RILA, as well as such keystone retailers as Limited Brands and Sunglass Hut International to eBay’s team of former law enforcement and retail professionals.  “eBay has demonstrated real leadership with its robust work to confront challenges related to retail theft and the sale of stolen goods.  It is clear to me that eBay is committed to working with both retailers and law enforcement to address this issue head on.”

As Vice President of asset protection at RILA, Jones developed strategies for the associations’ hundreds of member companies and worked closely with the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation to address emerging issues.  Prior to his work with RILA, Jones managed loss prevention strategy at Limited Brands, recognized as one of the top five Loss Prevention Departments in the world, as well as Sunglass Hut International, where Jones was responsible for loss prevention efforts across the company’s 3,400 stores.  Jones is the current vice chairman of the Loss Prevention Foundation, president of the Loss Prevention Magazine Editorial Board and his successful efforts have been featured on ABC’s Good Morning America, Fox News and in the Harvard Business Review.

Leaders from the retail industry who have worked with Jones also praised this addition to eBay’s team. King Rogers, the former vice president of assets protection at Target Corporation, said, “The move of Paul Jones from RILA to eBay is the best news for both the retail industry and for eBay I have heard in the last eighteen months. I applaud eBay for its wisdom in taking this dramatic step forward. My respect for Paul has grown even greater for having the courage to tackle this challenge. And my counsel to the retail community is to now embrace this initiative, refrain from just being critical and work closely with Paul to ensure success for retailers and for eBay.”

Tod Cohen, vice president and deputy general counsel for government relations of eBay Inc. said, “We are excited to welcome Paul to our team and know he will bolster eBay’s existing efforts to combat the sale of stolen goods, including our special PROACT investigative unit dedicated to working directly with retail loss prevention personnel to investigate case referrals. His experience and deep roots in this field will further strengthen our anti-fraud capabilities while enhancing our valued relationships with retail and law enforcement partners.”

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Retail Loss Prevention Expert Paul Jones Joins eBay Inc.
Quotes from Leaders within the Retail Industry

“The move of Paul Jones from RILA to eBay is the best news for both the retail industry and for eBay I have heard in the last eighteen months. I applaud eBay for its wisdom in taking this dramatic step forward. My respect for Paul has grown even greater for having the courage to tackle this challenge. And my counsel to the retail community is to now embrace this initiative, refrain from just being critical and work closely with Paul to ensure success for retailers and for eBay. “
-- King Rogers, the retired Vice President of assets protection at Target Corporation

"Paul joining eBay is a good sign that the company is serious about working with retailers to find solutions to the ORC issues plaguing the industry."
-- Dennis Klein, Vice President of loss and prevention at Abercrombie & Fitch Co. and Chairman of the RILA loss and prevention steering committee

"Paul Jones is a talented leader and experienced practitioner in the retail loss prevention profession.  I have known Paul for over a decade, and as such, have developed a good appreciation of his personal skills and strengths.  I predict that his appointment to this new position at eBay will have a profoundly positive effect on both crime prevention for this company and the more difficult task of reducing organized crime in the entire retail industry."
-- Dr. Richard C. Hollinger, a leading academic in the field of loss prevention

“Paul Jones is a recognized expert in loss prevention and shrinkage reduction programs.  Over the years he has been a leader for the profession in developing programs and applications to protect corporate assets.  His tenure as Vice President of The Retail Leaders Industry Association was marked with a resurgence of the association’s delivery of  loss prevention excellence.  As the assets protection executive of the newly created position at Ebay we should all expect to see a positive and valuable relationship developed between the retail community and Ebay.
-- Jim Lee, CEO of Loss Prevention Magazine and Executive Board Member of the Loss Prevention Foundation